Simple Pendulum

Essay by camillesarain March 2014

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De La Salle University-Dasmariñas

City of Dasmariñas, Cavite

PHYS204L

Sound, Waves and Optics Laboratory

Sarain, Camille B. July 25, 2013

HUB31/Group 3 August 01, 2013

Experiment No. 3

Simple Harmonic Motion

(The Simple Pendulum)

Sir Emmanuel T. Santos

Professor

Abstract

Simple Harmonic motion involving a swinging pendulum was studied. The experiment focuses on the effect of the length of pendulum on period as well as the determination of the magnitude of acceleration due to gravity. As the pendulum oscillated, it's time to complete 50 vibrations was measured using a stopwatch. The results showed that period has a direct relationship with the length of the pendulum. The acceleration of gravity was computed using the slope of the plotted graph, 13.13mls2 which accumulated a 33.88% error. The sources of error were inaccurate measurement of time and the slight rotation of the pendulum during oscillation. In was concluded that when the length of a simple pendulum increases, the period of oscillation also increases.

And there are only two factors that affect the period, the length of the pendulum and the acceleration due to gravity.

Introduction

Another simple device besides the spring-mass that can produce simple harmonic motion is the simple pendulum. A simple pendulum consists merely of a point-mass (m) suspended from a fixed point by a rod or string of length (L). The mass of the rod or string is assumed to be so much less than the suspended mass that it can be ignored. If the suspended mass is displaced to the left or right, while the rod or string is kept taut, and then released, the mass will swing freely back and forth under the gravity's influence. For small horizontal displacements (angular displacements of less than 10°, for instance), the restoring force on the suspended is...