Question

As a pendulum moves closer to the equilibrium position, how do the velocity, acceleration, and force change?

The velocity decreases, the acceleration decreases, and the net force decreases.
The velocity increases, the acceleration decreases, and the net force decreases.
The velocity increases, the acceleration increases, and the net force decreases.
The velocity decreases, the acceleration increases, and the net force increases.

Answer 1

The velocity increases, the acceleration decreases, and the net force decreases.

Explanation: as the pendulum moves toward equilibrium potential energy converts to kinetic so speed grows and is maximal at equilibrium. The tangential acceleration and restoring force are proportional to displacement (≈ −(g/L)θ for small angles), so their magnitudes decrease to zero as the displacement approaches zero.