hr(bob) wrote in message
...
On Oct 12, 6:00 pm, wrote:
On Thu, 11 Oct 2012 12:10:30 -0700, "William Sommerwerck"

wrote:
Frequency is dependent on the length of the pendulum
and the strength of the gravitational field.

Point... As this pendulum is designed for a clock (I assume), wouldn't it
have a specified period appropriate for a clock?

The specific product he identifies is designed as an add-on for a
quartz movement and comes with a pendulum with an adjustable length
arm. I'm unsure of the correlation between pendulum length and
amplitude of the swing, but I would expect a shorter pendulum to swing
through a wider angle.

PlainBill

If I remember correctly, a larger weight on the pendulum will also
slow it down.


from http://www.adam-hart-davis.org/odd_but_interesting.htm

Q. Why do the people who regulate "Big Ben's clock use adding or
subtracting old pennies to the weight on the bottom?
- John Gifford, London

A. Yes the period of pendulum is governed by its length and is independent
of the mass at the end. But if you add an old penny to the bob of the
pendulum of Big Ben, then you slightly alter its length; in fact you make it
a bit shorter, because the centre of mass of the bob is slightly raised.
Similarly if you take pennies off, you will in effect slightly lengthen the
pendulum. This seems an odd way to do it, but it is obviously very
convenient, and simpler than winding the bob up and down by a minute amount.