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Because a pendulum's period depends on gravity, a pendulum of precisely known length can be used to measure:
AThe temperature of the air
BThe altitude above sea level
CAcceleration due to gravity
DThe mass of its own bob
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. Acceleration due to gravity
1. The period formula links the period, the length and the gravitational acceleration.
2. Two of those three can be measured directly.
3. If the length of a pendulum is precisely known, it can actually be used to measure the acceleration due to gravity.
4. That is why length and period are given to five digits in the worked example.
5. The bob's mass cancels out of the relationship entirely.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics for AP(R) Courses 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 16 'Oscillatory Motion and Waves', sections 16.1-16.11_
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