Physics Pendulum Essay

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Physics 11 IB The Simple Pendulum Rajesh Swaminathan June 18, 2006 1 Aim To investigate the motion of a simple pendulum and to derive a value for g, the acceleration due to gravity. 2 Planning 2.1 Hypothesis By using other methods to determine the acceleration due to gravity g, the value of g should be close to 9.8 m/s2. 2.2 Procedure 1. Measure, record and average a reasonable number of measurements of the period T for 6 to 8 different lengths. 2. Verify the equation of the pendulum T = 2 q L g by means of the graph of T2 vs L and determine the value of g from the graph. 1 3 Data Collection Length (m) Period (s) 1.954 1.00 1.959 1.955 1.879 0.91 1.888 1.880 1.747 0.80 1.754 1.765 1.759 0.82 1.757 1.761 1.653 0.72 1.645 1.641 1.501 0.60 1.506 1.504 Table 1: Data Collection 4 Data Analysis See Table 2 and attached graph. Slope = 3.826 1 = 3.826 m/s2  g = (2)2 3.826 = 10.3 m/s2 2 Length L(m) Period T(s) Average T T2 1.954 1.00 1.959 1.956 3.826 1.955 1.879 0.91 1.888 1.882 3.543 1.880 1.747 0.80 1.754 1.755 3.081 1.765 1.759 0.82 1.757 1.759 3.094 1.761 1.653 0.72 1.645 1.646 2.710 1.641 1.501 0.60 1.506 1.504 2.261 1.504 Table 2: Data Analysis 5 Evaluation In this lab, we were able to estimate the value of the acceleration due to gravity g on Earth by means of a simple pendulum. Because the length of a pendulum L, and the square of the period of the pendulum T2 are directly proportional, we were able to determine g by calculating the slope of the T2 vs L graph. From our calculations, this value turned out to be 10.3m/s2, while the accepted value for the acceleration is 9.8m/s2. Percentage Difference = 10.3−9.8 9.8 = 5.10 % There are a few reasons for the small error in our estimation: 1. There was some uncertainty in measuring the length of the pendulum L.

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