spherical pendulum
Quick Summary
A spherical pendulum is a type of pendulum suspended from a pivot that allows it to swing in any vertical plane. This means the plane of oscillation can freely rotate. A well-known example of a spherical pendulum is the Foucault pendulum, which is used to demonstrate Earth's rotation. Pendulums, in general, are bodies suspended to swing back and forth under gravity, with their period of oscillation (the time for one complete swing) being constant. This property makes them useful for regulating clocks. The period of a simple pendulum depends on its length and the acceleration due to gravity, not the mass of its bob.12
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
