Adjust the string length to match the target swing period. Will mass change anything? Try it!
🧠 The Pendulum Formula
A pendulum's period (T = time for one full swing) depends ONLY on length and gravity:
T = 2π √(L / g)
Where L = string length (m), g = 9.8 m/s².
Surprising fact: Mass does not appear in the formula. A heavy bob and a light bob swing at the SAME rate (in vacuum). Galileo discovered this watching a chandelier in 1583.
CBSE Class 9 — Periodic Motion
📘 SHM Lesson
⚡ Why mass doesn't matter
Heavier bob = more pull from gravity, BUT also more inertia (resists motion). The two cancel out exactly, so all masses swing the same.
📏 Length controls everythingT = 2π √(L / g)
Double the length → period grows by √2 ≈ 1.41×.
Want a 2-second period on Earth? L = g(T/2π)² = 9.8 × (2/6.28)² ≈ 1.0 m.
🎯 Game tip
Only the LENGTH slider changes the period. The mass slider is a "trap" — try moving it and watch the period stay the same!