Pendulum Definitions

Pendulum: A mass that swings back and forth on a rigid rod or string.  An ideal pendulum has all of its mass centered in a single point and the string is massless and frictionless. The word pendulum comes from the Latin for hanging or swinging.

Oscillating: Moving back and forth in a repetitive motion.

Kinetic Energy: The energy of motion defined  as KE=  ½mv2

Gravitational Potential Energy: The stored mechanical energy.  ΔPE = mgΔh

Total Mechanical Energy:  Kinetic energy plus the potential energy.

Isochronous: A constant time period.

Period: The amount of time it takes to complete one cycle, revolution, or swing.

Frequency: How often a cycle is completed.  The inverse of the period.

Functional dependence:  How does a quantity depend on another quantity, such as position as a function of time   x(t)