Kinds of Pendulums
A pendulum is a simple device made from a weight -- called a bob -- suspended on a string or wire from a fixed point so that it can swing in an arc, which is determined by the bob's momentum and the force of gravity. Because of pendulums' constancy of motion, they were long used to regulate the movement of clocks. Today, there are different types of pendulums that have varied uses.
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Conical and Torsional Pendulums
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A pendulum that swings in a horizontal circle, outlining the shape of a cone, is called a conical pendulum. A torsional pendulum, on the other hand, is achieved when the bob oscillates by twisting and untwisting; its motion is generated by torsional torque. Suspending a rectangular bar from a wire and winding it until it unwinds is an example of a torsional pendulum. Both of these pendulums are used in the study of physics to illustrate mathematical formulas.
Foucault's Pendulum
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In 1851, French physicist Jean Bernard Léon Foucault demonstrated the Earth's rotation by suspending a 200-foot pendulum in the Panthéon in Paris above a pit of sand, with the bob dragging in the sand as it passed. The pendulum continued to swing in a single plane as the Earth rotated beneath it, which could be seen by the series of marks left in the sand that seemed to indicate the pendulum's motion was somehow in flux. In fact, the pendulum was stationary, while the rotation of the Earth created the perceived movement.
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Double Pendulum
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The double pendulum is a simple mechanical device that is essentially two pendulums attached to each other. Also known as a chaotic pendulum, the double pendulum will exhibit a chaotic, non-linear motion, and is therefore used in the study of physics to demonstrate chaotic motion. Double pendulums can also be fascinating to watch due to their unpredictable motion, and can even be hung on a wall and admired as a moving work of art.
New Age Uses
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Within new age spirituality, pendulums are used for an array of purposes under the belief that the user unconsciously holds the answer to any question that could be asked, with the pendulum serving as a tool that links the conscious to the subconscious. As a result, pendulums are used to find missing objects, predict the sex of an unborn baby, diagnose blockages in a body's energy field and, most commonly, to answer simple yes-or-no questions. A common type of pendulum for these purposes is a metal chain with a ring or charm on the end serving as the bob.
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References
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