Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-1-paper-of-the-university-of-oxford/2014/7/solution
Past exam of the physics 1 paper of the University of Oxford 2014 7 Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
Let measure the spoke's displacement from downward equilibrium. The total moment of inertia about the axle is : the rim is a thin thin hoop, and the attached body is a point mass. The rim's weight has no axle torque, while the attached mass gives restoring torque . HenceEquivalently conservation of energy gives . For small angles, , so the motion is approximately with . The small-amplitude period isAt finite amplitude the nonlinear pendulum equation remains valid but this period approximation does not. The limit recovers a simple pendulum of length .
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