Question

A simple pendulum consisting of a bob of mass m attached to a string of length L swings with a period T. If the pendulum is taken into the orbiting space station what will happen to the bob

Answer 1

To solve this problem we will use the definition of the period in a simple pendulum, which warns that it is dependent on its length and gravity as follows:

`T =2\pi \sqrt{(L)/(g)}`

Here,

L = Length

g = Acceleration due to gravity

We can realize that
`2 \pi` is a constant so it is proportional to the square root of its length over its gravity,

`T \propto \sqrt{(L)/(g)}`

Since the body is in constant free fall, that is, a point where gravity tends to be zero:

`g \rightarrow 0 \Rightarrow T \rightarrow \infty`

The value of the period will tend to infinity. This indicates that the pendulum will no longer oscillate because both the pendulum and the point to which it is attached are in free fall.