JEE Main · Physics · Oscillations
Pendulums: JEE Main previous year questions
17 questions in the 108 JEE Main shifts Lumi analysed, in 5 of 8 years. Pattern: Asked most years. 4 came in 2024–26. Here is how it is asked and which ideas come back.
- Questions
- 17
- in 17 of 108 shifts
- Years asked
- 5/8
- last asked 2026
- Weighted estimate
- 0.1
- model; history: 0.1 a shift on average, typically 0.0–0.2
Key findings
- 01
Asked in 5 of 8 years with analysed shifts and in 17 of 108 shifts: 17 questions, #151 of 196 topics. The years that asked it were 1.2 apart on average.
- 02
76% of its questions since 2020 tested an idea no earlier year had asked; 4 repeated an idea from the year before.
- 03
The most repeated idea is Simple Pendulum Period, asked 4 times in 4 shifts (2021, 2022), most often as “height from pendulum period change”.
- 04
JEE Main has asked 10 of the 53 ideas in this topic; 41 have never been asked, directly or inside another question.
- 05
Mostly asked as single correct (71%); 18% need a numerical answer, 35% are easy and 0% hard.
- 06
The skill tested most is calculation (53%), then multi-step (18%).
Questions a shift, year by year
Out of the 25 Physics questions in a shift. Years differ in how many shifts Lumi analysed, so each year is scaled to one shift.
Raw count: 2017: 0 in 1 shift · 2020: 0 in 12 shifts · 2021: 5 in 24 shifts · 2022: 7 in 24 shifts · 2023: 1 in 12 shifts · 2024: 3 in 18 shifts · 2025: 0 in 8 shifts · 2026: 1 in 9 shifts.
- Up to 2023
- 0.1
- a shift, of 25
- Since 2024
- 0.1
- 0.0
- Usual gap
- 1.2 yrs
- between years asking it
- Shifts with it
- 17/108
- 16% of analysed shifts
How it is asked
Difficulty, format and skill
Across all 17 questions on Pendulums since 2017.
Difficulty
QUESTIONS- Easy6 · 35%
- Medium11 · 65%
- Hard0 · 0%
Format
SHARE- Single correct · 12 Q71%
- Numerical value · 3 Q18%
- Diagram based · 1 Q6%
- Two statements · 1 Q6%
Skill tested
SHARE- Calculation · 9 Q53%
- Multi-step · 3 Q18%
- Application · 3 Q18%
- Conceptual · 2 Q12%
Repeats
New idea, or one asked before?
Each column is a year. Blue questions tested an idea no earlier year had asked; navy ones went back to an idea from an earlier year. 2017 is the first year, so everything in it counts as new. Heights are question counts, and Lumi analysed 1 to 24 shifts a year, so compare the split inside a column rather than heights across years.
- Idea asked for the first time
- Idea asked in an earlier year
Coverage of the topic
JEE Main has asked 10 of the 53 ideas in this topic. 41 have never been asked yet.
- Asked directly10 · 19%
- Touched inside another question2 · 4%
- Never asked41 · 77%
Ideas come from Lumi’s JEE syllabus map. A never-asked idea is not a safe skip: across all of JEE Main, 22% of questions since 2024 tested an idea no earlier year had asked.
Drill down
Chapter, idea, question
Every idea JEE Main tested in this topic, with its eight years. Open one to read the questions.
9 ideas inside
Squares are the 8 years with analysed shifts, 2017 to 2026. A number is the questions that year when there is more than one; the shade is scaled to one shift, so a year with more analysed shifts (1 to 24 a year) does not look darker. Share is of the level above.
Ideas
Every idea inside this topic
10 different ideas were tested; 5 came more than once.
height from pendulum period change
Single correct · 4 shiftslength of seconds pendulum at altitude
Single correct · 2 shiftstime period of pendulum in accelerating lift
Single correct · 2 shiftspendulum period in liquid
Numerical value · 2 shifts · 1 numericallength of seconds pendulum at altitude
Single correct · 2 shiftstime period of physical pendulum
Diagram based · 1 shiftpendulum period at height above earth
Numerical value · 1 shift · 1 numericalmaximum tension in pendulum string
Numerical value · 1 shift · 1 numericalperiod of pendulum in vehicle sliding down incline
Single correct · 1 shifttime error per day of pendulum clock
Single correct · 1 shift
| Idea | Years asked | Times | Shifts | Format | Numerical |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Pendulum Periodheight from pendulum period change | 4 | 4 | Single correctCalculation | – | |
| Period Variation with Altitude and Depthlength of seconds pendulum at altitude | 2 | 2 | Single correctApplication | – | |
| Effective Gravity Effectstime period of pendulum in accelerating lift | 2 | 2 | Single correctApplication | – | |
| Pendulum in Fluidspendulum period in liquid | 2 | 2 | Numerical valueCalculation | 1 | |
| Seconds Pendulumlength of seconds pendulum at altitude | 2 | 2 | Single correctConceptual | – | |
| Physical Pendulum Periodtime period of physical pendulum | 1 | 1 | Diagram basedMulti-step | – | |
| Pendulum of Comparable Length to Earth's Radiuspendulum period at height above earth | 1 | 1 | Numerical valueCalculation | 1 | |
| String Tension at Mean Positionmaximum tension in pendulum string | 1 | 1 | Numerical valueCalculation | 1 | |
| Pendulum on a Smooth Inclineperiod of pendulum in vehicle sliding down incline | 1 | 1 | Single correctConceptual | – | |
| Thermal Expansion Effects on Clockstime error per day of pendulum clock | 1 | 1 | Single correctCalculation | – |
Times and shifts count every analysed shift. Across JEE Main, 78% of questions since 2024 went back to an idea an earlier year had asked; the rest were new. All repeated ideas
Every question
Pendulums questions, year by year
The opening words of each question as it appeared in the official paper, with the idea it tested. Open one for its options and the official answer.
