Resulstant force pendulum equilibrium position

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the equilibrium position of a pendulum and the forces acting on it, particularly focusing on centripetal force and acceleration in the context of circular motion.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the relationship between centripetal force and acceleration, questioning the conditions under which these forces balance. There is a focus on understanding the implications of zero tangential acceleration and how it relates to the forces acting on the pendulum.

Discussion Status

The discussion is active, with participants clarifying concepts related to tangential and centripetal acceleration. Some guidance has been provided regarding the nature of simple harmonic motion and its one-dimensional treatment.

Contextual Notes

There is an ongoing exploration of the definitions and implications of forces at play in the pendulum's motion, particularly regarding the assumptions made about acceleration and force balance.

binbagsss
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so it continues to move in a circular arc and so must have a resultant centripetal force acting on it which is provided by tension being greater than mg. However at this point its acceleration it's 0.

So is it correct to say that there is no resultant force momentarily, and if this is the case what would be the other force balancing out the centripetal force

Sorry wording isn't too great, thanks a lot !
 
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hi binbagsss! :smile:
binbagsss said:
However at this point its acceleration it's 0.

no, its tangential acceleration is 0 …

it still has v2/r centripetal acceleration :wink:​
 
tiny-tim said:
hi binbagsss! :smile:


no, its tangential acceleration is 0 …

it still has v2/r centripetal acceleration :wink:​

oh right, so going by x proportional to a, so in zero position both are 0.. is this referring to the tangential acceleration?

thanks :)
 
that's right! :smile:

when we treat something as simple harmonic motion we are treating it as one-dimensional, so the rules about maximum acceleration etc only refer to that dimension :wink:
 
ahh thanks a lot :D
 

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