Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Spherical pendulum
open-in-new
<p>In <a href="/facts/Physics/a7aH2y08">physics</a>, a spherical pendulum is a higher dimensional analogue of the <a href="/facts/Pendulum/D2hQXwlI">pendulum</a>. It consists of a <a href="/facts/Mass/HHdc8XmF">mass</a> m moving without <a href="/facts/Friction/d0108Rpu">friction</a> on the surface of a <a href="/facts/Sphere/4Ivb1cTj">sphere</a>. The only <a href="/facts/Force/LNAUWMwK">forces</a> acting on the mass are the <a href="/facts/Reaction_(physics)/g2rCCqwq">reaction</a> from the sphere and <a href="/facts/Gravity/bqAN7DdQ">gravity</a>. </p><p>Owing to the spherical geometry of the problem, <a href="/facts/Spherical_coordinates/5cVnNof3">spherical coordinates</a> are used to describe the position of the mass in terms of ( r , θ , ϕ ) {\displaystyle (r,\theta ,\phi )} , where r is fixed such that r = l {\displaystyle r=l} . </p>