Pendulum Top by casteer

Last crawled date: 3 years, 1 month ago

A Pendulum Top Design for Science Outreach Experiments
The basic pendulum design is one of the simplest scientific instruments around, becoming more complex as scientists strived for increasing accuracy.
For a small science outreach demonstration, I've designed the upper parts of a pendulum. This needs to be supplemented by the rod and bob, and comprises two parts, the Rocker and the Base.
Design Description
The oval-shaped Rocker balances on two points which either can be printed (see the Rocker_Alt design) or from two self-tapping screws with a nice sharp point on them through the two 2mm diameter holes. I suspect that the alternative design with printed plastic sharp points will degrade over time due to wear on the tips more than using self-tapping screws. Generally a sharp point is needed in order to reduce the frictional forces on the pendulum and increase its Q-factor. The central hole is intended to accept a M4 all-thread bar which can be made the right length to hold the bob at the other end.
The Base may be clamped in a standard laboratory stand so that the pendulum can be hung off the side of a desk through its rectangular frame, held at the top by the Rocker balancing on two points.
It's early days at the moment with this design so sizes may change. Nevertheless I hope you find this useful and best wishes.