Christian Huygens (1629–1695), the greatest clockmaker in history, suggested that an international unit of length could be defined as the length of a simple pendulum having a period of exactly 1 s. How much shorter would our length unit be if his suggestion had been followed? Calculate as exactly as possible, supposing that Huygens lived in your city. And then could you show your design blueprint? What if Huygens had been born on another planet? What would the value for g have to be on that planet such that the meter based on Huygens’s pendulum would have the same value as our meter?
Simple harmonic motion
Simple harmonic motion is a type of periodic motion in which an object undergoes oscillatory motion. The restoring force exerted by the object exhibiting SHM is proportional to the displacement from the equilibrium position. The force is directed towards the mean position. We see many examples of SHM around us, common ones are the motion of a pendulum, spring and vibration of strings in musical instruments, and so on.
Simple Pendulum
A simple pendulum comprises a heavy mass (called bob) attached to one end of the weightless and flexible string.
Oscillation
In Physics, oscillation means a repetitive motion that happens in a variation with respect to time. There is usually a central value, where the object would be at rest. Additionally, there are two or more positions between which the repetitive motion takes place. In mathematics, oscillations can also be described as vibrations. The most common examples of oscillation that is seen in daily lives include the alternating current (AC) or the motion of a moving pendulum.
Christian Huygens (1629–1695), the greatest clockmaker in history, suggested that an international unit of length could be defined as the length of a simple pendulum having a period of exactly 1 s. How much shorter would our length unit be if his suggestion had been followed? Calculate as exactly as possible, supposing that Huygens lived in your city. And then could you show your design blueprint?
What if Huygens had been born on another planet? What would the value for g have to be on that planet such that the meter based on Huygens’s pendulum would have the same value as our meter?
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