Wilberforce pendulum

noun

A pendulum consisting of a mass suspended by a long helical spring and free to turn on its vertical axis, twisting the spring; used as a demonstration in physics education.

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Meanings

nounWilberforce pendulum (plural Wilberforce pendulums)

plural Wilberforce pendulums

  1. A pendulum consisting of a mass suspended by a long helical spring and free to turn on its vertical axis, twisting the spring; used as a demonstration in physics education.

Origin

Invented by British physicist Lionel Robert Wilberforce around 1896.

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Cite this entry
APA

Wilberforce pendulum. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Wilberforce%20pendulum

MLA

“Wilberforce pendulum.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Wilberforce%20pendulum. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Wilberforce pendulum,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Wilberforce%20pendulum.

Source: Wilberforce pendulum on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.