Frozen Pendulum: How Does it Affect Oscillations?

  • Thread starter Thread starter durt
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Pendulum
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the dynamics of a pendulum constructed as a light thin-walled sphere filled with water, focusing on the effects of freezing the water on oscillation behavior. When the water is in liquid form, the moment of inertia changes over time due to the shifting mass distribution, resulting in variable oscillation periods. In contrast, once the water freezes, the moment of inertia becomes constant, leading to a slower sway of the pendulum. This difference in behavior is attributed to the fixed mass distribution in the solid state compared to the fluid state.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of pendulum mechanics
  • Knowledge of moment of inertia
  • Familiarity with angular acceleration concepts
  • Basic principles of oscillatory motion
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the mathematical formulation of moment of inertia for different shapes
  • Explore the effects of mass distribution on oscillation periods
  • Study the principles of rotational dynamics in fluid versus solid states
  • Investigate the physics of oscillations in various pendulum designs
USEFUL FOR

Students and educators in physics, mechanical engineers, and anyone interested in the principles of oscillatory motion and the effects of phase changes on dynamic systems.

durt
Messages
149
Reaction score
0
A pendulum is constructed as a light thin-walled sphere of radius R filled up with water and suspended at the point O from a light rigid rod. The distance between the point O and the center of the sphere is equal to l. How many times will the small oscillations of such a pendulum change after the water freezes? The viscosity of the water and the change in its volume on freezing are to be neglected.

Why is the period of a solid pendulum different from that of a liquid one? Is it because the water shifts around inside the sphere? I need a hint. :smile:
 
Physics news on Phys.org
durt said:
Why is the period of a solid pendulum different from that of a liquid one? Is it because the water shifts around inside the sphere? I need a hint. :smile:
Quite so!
In liquid form, the moment of intertia of the whole pendulum will change over time, wheres in the solid form, the moment of inertia is a constant.
 
arildno said:
In liquid form, the moment of intertia of the whole pendulum will change over time, wheres in the solid form, the moment of inertia is a constant.
But how and why does this occur? The shape and mass of the pendulum are constant.
 
The distribution of mass is different throughout time.
 
yes, they are constandt...but the angular accelerationa and rotational energy are not. in soldi form, like wut arildno said, the moment of inertia is constant and is concentrated at the bottom of the ball.now, moment of inertia means measure of the tenddency to make the angular acceleration of the ball as minimal as possible. hence, i think that when frozen, the pendulum would sway much slower than that in liquid form.thats the rotational part, hope you can do the rest of the part involving osscilations
 
Ok, I think I understand now. When its solid, the mass of water does not rotate about the center of the sphere, but it does as a liquid. So its like there's a hinge in the middle of it. Is this the right idea? I'll run through the calculations later. I don't see how this changes any moments of inertia though.
 
The moment of inertia effectively represents the object's mass distribution with respect to the rotation axis.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 23 ·
Replies
23
Views
3K
Replies
14
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
4K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
6K
Replies
5
Views
10K
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
4K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Replies
6
Views
3K