7 MT121: Week 9 Questions

The Pendulum

Question 1 : A mass 3m is suspended at one end of a light, vertical, rod, the other
end of which is pinned at a fixed position, but free to rotate. The mass is initially sent
at a horizontal velocity v0 . What is the maximum length of the rod that permits the
mass to perform full circles?
v02
(a) l = 4g
3v02
(b) l = 2g
v02
(c) l = 2g
v02
(d) l = 4g
(e) There is no maximum. It’s a minimum that we have to worry about.
(f) I don’t know

Question 2 : A damped pendulum has an equation of motion

d2 θ dθ
l = −g sin θ − 2q ,
dt2 dt
where q is a positive constant. What (approximately) is the critical value of q that
delineates between the underdamped and overdamped regimes?

(a) q = g/l
(b) q = gl/2
√
(c) q = ± gl
√
(d) q = gl
(e) I don’t know

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