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A conical pendulum is a pendulum whose bob executes uniform horizontal circular motion beneath a fixed pivot, with its string at a constant angle $\theta$ to the downward vertical. The string sweeps a right circular conical surface; the bob follows its circular rim, without any physical cone supporting it. The ideal model has a point mass $m>0$, a taut, massless, inextensible string of length $\ell >0$, uniform gravitational acceleration of magnitude $g>0$, and negligible drag force and pivot friction. A nonzero circular motion requires $0<\theta <\pi /2$. This geometry and the corresponding forces are described in Richard Fitzpatrick, The conical pendulum, equations 262–267.

The right triangle formed by the pivot, the orbit centre, and the bob gives $r=\ell \sin \theta$ and $h=\ell \cos \theta$. Here $r$ is the orbit radius and $h$ is the vertical drop from the pivot to the bob's horizontal plane, not the bob's height above a table. Write $T$ for tension, $P$ for the oscillation period of one revolution, and $\omega =2\pi /P$ for the angular speed; then the bob's speed is $v=\omega r$. A side view compresses the horizontal circle to a line segment; the top view reveals the circle and its tangent velocity.

The two actual forces on the bob are tension toward the pivot and gravitational weight vertically downward. The vertical acceleration is zero, while the horizontal centripetal acceleration is $v^2/r={\omega }^{2}r$. Thus Newton's second law givesThe inward net force is the horizontal component of tension, rather than an extra interaction to add to these two forces. Constant speed still requires acceleration because the velocity changes direction. ^[ref]

Dividing the two component equations and using $r=\ell \sin \theta$ gives the useful collection of predictionsIf $\varphi$ is the azimuthal angle, then $\dot{\varphi }=\pm \omega$; either direction of rotation satisfies ${\dot{\varphi }}^2\cos \theta =g/\ell$. The mass cancels from the angular speed and oscillation period, but not from the tension. The motion is a relative equilibrium: in a rotating frame following the bob at angular speed $\omega$, its position is fixed. This is a concrete way to see how rotational symmetry can turn an apparently moving solution into a stationary one.

For fixed $\ell$ and $g$, the exact conical pendulum oscillation period satisfies $P/P_0=\sqrt{\cos \theta }$. In the small-angle approximation, with $\theta$ in radians,Thus the limiting revolution period equals the small-amplitude oscillation period of a planar simple pendulum. This equality has a geometric explanation: to first order, $x(t)=r\cos (\omega t)$ and $y(t)=r\sin (\omega t)$ are perpendicular simple harmonic motions of equal amplitude, a quarter period apart, with $\omega \to \sqrt{g/\ell }$. At finite angle, however, the conical pendulum's oscillation period decreases with $\theta$, whereas a planar simple pendulum's oscillation period increases with its angular amplitude.

The endpoint $\theta =0$ itself is a stationary bob with $r=0$ and no observable revolution; $P_0$ is a limit of nonzero circular motions, not a measured revolution period at rest. For fixed $\ell$, nonzero conical pendulum motion also requires $\omega >\sqrt{g/\ell }$, because $\cos \theta =g/(\ell {\omega }^2)<1$. At the other endpoint, $\theta \to \pi /2$ gives $h\to 0$, $P\to 0$, and unbounded tension and speed. These mathematical limits explain why the ideal string cannot sustain a horizontal orbit at finite tension; a real experiment ceases to satisfy the ideal assumptions before that limit.

The motivating observation is a bob going around at almost constant height while its string traces a cone. The University of Iowa's demonstration places a camera above a short pendulum to reveal this motion. ^[ref] The following proposed measurement procedure develops that observation into a test of the conical pendulum model; it is not a report of collected data.

Suspend a compact bob from a rigid, fixed support using a light string, and measure $\ell$ from the pivot to the bob's centre. Put a stationary marker beside the orbit as a timing reference. Displace the bob sideways and give it a horizontal push tangent to the intended circle, then let go. For a chosen starting angle $\theta$, the predicted initial speed is $v=\sqrt{g\ell {\sin }^2\theta /\cos \theta }$. Adjust the launch between trials until a short observation interval has nearly constant orbit radius and height. Keep the pivot fixed while recording: circling the support by hand changes the problem, and a maintained drive would introduce another force.

Record from above with the camera looking approximately along the vertical axis. Check that the bob's centre follows a circle and that successive returns to the marker take nearly equal times. A separate side recording checks whether the bob's height stays constant. A markedly elliptical orbit or visibly rising and falling bob is not the uniform circular motion assumed by the conical pendulum equations. Measure the orbit diameter with a scale at the orbit's height; in a level side view, use the two extreme horizontal positions, not one arbitrary frame. Halve the diameter to obtain $r$, or measure the vertical drop $h$ directly in a calibrated side view. An oblique camera view and a scale at a different depth distort apparent lengths, so arrange the geometry before interpreting the images.

Time $N$ complete returns to the same marker in the same direction and estimate $P=\Delta t/N$. Counting ten revolutions, when the orbit stays sufficiently steady, spreads an endpoint timing error over ten periods. Repeat the timing and compare the first and last few revolutions to detect drift; using a longer interval helps only if the motion remains close to uniform. From independently measured geometry, compute $\sin \theta =r/\ell$ or $\cos \theta =h/\ell$, and check $r^2+h^2\simeq {\ell }^2$ if both were measured. Then compare the measured oscillation period with $P^2=4{\pi }^{2}h/g$. MIT's 8.01X experimental assignment explicitly asks students to compare the conical pendulum's period, length, and orbit radius with theory. ^[ref]

Repeat at several launch radii with the same $\ell$. Larger $r$ means smaller $h=\sqrt{{\ell }^2-r^2}$, so the ideal oscillation period decreases. A plot of measured $P^2$ against independently measured $h$ should follow a straight line through the origin with slope $4{\pi }^2/g$; conversely, $g=4{\pi }^{2}h/P^2$ estimates gravitational acceleration. Do not infer $h$ from the timing equation and then use that same equation as a test. Compare discrepancies with the spread of repeated timings and the resolution of the length measurements. String stretch, a moving pivot, and appreciable bob size challenge the stated geometry; drag force and pivot friction challenge the assumption of undriven uniform motion. Observe a short interval and record any shrinking or drifting orbit rather than silently treating it as an exact conical pendulum.

For an illustrative calculation, assume $\ell =1.00\mathrm{m}$, $m=0.050\mathrm{kg}$, $g=9.81m/{\mathrm{s}}^2$, and $\theta =40^{\circ }$. The model gives $r\approx 0.643\mathrm{m}$, $h\approx 0.766\mathrm{m}$, $P\approx 1.756\mathrm{s}$, $v\approx 2.300m/s$, and $T\approx 0.640\mathrm{N}$. Its vertical tension component is $0.4905\mathrm{N}$, equal to the gravitational weight; its inward component is approximately $0.412\mathrm{N}$. These are predictions from chosen parameters, not measured data or measurements of local $g$. The next figure uses the same stipulated $\ell$ and $g$, including illustrative angles $15^{\circ }$, $40^{\circ }$, and $60^{\circ }$.