What is the purpose of the pendulum lab?

What is the purpose of the pendulum lab?

The goal of this experiment was to determine the effect of mass and length on the period of oscillation of a simple pendulum. Using a photogate to measure the period, we varied the pendulum mass for a fixed length, and varied the pendulum length for a fixed mass.

What is the conclusion of simple pendulum experiment?

The surprising conclusion – the pendulum traverses a longer distance in a shorter time, than in a shorter distance, and its period is shorter. There are a number of reasons why Galileo thought that the period remains constant. One factor which Galileo failed to consider is friction.

What is the hypothesis for pendulum lab?

The hypothesis in this case would be, “changing the amount of weight at the end of the pendulum will change the period of the pendulum.” The experiment design would involve measuring the period with one amount of weight, changing the weight without changing any other variables, then measuring the period with the new …

What is simple pendulum explain its working?

A simple pendulum has a heavy point mass (known as bob) suspended from a rigid support by a massless and inextensible string. When the bob from its mean position is pulled to one side and then released, the pendulum is set to motion and the bob moves alternately on either side of its mean position.

What are the practical applications of a pendulum?

Pendulums are used in many engineered objects, such as clocks, metronomes, amusement park rides and earthquake seismometers. In addition, engineers know that understanding the physics of how pendulums behave is an important step towards understanding motion, gravity, inertia and centripetal force.

What are the sources of error in a simple pendulum experiment?

The sources of errors in a simple pendulum experiment are the following: human errors comes in when measuring the period using a stopwatch. The reaction time of the observer plays a significant error when starting the stopwatch and when stopping it. This error can be minimized by repeating the experiment many times.

What are the variables in a pendulum experiment?

3 The three pendulum variables In this experiment, the period of the pendulum is the dependent variable. There are three independent variables: the pendulum mass, the amplitude of the swing, and the length of the pendulum string.

What variable affect the pendulum period in the lab?

The mass and angle are the only factors that affect the period of a pendulum.

How do you make a pendulum for a school project?

What to do:

  1. Tie a weight onto the end of the piece of string.
  2. Make a loop at the other end of the string.
  3. Screw the hook into the piece of wood and balance the wood between the backs of two chairs.
  4. Put the loop of string over the hook.
  5. Start the weight swinging and time how long it takes to make 20 swings.

How do pendulums work science?

The science behind the pendulum is explained through the forces of gravity and inertia. The Earth’s gravity attracts the pendulum. When the pendulum is hanging still, the wire and weight are straight and at a 90-degree angle to the Earth as gravity pulls the string and the weight to the Earth.

Why is a pendulum important to us in regards to telling time?

The advantage of a pendulum for timekeeping is that it is a harmonic oscillator: It swings back and forth in a precise time interval dependent on its length, and resists swinging at other rates.

What are some errors that may affect the experiment of a simple pendulum?

What affects the oscillation of a pendulum?

This can be explained by examining possible effects of each of the three variables: the length of the string, the mass of the bob, and the angle displaced. The length of the string affects the pendulum’s period such that the longer the length of the string, the longer the pendulum’s period.

How can the accuracy of a pendulum experiment be improved?

Improve the accuracy of a measurement of periodic time by:

  1. making timings by sighting the bob past a fixed reference point (called a fiducial point )
  2. sighting the bob as it moves fastest past a reference point. The pendulum swings fastest at its lowest point and slowest at the top of each swing.

What are the limitations of simple pendulum?

a) The simple pendulum can’t have a weightless, heavy point mass bob with inextensible string as we assumed. b) The motion of the bob is not strictly linear. c) The resistance and buoyancy of air affects the motion of the bob which is supposed to be negligible. d) The amplitude of vibration of the bob may be large.

What are independent and dependent variables in pendulum experiment?

What influences the period of a pendulum?

What is the objective of the simple pendulum experiment?

The objective of this experiment is to examine the simple harmonic motion and to determine the value of the acceleration due to gravity from the analysis of the period of the simple pendulum. [1] Order custom essay The Simple Pendulum Lab with free plagiarism report

Does length affect the period of a simple pendulum?

In regards to the length experiment, the graph below shows the period as a function of the length with a correlation coefficient of .99, which is strong. The graph takes this shape because it has been linearized- that is, the T values have been squared. It is apparent that length does affect the period of a simple pendulum.

How do you find the period of motion of a pendulum?

There are three equations that will be used to calculate the period of motion of the simple pendulum. They are the slope of the line of the graph of Tπ against L, and the gravity of the pendulum motion.

What do the slope and period of a pendulum graph represent?

They are the slope of the line of the graph of Tπ against L, and the gravity of the pendulum motion. The period of the motion is the time needed for one complete cycle that a pendulum bob swings from the initial position to the other end, and then back to the initial position.