Light and Conservation of Energy

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A negatively charged pendulum in oscillation produces light waves, which carry energy away from the system. This energy loss would cause the pendulum to slow down over time, even in a vacuum where friction and air resistance are absent. In contrast, a neutrally charged pendulum would not experience this energy loss and would maintain its motion. The discussion also references binary neutron stars, which lose energy through gravitational radiation, illustrating that mechanical systems can lose energy via radiation. Overall, both electromagnetic and gravitational radiation can lead to energy loss in oscillating systems.
paradoxes
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Sorry if this is posted in the wrong place, I'm new to this forum.

If an object in negatively charged and it is in oscillating motion is produces light waves which have energy. Does this mean that if I had a negatively charged pendulum in a vacuum (no friction/air resistance) it would eventually slow down where as a neutrally charged pendulum wouldn't?

Thanks in advance for a response.
 
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Yes, the pendulum would decrease its amplitude, somewhat as if there were air resistance.
 
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paradoxes said:
Sorry if this is posted in the wrong place, I'm new to this forum.

If an object in negatively charged and it is in oscillating motion is produces light waves which have energy. Does this mean that if I had a negatively charged pendulum in a vacuum (no friction/air resistance) it would eventually slow down where as a neutrally charged pendulum wouldn't?

And as an interesting side note: the binary neutron stars, PSR B1913+16, discovered in 1974, were shown to be losing energy as a system ... and the calculation showed that the gravitational radiation predicted by Einstein's General Relativity predicted the energy loss with great accuracy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSR_B1913+16

So yes, mechanical systems can lose energy by means of radiation: electromagnetic or gravitational.
 
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