Question

A pendulum can be formed by tying a small object, like a tennis ball, to a string, and then connecting the other end of the string to the ceiling. Suppose the pendulum is pulled to one side and released at t1. At t^2, the pendulum has swung halfway back to a vertical position. At t^3, the pendulum has swung all the way back to a vertical position. Rank the three instants in time by the magnitude of the centripetal acceleration, from greatest to least. Most of the homework activities will be Context-rich Problems.

Answer 1

1- t^3

2- t^2

3- t1

Explanation:

The acceleration produced in a body, while travelling in a circular motion, due to change in direction of motion is called centripetal acceleration. The formula of the centripetal acceleration is as follows:

ac = v²/r

where,

ac = centripetal acceleration

v = speed

r = radius

for a constant radius the centripetal acceleration will be directly proportional to the speed of object. The speed of pendulum will be lowest at t1 due to zero speed initially. Then the speed will increase gradually having greater speed at t^2 and the highest speed and centripetal acceleration at t^3. Therefore, the three instants in tie can be written in following order from greatest centripetal acceleration to lowest:

1- t^3

2- t^2

3- t1