Determine the tension in the pendulum string

Join the discussion
Ask a follow-up here, or get your own question answered by working scientists, mathematicians and engineers — people, not an autocomplete.
Real named experts · corrections over time · the nuance an AI answer skips
3 replies · 2K views
Ry122
Messages
563
Reaction score
2

Homework Statement


The ball in this conical pendulum is moving at constant velocity.
The length of the string is 1m and the ball is 0.5kg.
Determine the tension in the string.

[PLAIN]http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/7868/pedns.png

Homework Equations


The Attempt at a Solution


The force that the ball exerts on the string is the tension inside the string
and the ball experiences two different forces.
One is the force the ball experiences due to gravity and the other is the force it experiences
due to the circular motion that it's undergoing.
The resultant of these two forces will give the tension inside the string.
The force due to gravity can be calculated with F=m x a
But I'm unsure as to how the force on the ball due to the circular motion of the ball can be calculated.
Does anyone know how this can be done?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Physics news on Phys.org


What is the expression for centrifugal force in terms of velocity & radius ?
 


F = m x (v^2)/R
But R can't be determined because theta is unknown.
 


You do not need the exact value of [tex]\theta[/tex].
Just write down the equations for a generic [tex]\theta[/tex] and you could figure out how to proceed.