Barton's Pendulum

What is it?

The barton’s pendulum in the Penang Tech Dome is called the ‘Snake Pendulum’. This is because if we observe the pendulum moving, we can see that it is sort of moving like a snake. The pendulum consists of similar metal balls hung from a metal rod by a string at different heights. The height of it determines the period of it (time taken to swing back and forth)

Scientific concept behind it

When all are swung when the lever is pulled, the balls would move in a line at first. However, the balls start to move at different speeds as compared to each other, resulting in a wavy pattern forming. This is caused by the different periods that each ball have. Because Period is proportional to the square root of the Length.

T = 2 Pi Square root (Length / Gravitational acceleration, g)

Graph

The Barton's pendulum has a transverse wave. A transverse wave is a wave consisting of oscillations that occurred perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer. From the Top View, the red balls will appear on different parts of the Transverse wave, appearing like a snake.

Newton cradle

Another type of pendulum is Newton's cradle. The Newton’s cradle consists of similar metal balls hung from two parallel horizontal metal rods. Each ball is hung from the same height and usually consists of 5 metal balls in one row.

Scientific concept behind it

When a ball on either end is pulled away from the others and then released, it strikes the neighboring ball, which remains at rest. However, the ball on the opposite end of the row is thrown into the air and then hits the other balls. This starts a chain reaction again in reverse. The concept behind this is the conservation of energy.