Demonstrations

Wilberforce Pendulum

Code Number :	3A70.10
Disclaimer:	Reprinted by permission of Dick Berg, University of Maryland, for use on this website. The demonstrations contained and referenced herein are listed for the purposes of cataloging and describing physics demonstrations which should be conducted only under the direction of a trained instructional support professional or physicist. These demonstrations are not presented for the purpose of being conducted by persons unconnected to this Facility and/or persons not consulting with or being supervised by the recognized instructional support professional or physicist and his/her staff. The University is responsible only for those demonstrations carried out using its own equipment using established safety and scheduling policies, and bears no responsibility for those choosing to use this source material for their own purposes. All demonstrations described and contained herein are public domain, and can also be found in reference materials in libraries, bookstores, and electronic sources. Further information regarding legal liability in use of demonstrations and labs will be found on the web site Injuries in School/College Laboratories in USA. The University of Iowa Disclaimers: University of Iowa Disclaimer All Rights Reserved..
Condition :	Good
Principle :	Modes of a Pendulum
Area of Study :	Acoustics
Equipment :	Wilberforce Pendulums, Laser if desired.
Procedure :	Usually the laser is not required for most demonstrations as most classes it is used in are small enough to see the different modes. If the laser is used it should be pointed at the mirrors that are attached to the pendulum so that the modes may be seen by the oscillations of laser reflected light.

References

Frank G. Karioris, 'Wilberforce Pendulum, Demonstration Size", TPT, Vol. 31, # 5, May 1993, p. 314.

Joe Pizzo, "Animated Displays: Coupled Mechanical Oscillators," TPT, Vol. 30, # 5, p. 275, May 199).

Robert J. Whitaker, "L.R. Wilberforce and the Wilberforce Pendulum," TPT, Vol. 26, # 1, p. 37, Jan. 1988.

Ulrich Köpf, "Wilberforce's Pendulum Revisited", AJP, 58, # 9, Sept. 1990.

Richard E. Berg and Todd S. Marshall, "Wilberforce Pendulum Oscillations and Normal Modes," AJP, 59, # 1, Jan. 1991.

P. Mohazzabi and J.P. McCrickard, "On the Spring Constant of a Close-Coiled Helical Spring," AJP, 57, # 7, July 1989.

Mx - 11: Freier and Anderson, A Demonstration Handbook for Physics.

M- 964: "Wilberforce Pendulum-Door Spring," DICK and RAE Physics Demo Notebook.

S-18: Richard Manliffe Sutton, Demonstration Experiments in Physics.

Jearl Walker, "Strange Things Happen When Two Pendulums Interact Through a Variety of Interconnections", The Amateur Scientist, October, 1985.

L. R. Wilberforce, "On the Vibrations of a Loaded Spiral Spring" Philosophical Magazine, Vol. 38, 1894, p. 386.

Robert Ehrlich, "Wilberforce Pendulum," Turning the World Inside Out, p. 89-90.

Mail Questions and Comments to: Dale Stille