(clocks, mechanics) A body suspended from a fixed support so that it swings freely back and forth under the influence of gravity, commonly used to regulate various devices such as clocks.

plural of pendulum

A pendulum on a long wire, free to move in any direction; the plane of its motion appears to turn (clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere) as the world turns beneath it.

(physics) Any pendulum having a period equal to that of a hypothetical pendulum whose length is equal to the Earth's radius (84.4 minutes); its arm will remain locally vertical when the pivot is moved and is therefore the basis of navigational instruments

A pendulum for carrying from station to station to be oscillated at each, so as to fix the relative acceleration of gravity.

A kind of flat steel wire for clock pendulums.

A pendulum constructed so that its rod is not altered in length by changes of temperature.

plural of invariable pendulum

plural of compensation pendulum

An obsolete device for measuring a bullet's momentum, from which it is possible to calculate the velocity and kinetic energy.