JEE Main 20261 question in 1 shift
- 4 Apr, Shift 2Q35A uniform disc of radius and mass is free to oscillate about the axis as shown in the figure. For small oscillations the time…
Idea: Physical Pendulum Period
New ideaMediumDiagram based · figure
JEE Main 20243 questions in 3 shifts
- 5 Apr, Shift 1Q40A simple pendulum doing small oscillations at a place R height above earth surface has time period of s. would be it's…
Idea: Period Variation with Altitude and Depth
New ideaMediumSingle correct - 1 Feb, Shift 1Q36If R is the radius of the earth and the acceleration due to gravity on the surface of earth is g = m/s, then the length of the…
Idea: Period Variation with Altitude and Depth
New ideaMediumSingle correct - 30 Jan, Shift 2Q60A simple pendulum is placed at a place where its distance from the earth's surface is equal to the radius of the earth. If the length of…
Idea: Pendulum of Comparable Length to Earth's Radius
New ideaMediumNumerical value
JEE Main 20231 question in 1 shift
- 6 Apr, Shift 2Q60A simple pendulum with length 100 cm and bob of mass 250 g is executing S.H.M. of amplitude 10 cm. The maximum tension in the string is…
Idea: String Tension at Mean Position
New ideaMediumNumerical value
JEE Main 20227 questions in 7 shifts
- 25 Jul, Shift 2Q43The length of a seconds pendulum at a height h = 2R from earth surface will be : (Given R = Radius of earth and acceleration due to…
Idea: Seconds Pendulum
Asked the year beforeMediumSingle correct - 28 Jul, Shift 2Q6Assume there are two identical simple pendulum clocks. Clock - 1 is placed on the earth and Clock - 2 is placed on a space station located…
Idea: Simple Pendulum Period
Asked the year beforeMediumSingle correct - 29 Jul, Shift 1Q39The time period of oscillation of a simple pendulum of length L suspended from the roof of a vehicle, which moves without friction down an…
Idea: Pendulum on a Smooth Incline
New ideaMediumSingle correct - 29 Jul, Shift 2Q57The metallic bob of simple pendulum has the relative density 5. The time period of this pendulum is 10 s. If the metallic bob is immersed…
Idea: Pendulum in Fluids
Asked the year beforeMediumNumerical value - 30 Jul, Shift 2Q9An oscillating simple pendulum of time period is placed in a lift which is accelerating upwards with …
Idea: Effective Gravity Effects
New ideaEasySingle correct - 26 Jun, Shift 1Q38Time period of a simple pendulum in a stationary lift is 'T'. If the lift accelerates with vertically upwards then the time…
Idea: Effective Gravity Effects
New ideaEasySingle correct - 29 Jun, Shift 2Q42The motion of a simple pendulum executing S.H.M. is represented by the following equation. , where time is…
Idea: Simple Pendulum Period
Asked the year beforeEasySingle correct
JEE Main 20215 questions in 5 shifts
- 26 Aug, Shift 2Q3If the length of the pendulum in pendulum clock increases by 0.1%, then the error in time per day is :
Idea: Thermal Expansion Effects on Clocks
New ideaMediumSingle correct - 31 Aug, Shift 2Q10A bob of mass 'm' suspended by a thread of length undergoes simple harmonic oscillations with time period T. If the bob is immersed in…
Idea: Pendulum in Fluids
New ideaMediumSingle correct - 25 Feb, Shift 1Q3If the time period of a two meter long simple pendulum is 2 s, the acceleration due to gravity at the place where pendulum is executing…
Idea: Simple Pendulum Period
New ideaEasySingle correct - 26 Feb, Shift 2Q5Given below are two statements : Statement I : A second's pendulum has a time period of 1 second. Statement II : It takes precisely one…
Idea: Seconds Pendulum
New ideaEasyTwo statements - 22 Jul, Shift 2Q20is the time period of a simple pendulum at a place. If the length of the pendulum is reduced to times of its…
Idea: Simple Pendulum Period
New ideaEasySingle correct
Questions from the official JEE Main Paper 1 shifts published by NTA (CBSE for 2017). Questions NTA dropped are left out. Topic and idea tags, counts and notes are Lumi’s.