This is a large-scale demonstration of the interaction between period and pendulum length, using 16 bowling balls hung from a wooden frame. The length of time it takes a ball to swing back and forth one time to return to its starting position is dependent on the length of the pendulum, not the mass of the ball. A longer pendulum will take longer to complete one cycle than a shorter pendulum. The lengths of the pendula in this demonstration are all different and were calculated so that in about 2:40, the balls all return to the same position at the same time.

Posted 10 years ago by wolfram33 in category: interesting