Past exam of the physics 1 paper of the University of Oxford / 2015 resit / 10 / d / Solution

Constant azimuth. If $\varphi$ is constant, $\dot{\varphi }=0$ and the motion is a planar simple pendulum:For the small-angle approximation, $\sin \theta \simeq \theta$, giving simple harmonic motion withThe harmonic angular frequency requires small amplitude. At finite libration amplitude ${\theta }_{\max }<\pi$, the exact oscillation period is $4\sqrt{l/g}K(\sin ({\theta }_{\max }/2))$, where $K$ is the complete elliptic integral of the first kind; the nonlinear pendulum does not have the same amplitude-independent period.

Constant polar angle. If $\theta ={\theta }_0$ is nonzero and constant, the bob traces a horizontal circle: this is a conical pendulum. Setting $\ddot{\theta }=0$ and dividing by $\sin {\theta }_0$ givesThe sign distinguishes the two senses of rotation. The exactly downward configuration ${\theta }_0=0$ is stationary; its azimuth is undefined and it must not be obtained by dividing by $\sin {\theta }_0$. A nontrivial constant-angle orbit of this gravity-only system needs $\cos {\theta }_0>0$ even though the supporting rod can also push.