Question

a student standing in an elevator at rest notices that her pendulum has a frequency of oscillation of 0.5 Hz. a. what is the length of the pendulum's string? b. the elevator starts to accelerate upwards. what effect will this have on the oscillation? explain.​

Answer 1

Answer:

L = 0.99 m = 99 cm

Explanation:

The period is the reciprocal of the frequency.

T = 1/0.5 = 2.0 s

T = 2π√(L/g)

L = g(T/2π)²

L = 9.8(2.0/2π)² = 0.99 m

If the system accelerates upward, it will cause the apparent gravity to increase. This will require a longer pendulum to keep the same period, or shorten the period if the length remains the same. This shows up in the equation where the product of gravity and the square of the period must remain constant for the length to remain constant.