A conical pendulum consists of a small bob of mass attached to one end of a light…
PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Further mechanics and thermal physics · Further mechanics and thermal physics
Problem
A conical pendulum consists of a small bob of mass 0.20kg attached to one end of a light string of length 1.00m. The bob moves in a horizontal circle of radius 0.40m such that the string traces out a cone.
(a) Draw a neat, labelled diagram showing all forces acting on the bob when it is in uniform circular motion.
(b) Using the diagram, derive a relationship between the speed v of the bob, the radius r of the circle, and the angle θ that the string makes with the vertical.
(c) Calculate (i) the speed of the bob and (ii) the tension in the string for the given data. Present the derivation first, followed by the numerical solution.