Definition

1. Noun:
   • Pendulum: A weight suspended from a fixed point so that it can swing freely back and forth under the influence of gravity. This is the primary scientific and general meaning.
   • Balance wheel (in a clock or watch): A component in a timepiece that oscillates to regulate the movement. This is a specific technical meaning, often referred to as a "balancier."

Usage Examples

• Noun (Pendulum):

  • Con lắc của đồng hồ quả lắc đang đu đưa. (The pendulum of the grandfather clock is swinging.)
  • Thí nghiệm sử dụng một con lắc đơn giản. (The experiment uses a simple pendulum.)

• Noun (Balance wheel):

  • Con lắc trong chiếc đồng hồ bỏ túi này rất tinh xảo. (The balance wheel in this pocket watch is very intricate.)

Advanced Usage

• "Dao động như một con lắc": To oscillate/swing like a pendulum. Used metaphorically to describe regular, repetitive back-and-forth motion or changes in opinion/state.

  • Thị trường chứng khoán dao động như một con lắc. (The stock market is swinging like a pendulum.)

• "Con lắc Foucault": Foucault's pendulum. A specific scientific apparatus that demonstrates the Earth's rotation.

  • Bảo tàng khoa học có một con lắc Foucault rất ấn tượng. (The science museum has a very impressive Foucault's pendulum.)

Variants and Related Words

• Con lắc đơn (n): Simple pendulum.
• Con lắc vật lý (n): Physical pendulum (a real pendulum with mass distribution, as opposed to an idealized simple pendulum).
• Quả lắc (n): Often used synonymously with "con lắc," especially for the pendulum bob (the weight itself).

Synonyms

• Pendulum (for the swinging object): The direct and most common English equivalent.
• Balance wheel, Balancer (for the timepiece component): More specific technical terms.

Related Phrases

• Sự dao động của con lắc: The oscillation of a pendulum.
• Chu kỳ con lắc: The period of a pendulum.

Related Idioms

• "Con lắc lịch sử": The pendulum of history. A metaphorical idiom describing the cyclical or swinging nature of historical events or trends.
  • Con lắc lịch sử đang chuyển dịch. (The pendulum of history is swinging.)

1. Pendulum