Dalhousie University

Simple Pendulum
October 9, 2015
December 11, 2015

Pacifique Nicholas

Physics 1002- B03

Introduction:
The objective of the Simple Pendulum experiment is to find the acceleration due to gravity using
a simple pendulum. We also find the effect of mass and swing amplitude on the period of the
pendulum. We use the equation of a pendulum which is:

L
T = 2 g
Where T is the period (seconds), L is the length of the pendulum, and g is gravity. To find the
average time, you must add up all the data and divide by the number of data samples. When
using this equation the bobs motion is called simple harmonic motion, which means that the
period is the same, and the amplitude of the graph is the same all around, giving it a harmonic or
periodic graph. The 4 bobs that were used each had a different mass, but the period remained the
same due to the mass being negligible because the equation only needs to have the length of
string and gravity. This told us that no matter the mass, it will have the same period if the length
was the same.

Apparatus:
The apparatus used was a stand, with a string and 4 bobs.

= String
= Bob

We used a top pan scale to determine the mass of each bob. We also used a measuring tape to
measure the length of the pendulum. The accuracy of the masses were to +/- 0.1 g as their masses
did not need to be accurate. The measuring tape was within +/- 0.01 inches because this needed
to be semi accurate. We also used the larger pendulum which had a sensor and light for this we
used the computer program LoggerPro. We used tis apparatus and bob that was already setup and
ready to be used. We needed to setup the light about 1m away from the sensor and had to make
sure that nothing was obstructing the light or sensor.

Procedure and Observation:

We first needed to choose a small length of string, we chose to do 0.15m. We then chose one of
the bobs and weighed it. We then attached the bob to the string, which was on the pendulum. The
length of string was the length + diameter of the bob. We then used the stopwatch to time ten
oscillations of the pendulum which was released at about 30. We then repeated this for various
lengths until we were as close to the floor as possible.
The next part we chose to keep the length of the pendulum at .50m and used all four bobs. In this
case we measured the mass of the bob right before we were about to use it. We then attached the
bob to the pendulum and used the stopwatch to time ten oscillations to find the period.
In part C we needed to use the larger pendulum. We measured the length to be 1.33m. To do this
we setup the apparatus by placing the light in front of the sensor and opening the program on the
computer. We then needed to determine the angle at which the mass would be released from by
using tan. We then clicked start on the program and did three trials and found the period of each
by taking the time it took to make the sensor go off twice (the difference in seconds). We then
found the average of this. We then repeated this six more times, with the final angle being 5.

Measurement and Results

In Part A, a stopwatch was used to time the period of the pendulum. The period is the
time it takes for the bob to leave the hand and travel back again. The pendulum completed 10
periods and the time was taken. The time was divided by 10 to find the average period. A
measuring tape was used to measure the length of the pendulum. Using equation 1, the period of
the pendulum and the length of the pendulum, we calculated the acceleration due to gravity on
earth. See Figure 1 in the appendix to see the period of the pendulum vs the length of the
pendulum.
In Part B, we massed four different to determine whether or not the mass affected the
pendulum. The length of the pendulum was kept constant throughout this part of this experiment.
The period of the pendulum was timed using a stop watch for each mass. The period of the
pendulum stayed constant for every mass. See Figure 2 in the appendix to see the effect of mass
on the pendulum.
In Part C, the effect of the initial angle of the pendulum on the period of the pendulum.
The pendulum had a constant mass, and a constant length, but a varying initial angle. A
photogate sensor was used to determine the period of the pendulum. When the ball passed in
front the sensor the time was recorded on the computer. We found that as the angle of the
pendulum increased, the period of the pendulum increased exponentially. See Figure 3 to see the
effect of the initial angle on the period of the pendulum.

Discussion and Error Analysis

In Part of A of our experiment, we determined that the acceleration due to gravity was
9.86m/s2. The published value of the acceleration due to gravity is 9.81m/s 2. This is a .608%
difference from our experimented value. This means that there was obviously some error in our
experiment. Some sources of error that could have occurred might have been the inaccuracy in
measuring the length of the pendulum. Parallax could have affected the measurement. In part c
we determined that the initial angle affects the period of the pendulum, so another source of error
could be that the initial angle of the pendulum was not constant throughout the experiment. The
person operating the stopwatch had an estimated reaction time of 0.25s which could have created
error in the experiment
In Part B we demonstrated that mass does not affect the period of the pendulum. In figure
2 in the appendix, as the mass increased the period stayed constant. This must be true because we
proved this experimentally, and equation 1, used for determining the period of the pendulum,
does not include mass. The stopwatch was also used in this experiment so the reaction time of
the timer could be a source of error. In Figure 2, a reaction time of 0.5 seconds was taken into
consideration. By doing this we were able to create a straight line.
In Part C we demonstrated that the initial angle of the pendulum affects the period of the
pendulum. As the initial angle of the pendulum increases, the period increases exponentially.
This makes sense because of the law of conservation of energy. This means that the pendulum
would have the amount energy required to return to the height that it was initially dropped. This
means that the bigger the angle, the longer the angle has to travel and the longer the period is.

Conclusion
In Part A, we calculated the acceleration due to gravity with a percent difference of .
608% from the published value. This experiment went fairly well because of this accuracy.
Although the sources of error could have been eliminated with more accurate equipment. For
example, a more accurate measuring device could have replaced the measuring tape.
In Part B we demonstrated that the mass of the bob on the pendulum is independent of
the period of the pendulum. The mass of the bob can be .01mg to 10 6Kg, and it would not affect
the period of the pendulum. A slight source of error was accounted for and did not drastically
affect our results. The objective of this part of the experiment was achieved.
In Part C we showed how the initial angle of the pendulum affects the period of the
pendulum. The bigger the initial angle, the longer the period of the pendulum.

Credit and Reference

Procedure inspired by the PHYS1002 Lab Manual, pg. 20 21.