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A body so suspended from a fixed point as to swing freely to and fro by the alternate action of gravity and momentum. It is used to regulate the movements of clockwork and other machinery.

Angular motion, the motion of a body about a fixed point or fixed axis, as of a planet or pendulum. It is equal to the angle passed over at the point or axis by a line drawn to the body. -- Angular point, the point at which the sides of the angle meet; the vertex. -- Angular velocity, the ratio of anuglar motion to t…

her. -- Axis of a balance, that line about which it turns. -- Axis of oscillation, of a pendulum, a right line passing through the center about which it vibrates, and perpendicular to the plane of vibration. -- Axis of polarization, the central line around which the prismatic rings or curves are arranged. Brewster.…

A wheel which regulates the beats or pulses of a watch or chronometer, answering to the pendulum of a clock; -- often called simply a balance.

Pertaining to projection, or to a projectile. Ballistic pendulum, an instrument consisting of a mass of wood or other material suspended as a pendulum, for measuring the force and velocity of projectiles by means of the arc through which their impact impels it.

The ball or heavy part of a pendulum; also, the ball or weight at the end of a plumb line.

rranged as to counteract each other and preserve uniformity of movement. -- Compensation pendulum. See Pendulum.

that branch of geometry which treats of the parabola, ellipse, and hyperbola. -- Conical pendulum. See Pendulum. -- Conical projection, a method of delineating the surface of a sphere upon a plane surface as if projected upon the surface of a cone; -- much used by makers of maps in Europe. -- Conical surface (Geom.)…

A complete course or vibration; time of vibration, as of a pendulum. [Obs.] Locke.

The contrivance in a timepiece which connects the train of wheel work with the pendulum or balance, giving to the latter the impulse by which it is kept in vibration; -- so called because it allows a tooth to escape from a pallet at each vibration.

A football field. Gridiron pendulum. See under Pendulum. -- Gridiron valve (Steam Engine), a slide valve with several parallel perforations corresponding to openings in the seat on which the valve moves.

nner which will allow of free motion upon the point or points of suspension; -- said of a pendulum, a swing, a door, gate, etc.

two more simple harmonic motions, make other kinds of harmonic motion. The motion of the pendulum bob of a clock is approximately simple harmonic motion. -- Harmonic proportion. See under Proportion. -- Harmonic series or progression. See under Progression. -- Spherical harmonic analysis, a mathematical method, som…

pecific names according to its construction or use, as tachometer, rheometer, hydrometer, pendulum, etc.; a current gauge.

Made by means of an hydrometer; as, hydrometric observations. Hydrometric pendulum, a species of hydrometer consisting of a hollow ball of ivory or metal suspended by a treated from the center of a graduated quadrant, and held in a stream to measure the velocity of the water by the inclination given to the thread; a ki…

A regular vibration, as of a pendulum. I love thee not a jar of the clock. Shak.

A pendulum rolling machine for slicking or graining leather; same as Jack, 4 (i). Jigger mast. (Naut.) (a) The after mast of a four- masted vessel. (b) The small mast set at the stern of a yawlrigged boat.

acute edge or angle, and resting on a smooth surface, serving as the axis of motion of a pendulum, scale beam, or other piece required to oscillate with the least possible friction. Knife-edge file. See Illust. of File.

An instrument consisting of a short pendulum with a sliding weight. It is set in motion by clockwork, and serves to measure time in music.

An inverted pendulum consisting of a short vertical flat spring which supports a rod having a bob at the top; -- used for detecting and measuring slight horizontal vibrations of a body to which it is attached.