The document discusses the history and properties of the pendulum as a timekeeping device. It describes how Galileo Galilei discovered the regular motion of pendulums in 1602 and how pendulums became the most accurate timekeeping technology until the 1930s. The key properties that make pendulums useful for timekeeping are explained - the period of a pendulum's swing depends on its length and local gravity, and is independent of amplitude, meaning successive swings take the same amount of time. External factors like temperature, atmospheric pressure and gravity that can affect pendulums are also outlined.

1. CINEMA SECOND
CLUB

2. It’s BEGIN....

3. Please SIT On YOUR Chair!!!

5. HOW COULD A
PENDULUM USED
AS
TIMEKEEPER
S?

6. From its discovery around 1602
by Galileo Galilei, the regular
motion of pendulums was used for
timekeeping, and was the world's
most accurate timekeeping
technology until the 1930s.
The word 'pendulum' is new
Latin, from the Latin pendulus,
means 'hanging‘

7. The simple gravity
pendulum is a weight
(bob) on the end of a
massless cord
suspended from a
frictionless pivot.
When given an initial
push, it will swing
back and forth at a
constant amplitude.

8. The period of swing of a simple
pendulum depends on its length, and
the local strength of gravity.
If the amplitude is limited to small
swings, the period (T) or the time
taken for a complete cycle of a
simple pendulum, is:

9. For small swings, the
period of swing is
approximately the same
for different size
swings. So, the period
is independent of
amplitude.
This property, called
isochronism, is the
reason pendulums are so
useful for timekeeping.
Successive swings of the
pendulum, even if
changing in amplitude,
take the same amount of
time.

10. External factors:
Temperature
The largest source of error in early
pendulums was slight changes in
length due to thermal expansion and
contraction of the pendulum rod with
changes in ambient temperature.

11. External factors:
Atmospheric pressure
Viscous air resistance slows the
pendulum's velocity. This has a
negligible effect on the period,
but dissipates energy, reducing
the amplitude

12. External factors:
Gravity
Pendulums are affected by
changes in gravitational
acceleration, which varies by as
much as 0.5% at different
locations on Earth, so pendulum
clocks have to be recalibrated
after a move