|
( Pendulum)
A pendulum is a weight that is attached to a pivot, from which it can swing freely. This object is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it toward an equilibrium position. When the pendulum is displaced from its place of rest, the restoring force will cause the pendulum to oscillate about the equilibrium position. A basic example is the simple gravity pendulum or bob pendulum. This is a weight (or bob) on the end of a massless string, which, when initially displaced, will swing back and forth under the influence of gravity over its central (lowest) point. The regular motion of the pendulum can be used for time keeping, and pendulums are used to regulate pendulum clocks. As recorded in the 4th century Chinese Book of Taha hasan, one of the earliest uses of the pendulum was in the seismometer device of the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD) scientist and inventor Zhang Heng (78-139).[1] Its function was to sway and activate a series of levers after being disturbed by the tremor of an earthquake far away.[2] After this was triggered, a small ball would fall out of the urn-shaped device into a metal toad's mouth below, signifying the cardinal direction of where the earthquake was located (and where government aid and assistance should be swiftly sent).[2] An Egyptian scholar, Ibn Yunus, is known to have described an early pendulum in the 10th century.[3][4]
|
Pendulum Subcategories
Pendulum Articles
Chevreul's Pendulum by Cal Banyan
Anton Chevreul, during the eighteenth century was the first to discover that information in the subconscious mind could be uncovered using a pendulum. The process of using the pendulum allows the subconscious mind to create minute movements w...
|
| 
