Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 31, 2026

Preparing an Isotopically Pure 229Th Ion Beam for Studies of 229mTh
Published on: May 3, 2019
Why two clocks synchronize: energy balance of the synchronized clocks
Krzysztof Czołczyński1, Przemysław Perlikowski, Andrzej Stefański
1Division of Dynamics, Technical University of Lodz, Stefanowskiego 1∕15, 90-924 Lodz, Poland.
Abstract:
We consider the synchronization of two clocks which are accurate (show the same time) but have pendulums with different masses. We show that such clocks hanging on the same beam beside the complete (in-phase) and antiphase synchronizations perform the third type of synchronization in which the difference of the pendulums' displacements is a periodic function of time. We identify this period to be a few times larger than the period of pendulums' oscillations in the case when the beam is at rest. Our approximate analytical analysis allows to derive the synchronizations conditions, explains the observed types of synchronizations, and gives the approximate formula for both the pendulums' amplitudes and the phase shift between them. We consider the energy balance in the system and show how the energy is transferred between pendulums via oscillating beam allowing pendulums' synchronization.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Conservation of Mechanical Energy
When a...
Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics
First Law: Particles in Two-dimensional Equilibrium
Newton's first law tells us about the...
Second Law of Thermodynamics
Second Law of Thermodynamics
Energy Diagrams - I
Take the example of a skater on a parabolic ramp. The potential energy at different points along the ramp will be proportional to the height of the ramp, which varies quadratically with the horizontal position on the ramp. As the skater moves down the ramp from the highest position,...

