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Question
Explain how, the total energy a swinging pendulum at any instant of time remains conserved. Illustrate your answer with the help of a labelled diagram.
Solution
A swinging simple pendulum is a simple illustration of conservation of energy. It shows the transformation of potential energy into kinetic energy, and of kinetic energy back into potential energy.
Initially, the bob of a simple pendulum is at mean position B. When the bob is pulled to one side at A, and then released, the bob starts swinging. At the extreme positions A and C, all the energy is in the form of potential energy, and at the mean position B, all the energy is kinetic energy. At all other intermediate position, energy of the pendulum is partly potential and partly kinetic. But total energy of the simple pendulum remains conserved.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
Illustrate the law of conservation of energy by discussing the energy changes which occur when we draw a pendulum bob to one side and allow it to oscillate. Why does the bob eventually come to rest? What happens to its energy eventually? Is it a violation of the law of conservation of energy?
State and explain the law of conservation of energy with an example.
The following data was obtained for a body of mass 1 kg dropped from a height of 5 metres :
|
Distance above ground |
Velocity |
| 5 m | 0 m/s |
| 3.2 m | 6 m/s |
| 0 m | 10 m/s |
Show by calculations that the above data verifies the law of conservation of energy (Neglect air resistance). (g = 10 m/s2).
