Reading of a pendulum clock from the earth to the moon

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on the behavior of a pendulum clock when moved from Earth to the Moon, where the acceleration due to gravity is 1.62 m/s² compared to 9.81 m/s² on Earth. The calculations reveal that the pendulum clock runs slower on the Moon, with a period approximately 2.46 times longer than on Earth. After running for 22 hours on Earth, the clock would read approximately 8.97 hours on the Moon. The ratio of the Moon's period to Earth's period is determined to be the square root of the ratio of gravitational accelerations.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of pendulum mechanics and the formula for period calculation
  • Knowledge of gravitational acceleration values on Earth and the Moon
  • Familiarity with basic algebra and square root operations
  • Ability to convert between seconds and hours
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the physics of pendulum clocks and their dependence on gravitational acceleration
  • Learn about the effects of gravity on timekeeping devices in different celestial environments
  • Research the mathematical derivation of the period of a pendulum
  • Explore the implications of time dilation in varying gravitational fields
USEFUL FOR

Physics students, educators, and anyone interested in the principles of timekeeping and gravitational effects on mechanical systems.

missashley
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
A certain pendulum clock that works perfectly on Earth is taken to the moon, where g = 1.62 m/s^2. Acceleration of gravity is 9.81 m/s^2 on Earth. THe clock is started at 12:00:00 AM and runs for 22 h.

What will be the reading for the hours on the moon? answer in h

T = 1 second
g = 9.81
T = 2pi * square root of length/g or rearrange into g (T/2pi)^2 = l
l = 0.248

g = 1.63
T = 2pi * square root of l/1.63
T = 2.453

22h * 3600s = 79200 sec
79200/2.453 = 32286.99552
32286.99552/3600 = 8.9686 hours



i also tried

22*3600 = 79200s
79200 = 2pi * square root of l/9.81
l = 1557100708
T = 2pi *square root of 1557100708/1.63
T = 194197.8499s
194197.8499s / 3600 = 53.9438472 hr
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
Answer these questions:
(1) Does the clock run slower or faster on the moon?
(2) What's the ratio of the moon period to the Earth period?

(One of your answers is correct, but you did more work than needed.:wink:)
 
i tried those answers and it says both were wrong
 
missashley said:
What will be the reading for the hours on the moon? answer in h
It's not clear what format the answer must have. Sounds like X hours, like you have. But it could also mean the time, as in 5:17:34 PM.

In any case, the ratio of periods is:

T_m/T_e = \sqrt{\ell / g_m} / \sqrt{\ell / g_e} = \sqrt{g_e / g_m}

Thus T_m = 2.46 T_e, so the clock on the moon is 2.46 times slower than the clock on earth.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
4K
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
2K
  • · Replies 18 ·
Replies
18
Views
2K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
7K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
5K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
11K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
11K
Replies
2
Views
5K
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
3K