Studying motion along cycloidal paths by means of digital video analysis

The motion of a pendulum whose mass is constrained to move on a cycloid path and of a small sphere running on a frictionless cycloid track are investigated theoretically and experimentally. Measurements are carried out through analysing videos acquired using a digital camera by means of open-access video analysis software. The results obtained are in agreement with theoretical expectations. The topic, the accessibility of the experiments and the level of analysis are appropriate for an undergraduate classical mechanics course. (paper)