Ballistic Pendulum (Noun)
Meaning
A physical pendulum consisting of a large mass suspended from a rod; when it is struck by a projectile its displacement is used to measure the projectile's velocity.
Classification
Nouns denoting man-made objects.
Examples
- The ballistic pendulum experiment was set up in the physics lab to measure the velocity of the projectile.
- They used a ballistic pendulum to measure the muzzle velocity of the rifle.
- By analyzing the data from the ballistic pendulum, the researchers were able to calculate the kinetic energy of the bullet.
- To get an accurate reading, the ballistic pendulum must be calibrated before taking measurements.
- Historically, the ballistic pendulum was used to measure the velocity of projectiles in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.