As a pendulum swings back and forth energy is changing from kinetic energy to potential energy constantly. If there were no energy losses it would continue forever. The total energy at any time would be constant.
If energy loss is taken into account then the amplitude of the oscillation decreases. This exponential decrease is called damping. Sometimes energy loss is not wanted so that there is minimum damping but also it can be desirable to limit oscillations such as in the suspension of cars.
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