- #1
BearY
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Homework Statement
Is the tension in the string of a pendulum, when averaged over time, larger or smaller than the weight of the pendulum? Quantify your answer. You may also assume that the angular amplitude of the oscillations is small.
Homework Equations
For tension ##T##, angular displacement of the pendulum ##\phi## and length of the pendulum ##l##
$$T = mgcos(\phi)+ ml\dot{\phi}^2$$
$$\phi = Asin(\omega t)$$
The Attempt at a Solution
I am lost at the "when averaged over time" part. I think the only way to "quantify" the answer is to examine the value of $$T_{average} - mg$$ But I don't know how to average T.