In a conical pendulum, if the angle of the string with the vertical is increased
Practice Questions
Q1
In a conical pendulum, if the angle of the string with the vertical is increased, what happens to the horizontal component of the tension?
Increases
Decreases
Remains the same
Becomes zero
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
In a conical pendulum, if the angle of the string with the vertical is increased, what happens to the horizontal component of the tension?
Correct Answer: Horizontal component of tension increases.
Step 1: Understand what a conical pendulum is. It is a pendulum that swings in a circular motion while the string traces out a cone shape.
Step 2: Identify the forces acting on the pendulum. The main forces are tension in the string and gravity.
Step 3: Recognize that the tension in the string has two components: a vertical component (which balances the weight) and a horizontal component (which provides centripetal force).
Step 4: Note that as the angle of the string with the vertical increases, the string becomes more horizontal.
Step 5: Understand that when the angle increases, the vertical component of tension decreases because it has to balance the weight of the pendulum bob.
Step 6: Realize that to maintain circular motion, the horizontal component of tension must increase to provide the necessary centripetal force.
Step 7: Conclude that as the angle increases, the horizontal component of tension increases.
