Find the period and frequency of a simple pendulum.
A simple pendulum is a mass swinging on a light string. For small swing angles its motion is simple harmonic, and its period depends only on the string length and the local gravity: T = 2π√(L/g). Remarkably, the period is independent of the mass and of the amplitude (for small angles).
The period T is the time for one complete swing, and the frequency f = 1/T is the number of swings per second. Longer pendulums swing more slowly. This relationship is why pendulum clocks keep accurate time and why pendulums can be used to measure g.
No. For a simple pendulum the period depends only on length and gravity, not on the mass of the bob.
The simple formula assumes the restoring force is proportional to displacement, which is only accurate for small angles, roughly under 15 degrees.