Worden Zero-length Spring Pendulum Analysis

B. H. Suits, Physics Dept, Michigan Tech University, 2005.

See the figures for geometry and definition of variables.
The torque due to gravity (clockwise) is given by

g = Mga cos .
The torque due to the spring (counter-clockwise) is given by

s = Fs sin = Fs

( l l0 )
bd cos
cos .
= bkd
l
l

The equilibrium spring length, leq, is determined by the condition for zero
torque

bkd

leq l0
leq

= Mga .

(However, if l0 = 0 the ls cancel and one simply has the condition

k = Mga / bd
which has no or l dependence, corresponding to a very flat
equilibrium or none at all that is, even a minor change in the force due
to gravity can make a huge change in the position.)
So, assuming l0 0,

leq = l0

bkd
Mga

= l0 1

bkd Mga
bkd

The net torque can be written

1 1
l l0
cos
cos = bkl0 d
l
leq l

= Mga bkd

where Mga was replaced using the previous result. The changes in the torque with angle about equilibrium are given
by

1 dl 1 1
d
= bkl0 d 2

sin
d eq
eq
l d leq l
and

dl
d

=
eq

bd cos
(b + d + 2bd sin ) 1/ 2
2

bd cos eq

eq

leq

and so if we now consider only the case where the system is adjusted so equilibrium occurs when = 0,

d
d

eq

(bd ) 2
= kl0 2
.
(b + d 2 ) 3/ 2

Near equilibrium, the equation of motion gives

kl0

(bd ) 2
= ( Ma 2 ) &&
(b 2 + d 2 ) 3/ 2

where Ma2 is the moment of inertia for rotations assuming the mass of the support structure and spring are negligible
and that M can be treated as a point mass. If that is not the case, a more correct moment of inertia should be used.

This can be written

2

1/ 2
bd
kl0

&&
=
= 2
2
2 3/ 2

a
(
)
M
b
d
+

so the solutions are sinusoidal in time with angular frequency

kl0

bd
=

a M (b 2 + d 2 ) 3/ 2

1/ 2

bd
aleq

k l0
M leq

This particular result for the frequency is only for the case where the equilibrium position has been adjusted to be at
= 0, that is

leq =

b2 + d 2

, and not the most general case. See the above equations if you wish to derive the

general case. It is possible to use other equilibrium positions with equivalent results.
Note that when l0 6 0, the frequency goes to zero (the period becomes infinite). That situation is analogous to
placing an object on a frictionless table. If the table is perfectly horizontal (in this case, the parameters a, b, d, k, M
are just right, that is kbd/Ma = g) then the object will stay wherever you put it. If any of these parameters (or g) is
changed, the object rolls toward infinity until it falls off the table. In practice, finding a spring with l0 exactly zero is
impossible and real springs do not obey Hookes law and the response will be finite.
When used to measure small changes in g, you can estimate the sensitivity by looking only at the equilibrium
position. In actual instruments, what one usually determines is how much a given parameter must be changed to
bring the system back to equilibrium if there is a change in g.