On a warm, balmy summer day you decide to relax by watching the latest building renovation in your neighborhood. You notice that a very heavy wrecking ball is attached to a much lighter chain and is dangling from a crane and swinging back and forth. As long as it does not swing too high the time it takes the wrecking ball to complete one full oscillation will be independent of
A) the weight of the ball, but not the amplitude of the motion.
B) both the amplitude of the motion and the weight of the ball.
C) both the length of the chain supporting the ball and the amplitude of the motion.
D) the amplitude of the motion, but not the weight of the ball.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The period of a pendulum is independent of the mass of the bob and the amplitude of the swing, as long as the amplitude is small.

On a Warm, Balmy Summer Day You Decide to Relax