a pendulum is an excellent example of the constant back - and - forth relationship between potential and…

a pendulum is an excellent example of the constant back - and - forth relationship between potential and kinetic energy. and, according to newtons first law, which details inertia, an object in motion should stay in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. for what two reasons, then, if no one touches the pendulum, does the pendulum stop swinging after three or four days?\na for newtons first law of motion to really apply here, the pendulum would have to reach maximum potential energy, which it never actually does, since it only goes up a fraction of the way to the top of the clock each time it swings to each side.\nb since it is weighted, the pendulum is an unbalanced force acting on itself that eventually causes it to stop.\nc newtons first law of motion only applies to naturally - occurring things and situations, and a grandfather clock is human - engineered.\nd friction from the air, while invisible, is an unbalanced force acting on the clock.\ne while the pendulum does depend on potential and kinetic energy, it also depends upon a battery, and a batterys lifespan is about four days.\nf earths gravity, while invisible, is an unbalanced force acting on the clock.