Free AP Physics C lesson

Pendulum Motion

This AP Physics C: Mechanics lesson is designed for AP Physics C self-study. It includes 3 video lessons, 7 practice questions, and an estimated completion time of 20 minutes.

Video lessons

  1. The Period of a Simple Pendulum

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  2. The Period of a Physical Pendulum

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  3. The Period of a Physical Pendulum (part 2)

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Practice covered

  1. What approximation is essential for deriving the period formula of a simple pendulum?
  2. For a simple pendulum, express the period (T) in terms of length (L) and gravitational acceleration (g).
  3. A simple pendulum has a length of 2.0 m. Calculate its period (in seconds) on Earth where g = 9.8 m/s^2.
  4. What is the key difference between a simple pendulum and a physical pendulum?
  5. Express the period (T) of a physical pendulum in terms of rotational inertia (I), mass (m), gravitational acceleration (g), and distance from axis to center of mass (d).
  6. A uniform disk of mass m and radius R is suspended from a hole drilled at distance R/2 from its center. To find the period, which theorem must be used to calculate the rotational inertia about the pivot?
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