Kinetic Energy of a Pendulum Calculator

Your details

Mass of the pendulum bob. Heavier bobs store more energy for the same swing angle.
kg
Distance from the pivot to the centre of the bob. A longer pendulum swings more slowly and stores more gravitational potential energy for the same angle.
m
Angle from the vertical at which you let go. Maximum potential energy (and total mechanical energy) is set here. Keep below 15 deg for the small-angle period formula to stay accurate.
deg
The angle at which you want to know the kinetic energy. Set to 0 for the bottom of the swing (maximum KE). Must be less than or equal to the release angle.
deg
Standard Earth gravity is 9.81 m/s². Change this to model a pendulum on the Moon (1.62 m/s²) or Mars (3.72 m/s²).
m/s²
Kinetic energyAt the bottom (max KE)
1.3143J

KE at the current angle

Velocity at current angle1.6213m/s
Potential energy at current angle0J
Total mechanical energy1.3143J
Maximum velocity (at bottom)1.6213m/s
Height drop from release0.134m
Period (small-angle)2.0061s
Kinetic energy (J)1.3143
Potential energy (J)0

Kinetic energy is 1.3143 J at 0 deg.

  • At this position 100.0% of the total mechanical energy (1.3143 J) is kinetic and 0.0% is gravitational potential energy.
  • The bob is moving at 1.621 m/s here, compared to 1.621 m/s at the very bottom of its arc.
  • The pendulum completes one full swing every 2.006 s (small-angle approximation). Period depends only on length and gravity, not on mass or release angle.

Next stepYour release angle is 30 deg, which is above the 15 deg threshold where the small-angle period formula begins to lose accuracy. Use a full elliptic-integral period formula for higher precision.

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