Abstract
The apparatus described is a conical pendulum that has a small mass m fixed to a cord that passes over a pulley attached to a hollow vertical shaft. A larger mass M is suspended from the end of the cord. The pulley is located so that the cord hangs vertically along the axis of rotation of the shaft. When the small mass rotates about the shaft axis, it assumes a dynamically stable orbit consistent with m, M, and ω, its angular velocity. The slight offset of the pulley permits the cord to drag the pulley-shaft assembly around in synchronism. M, m, and T (the tension in the cord) are constant so that the free length of the cord will adjust itself to reflect changes in ω. Since the apparatus is fixed to a rigid base and frictional losses are very low, accurate and reproducible data may be easily obtained. Information needed for constructing the low-friction components is given.
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