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If one pendulum has a shorter string and another one has a long string, and both pendulums are released from the same position, which of the pendulums requires the lengthiest amount of time to complete one swing

a) Pendulum with a shorter string
b) Pendulum with a longer string
c) Both take the same time
d) It depends on the mass of the pendulum

User Changa
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

The pendulum with the longer string requires the longest time to complete a swing, and if a pendulum clock is moved to a location with a higher acceleration due to gravity, the pendulum should be shortened to maintain accurate timekeeping.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question relates to the physics of simple pendulums and their oscillation periods. When comparing a pendulum with a shorter string to one with a longer string, the pendulum with the longer string will require a lengthier amount of time to complete one swing. The fundamental reason for this is the relationship between the pendulum's period (T) and the length (L) of the string, given by the formula T ≈ 2π √(L/g), where 'g' is the acceleration due to gravity. This means that the period of a pendulum is directly proportional to the square root of its length. Therefore, to answer the original question:

  • b) The Pendulum with a longer string would require the lengthiest amount of time to complete one swing.

Regarding pendulum clocks and adjustments needed when moving to a place with a higher acceleration due to gravity, one would need to shorten the pendulum to maintain the correct time. This is because a higher acceleration due to gravity would increase the pendulum's frequency (reduce its period), and shortening the pendulum compensates to bring the frequency back down to the correct rate.

User Godfrzero
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