Modeling pendulums | AP Physics | Khan Academy

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Courses on Khan Academy are always 100% free. Start practicing—and saving your progress—now. https://www.khanacademy.org/science/ap-physics-c-mechanics A physical pendulum is a rigid system that undergoes oscillation about a fixed axis. For small amplitudes of motion, the period of a physical pendulum is derived from the application of Newton’s second law in rotational form. A simple pendulum is a special case of physical pendulums in which the object can be modeled as a point mass hanging from the pivot point. A torsion pendulum involves a twisted wire or other material that behaves analogously to a spring. If the wire exerts a restoring torque proportional to its angle of twist, simple harmonic motion can result. Sections: 00:00 - What are physical pendulums? 00:30 - Physical pendulum differential equation 04:54 - Small-angle approximation gives SHM 06:19 - Period of a physical pendulum 08:01 - Period of a simple pendulum 09:20 - Torsion pendulums ------------------ Khan Academy is a nonprofit organization with the mission of providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. Khan Academy has been translated into dozens of languages, and 15 million people around the globe learn on Khan Academy every month. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we would love your help! Donate here: https://www.khanacademy.org/donate?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=desc Volunteer here: https://www.khanacademy.org/contribute?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=desc

Published 2026-08-09 · Watch on YouTube ↗
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