Asymptotic stability of a pendulum with quadratic damping (Q2253929)

The author establishes necessary and sufficient conditions on the time-varying coefficient \(h(t)\), for the origin of the equation \[ x'' + h(t) x'|x'| + \omega^2\sin x = 0, \] to be asymptotically stable, where \(h(t)\) is continuous and non-negative for \({t \geq 0}\) and \(\omega\) is a positive real number. The solutions of the system are also compared with a particular solution of the first order nonlinear differential equation \[ u' + h(t)u|u| + 1 = 0. \] Examples are given to illustrate the usefulness of the results. Moreover, the results are also extended and applied to an equation with a non-negative real-power damping force.