Pendli

Pendli is a portable pendulum-based measurement device used in educational and experimental settings to demonstrate harmonic motion and damping. The term is used in some physics education circles to refer to compact pendulums equipped with digital sensors and readouts.

Design and operation: It consists of a small bob of known mass attached to a low-friction pivot, with an adjustable length; a magnetic or air damper provides controlled damping; an integrated optical or magnetic sensor records the swing period; data are logged to a microcontroller for analysis.

Origin and etymology: The name pendli likely derives from the Latin pendere meaning to hang, with a diminutive suffix -li, and was first used in teaching labs and informal publications in the 2010s to describe this class of compact pendulum devices.

Applications and variants: Pendli devices are used in classrooms for demonstrating simple harmonic motion, in small research experiments requiring quick, repeatable period measurements, and in outreach kits. Variants include Pendli Mini and Pendli Pro, offering different length ranges, sensor types, and data-logging capabilities.

Relation to broader concepts: Pendli is associated with the study of pendulums, harmonic motion, and damping. It differs from traditional clock pendulums by emphasizing measurement and educational use rather than timekeeping, and it is often discussed in the context of teaching laboratory equipment and science outreach.