[Physics] Period of pendulum in falling lift

homework-and-exercisesnewtonian-mechanics

A simple pendulum suspended from the ceiling of a stationary lift has period $T_0$. When the lift descends at steady speed, the period is $T_1$. When the lift descends with constant downward acceleration, the period is $T_2$. Explain why $T_0 = T_1 < T_2$.

I know that for small angles of oscillations, $T \approx 2\pi\sqrt\frac{l}{g}$ where $l$ is the length of the pendulum. For the first two cases, since $\sum F = 0$, the value of $g$ is apparently the same. However, I am unable to explain why the period is largest for $T_2$. If $g$ is the same for all cases, shouldn't their periods be the same?

Best Answer

If you are in the elevator that is accelerating down, but you don't know that; instead you are told you are on a different planet and you have to determine the local acceleration of gravity. Then you would measure the force on a known mass and conclude $g'= F/m$ .

The situation is completely indistinguishable from the one where you are in the accelerating elevator. In other words - you are in a "world" where the restoring force on a pendulum is $mg'\sin\theta$. The derivation of the period then immediately follows along the same lines as it did for the usual situation (where $g'=g$)