lf a heavy point mass is suspended by a weightless, inextensible and perfectly flexible string from a rigid support, then this arrangement is called simple pendulum.
In practice, however, these requirements cannot be fulfilled. So we use a practical pendulum.
A practical pendulum consists of a small metallic solid sphere suspended by a fine silk thread from a rigid support. This is the practical simple pendulum which is nearest to the ideal simple pendulum.
Note :
The metallic sphere is called the bob.
When the bob is displaced slightly to one side from its mean position and released, it oscillates about its mean position in a vertical plane.
