Acceleration due to gravity pendulum

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on deriving the formula for the acceleration due to gravity (g) using a simple pendulum, specifically the equation g = 4π²L/T², where L is the length of the pendulum and T is the time period. The derivation involves analyzing the forces acting on the pendulum bob, leading to the differential equation d²θ/dt² + (g/L)θ = 0. The solution to this equation provides the period of oscillation, which is crucial for calculating g. The discussion emphasizes the importance of understanding the underlying physics rather than rote memorization.

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Alpharup
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though my higher secondary book lays down procedures to find the acceleration due to gravity(g} and conclude that it there using a simple pendulum and gives the formula g= 4(pi)^2L/T^2 where L is the length of the string and T is the time period. the author has not given the derivations as my textbooks encourage only rote learning. could you please give me the derivation of this formula and also the proof that acceleration due to gravity exists?
 
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If a simple pendulum is displaced an angle \theta from the vertical, then the force acting on the bob at any angle is given by:

F=-mgsin\theta

Where m is the mass of the bob and g is the acceleration due to gravity.

This means that the torque is given by:

\tau =-mgLsin\theta

Where L is the length of the string.

Since \tau = I\alpha (where I is the moment of inertia and \alpha is the angular acceleration):

I\alpha =-mgLsin\theta

At small angles, sin\theta\approx \theta. This gives the approximate equation:

I\alpha =-mgL\theta

The moment of inertia for a point mass system is: I=mr^2. In this case, r=L. This simplifies the equation to:

\alpha +\frac{g}{L}\theta =0

Since the angular acceleration is the second derivative of the angle with respect to time, this yields the differential equation:

\frac{d^2\theta}{dt^2} +\frac{g}{L}\theta =0

The solution to this differential equation is:

\theta=\theta_0cos(\omega t+\phi)

Where \theta_0 is the initial angular displacement (amplitude), \phi is the phase shift, and \omega = \sqrt{\frac{g}{L}}

The period of this function is given by:

T=\frac{2\pi }{\omega}=2\pi \sqrt{\frac{L}{g}}

Solving for g, we obtain:

g=\frac{4\pi^2L}{T^2}
 

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