Objective

The objective of this experiment was to observe the behavior of a

pendulum in a controlled environment. By doing this it can be observed
how much each variable will modify the period of the pendulum. In this
lab the following aspects of a pendulum will be modified one at a time
throughout the experiment.
-Amplitude
-Length
-Mass
Background and Theory
Before getting into more complex analysis of pendulums and their
behavior, the concept of a pendulum will first be defined.
A pendulum is a system composed of two strings attached to a fixed
rod or surface and at the bottom of the two strings a particle or mass
will be hanging from such cords. When the angle is small (less or
around 10 degrees) the pendulum behaves very close to a simple
harmonic oscillator.
The period of a pendulum is given by the following equation:
T=
= constant
= angular frequency
L = Length of the pendulum
g = gravity

2
L
=2

For oscillating objects another method is used. The pendulum now

would not be a simple pendulum it would become a physical
pendulum.
The period for a physical pendulum is given by the following formula:

2
I
=2

mgd
= constant
I = Moment of inertia
m = mass
g = gravity
d = distance from the pivot to the end of the object
T=

Procedure
1. The analyzing software was open in the computer provided in the
lab, everything was tested before beginning the experiment and
checked for unplugged sensors.
2. A steel sphere with a hole in the middle was used as the mass at
the end of the pendulum. A cord was put through it and the two
strings were attached to the rod on top. A distance of 70 cmw as
set for the length of the pendulum, measured from the middle of
the sphere to the top of the attachment.
3. A respective photogate was placed so the sphere blocked the
photogate when hanging straight down.
4. A trial using the hand was done to verify if the photogate was
indeed working and taking accurate measurements.
5. Another trial was done using 10 degrees from and released. The
pendulum swung 5 times and the period was measure using the
software. A result of the average period was recorded as well as
the uncertainty associated with it.
Part 1 (Angle)
1. For this part the distance (L) was set to 70 cm.
2. 6 trials were done where the only modifier was changing the
angle starting from 5 degrees all the way to 30 degrees. The
angle was raised by 5 degrees every time until it reached 30.
3. 8 complete swings were recorded for each trial. Using the
software the average of the periods were obtained and written
down in a table for further calculations.
Part 2 (Length)
1. The starting angle (20 degrees) for Part 2 remained the same for
every trial.
2. The length of the pendulum was changed for every trial starting
from 55cm to 75cm increasing by 5 cm every time.
3. The period for the pendulum was measured using Logger Pro and
the average was obtained and written down on a table for further
calculations.
Part 3 (Mass)
1. The length of the pendulum for this part was 70 cm and it
remained unchanged

2. The mass was changed 3 times, starting with the steel ball that
was already attached, then brass, then iron, then wood. A trial
for each mass was performed.
3. All the respective measurements for period were taken using the
software; the average was taken and written down on a table for
further calculations.
Part 4 (Rod)
1. Using a different attachment on top a physical pendulum
composed by a rod was created.
2. The respective photogates were placed so the ruler or rod can
swing freely between them.
3. Using a starting angle of 20 degrees a trial was performed using
the ruler. The length was measured and written down for further
calculations.
4. Using the pro logger software the rod swung freely 8 times and
the average period was obtained from such software and stored
for further analysis.
Apparatus

Physical pendulum

References

(n.d.). Retrieved Jan 19, 2015, from Hyper Physics:

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/pendp.html
Ryerson University (n.d.). The Motion of a Pendulum. Ryerson-Physics Lab. Retrieved
January 19, 2015, from http://www.physics.ryerson.ca
Serway, R. A., & Jewett, J. W. (2014). Physics For Scientists and
Engineers (9th Edition ed.). Cengage.