How to Make a Pendulum That Never Stops
Many people have the misconception that pendulums are just for telling fortunes. Pendulums, however, can be used to measure all kinds of things, including the energy levels in a room or even a person’s health. This article will teach you how to make a pendulum that never stops!
You’ll need a paperclip and some string or yarn. First, tie one end of the string around one end of the paperclip, making sure there’s no slack. Then, hold both ends of the string at arm’s length with two fingers on top of one side. Release your fingers and allow the paperclip to “swing” back and forth. Keep reading for more information!
Summary: In order to make a pendulum that never stops, one must first create a loop of string. The longer the loop, the more stable the pendulum will be. Then, use a weight to attach the end of the string to the center of the loop. Finally, swing the pendulum back and forth to create the desired motion.
10 Ways on How to Make a Pendulum That Never Stops:
1. Make a Super Pendulum.
A super-pendulum is a pendulum that has been altered to make it swing more slowly and for a longer period of time. This is done by increasing the weight of the bob (the round object on the bottom of your pendulum) or by decreasing the length from the axis to the bob, or both. If you do both, it will swing extremely slowly.
2. Make the Pendulum Heavy.
To make a pendulum swing slower, you can increase its weight by adding more mass to either the bob or the string itself. You could also attach something heavy to the bottom of your pendulum, but this will decrease how high it swings.
3. Decrease Friction.
Decreasing the amount of friction on your pendulum will make it swing slower and decrease its maximum amplitude. To reduce the friction, you should make sure that your string is completely clean (use rubbing alcohol to clean off things like resin) and that there is no residue or dirt at the pivot point. You may also want to attach something sticky, like rubber cement or glue, to the axis of your pendulum.
4. Reduce Air Resistance.
To increase air resistance, you can put a fan at the end of a pendulum to create a vortex that resists the pendulum’s motion. You could also construct a structure that would cause the air to be more resistant.
5. Change Gravity.
If you want your pendulum to swing in a different direction, you can attach the string to a different surface. For example, you could hang it from a tree branch instead of a ceiling beam. Or, you could turn your entire house upside down, like they do on some amusement park rides or during an earthquake.
6. Vary the Amplitude Using a Pulley System.
To use a pulley system, you need an overhead support beam and something on your ceiling for the string to run through. Attach one end of your string to this support beam, and attach the other end of your string to a weight that will offset the force of gravity on the pendulum.
7. Vary the Period of Your Pendulum.
The period of a pendulum can be shortened by increasing its length. This decreases the number of oscillations in a given time interval, effectively lengthening the period. To lengthen the pendulum’s period, you can decrease its length by removing some of the string.
8. Vary the Acceleration of Gravity.
The acceleration of gravity can be changed by moving closer to or further from Earth’s center of mass. Going towards the poles will decrease the gravitational acceleration, while going towards the equator will increase it.
For example, the length of your pendulum could vary because its support beam was not level with the ground (if it were hanging from a ceiling) or by adding some weight onto one side of the string.
9. Use an Electric Motor.
To use an electric motor, simply attach it to your pendulum and run current through the wires. The electric motor will spin the pendulum faster or slower, depending on the current.
10. Use Harmonic Motion/Resonance.
This one is actually not that difficult. You can decrease the period of a pendulum by making it swing on an arc rather than in a parabolic motion. If you make the angle it move at about 45 degrees or less, this will cause it to swing slower.
To make sure that your pendulum is swinging on an arc, you should attach some weight to the end of the string. The weight should be at a height slightly greater than the axis, and it should hang about midway between one end of the pendulum and the other so that there is no straight line from axis to bob.
You Can Check It Out to Make a Pendulum Stand
Some Tips and Suggestions
1. To start, you want to cut the string to your desired pendulum length. You can do this by holding it up to your ear and marking the string section so it dangles down towards the floor. Then, dangle a weight on one side of the string so it’s offset from the center.
2. Make sure to cut a large enough section of the string.
3. You want the pendulum to be heavy enough that it does not come to an abrupt halt after every swing but light enough so that it does not fall very far when you push it.
4. The string must be well-tied onto the weight at one end and onto a small stick or pencil at the other end.
5. You can glue one end of your stick to a piece of flat plastic, such as an old credit card if you want it to slide instead of slip when you push it from side to side.
Conclusion
The pendulum is the easiest and most accessible way to learn how a light force can control an object. It’s also one of the cheapest, as all you need to do to make your own is a string and two heavy things to hang from it without being too big or small!
We hope this project on how to make a pendulum that never stops inspires your creativity and gives you the chance to explore new ways of thinking about motion! Remember, science is an exploration for everyone. You can do it too!
