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The conical pendulum
Suppose that an object, mass , is attached to the end of a light inextensible string whose
other end is attached to a rigid beam. Suppose, further, that the object is given an initial
horizontal velocity such that it executes a horizontal circular orbit of radius with angular
velocity . See Fig. 60. Let be the vertical distance between the beam and the plane of
the circular orbit, and let be the angle subtended by the string with the downward vertical.
Figure 60: A conical pendulum.
The object is subject to two forces: the gravitational force which acts vertically
downwards, and the tension force which acts upwards along the string. The tension force
can be resolved into a component which acts vertically upwards, and a component
which acts towards the centre of the circle. Force balance in the vertical direction
yields
(262)
In other words, the vertical component of the tension force balances the weight of the object.
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10/6/14 The conical pendulum
experiences a centripetal acceleration . Hence, it is subject to a centripetal force
. This force is provided by the component of the string tension which acts towards
the centre of the circle. In other words,
(263)
Taking the ratio of Eqs. (262) and (263), we obtain
(264)
However, by simple trigonometry,
(265)
Hence, we find
(266)
(267)
(268)
This translates to a rotation frequency in cycles per second of
(269)
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10/6/14 The conical pendulum
Next: Nonuniform circular motion Up: Circular motion Previous: Centripetal acceleration
Richard Fitzpatrick 20060202
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