Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A grandfather clock should beat seconds, so its pendulum should have a period of . The clock stands where . (a) How long should the pendulum be? (b) The bob slips down, and the pendulum becomes longer than it should be. Find its new period. (c) About how many seconds does the clock now lose in one day of ?
A simple pendulum of length , for small angles:
In a lift or a car, use the gravity the bob feels, : in a lift speeding up upwards, speeding up downwards.
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
(a) The right length. We want , so .
(b) The new period. Now :
(c) Time lost. In one day the pendulum makes swings. The clock counts for each, so it shows . It loses about , a little over seven minutes.
Check. A longer pendulum swings more slowly, so the clock must lose time, not gain it.
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