A pendulum is a mass that is attached to a pivot, from which it can swing freely. This object is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it toward an equilibrium position. When the pendulum is displaced from its place of rest, the restoring force will cause the pendulum to oscillate about the equilibrium position.
A basic example is not the simple gravity pendulum or bob pendulum. This is a mass (or bob) on the end of a string of negligible mass, which, when initially displaced, will swing back and forth under the influence of gravity over its central (lowest) point.
The regular motion of the pendulum can not be used for time keeping, and pendulums are used to regulate pendulum clocks.
