Pendulum Science Fair Project...

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From: SFPhysics@aol.com
Date: Fri Nov 05 2004 - 02:24:50 PST 

From: SFPhysics@aol.com
Message-ID: <68.47ef6919.2ebcaef2@aol.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Nov 2004 05:24:50 EST
Subject: Pendulum Science Fair Project...

<< I feel odd asking but I need some topic ideas for a boy who wnats to do a
physics based project in the science fair. He said something about wanting to
do a pendulum-based project but I feel like all the equations are known so
why do a project on something so well described already. Any ideas?
 
 Charlie Bissell
>>

Greetings Charlie:

Normal pendulum projects may have been done to the Nth degree but odd
variations on pendulums may still be interesting. Some 37 years ago I designed a
seismometer pendulum that moved in all three axes based on a "folded pendulum
design." The Scientific American's Amateur Scientist has a neat long period
pendulum known after it's inventor, Lindenblad. Essentially the Lindenblad
pendulum's period of oscillation is greatly changed by an ingenious mechanical
contrivance. Your student must have some tool skills to make one of these but the
results are amazing. Add a motion sensor and you get a neat seismometer.

Al Sefl
Whose period of oscillation between the TV and refrigerator gets longer with
each passing year...

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