Radu-Alexandru ARCAN

GRAVITATIONAL PENDULUM
Study oscillations. Determination of gravitational acceleration
1. Theory
Defitition: Gravitational pendulum consists from a body of a mass m and small
dimensions (material point) suspended by a thread inextensible, with negligible mass, the length
l. If the pendulum is removing from its equilibrium position and is released, it oscillates in a
vertical plane, due to force of gravity.
Example: fig. 1 is represented a pendulum, which forms an angle with the vertical
named angular elongation. The normal component along the thread (normal to the trajectory
arc of the pendulum), Gn = mgcos, is balanced by tension in the thread T. The tangential
component to the trajectory Gt=mgsin is called force of return (booster) acting on the
pendulum back toward the balance position.

Note that the recovery force is proportional to the angular elongation so pendulum
oscillations are not harmonic in generally. But for sufficiently small angles , sin in radians
(eg, for = 5 = 0.0873 rad, sin = 0.0872), such that the force return is proportional to the
angular elongation and oscillations can be considered harmonics.
From Fig.1 shows that elongation angle = x / l, where x is the length of arc of circle
accordingly so that the recovery force can be written

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k=
elastic
constant of the system
From equation (1) shows that the force recovery system elongation is proportional to x,
and the figure shows that displacement is always opposite.
A recovery force is also called the elastic and subject to such a physical system forces
perform harmonic oscillations with the period given by:

Taking account of (2) and (3) that the period of oscillations of the pendulum gravity is given by:

From (4) results that the small oscillations of the pendulum period are independent of
gravity pendulum mass and the amplitude of oscillations, it depends only on the length of the
pendulum(g constantly being given instead of the experiment).

2. Procedure of work
In this paper we propose, first hand, to check the law of dependent gravitational
pendulum's period length, and in the second to determine acceleration gravity of place
experience, noting in (4) that, if measured with error as than its own length l and period T, we
can calculate the gravitational acceleration g.
1. Using materials from the laboratory performing a pendulum with length l = 0.2 m.
2. Remove the pendulum from the equilibrium position and, after being set free, it is measured
time t for which are performed n = 20 small amplitude oscillations;
3. Calculate the oscillations period T = t / n;
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4. Pendulum length is increased successively by 0.1 m, measuring the pendulum period as

indicated, as in section 2 and 3;
5. The measured data is completed table and then plot T = f (l).
6. Using equation (4) for each of the pendulums, calculate the acceleration gravity g, and its
average value. The data are entered in the table.

3.Table

4.Questions:
1) What is a gravitational pendulum?
2) What are the two components of the force of gravity?
3) What means small oscillations approximation?
4) Knowing that small oscillations of the pendulum period depends only gravitational pendulum
length l and the gravitational acceleration g: T = f (l, g), derive the formula period of oscillation
of the pendulum using dimensional analysis.

5.Answer for questions

1) Gravitational pendulum consists from a body of a mass m and small dimensions (material
point) suspended by a thread inextensible, with negligible mass, the length l. If the pendulum is
removing from its equilibrium position and is released, it oscillates in a vertical plane, due to
force of gravity.
2) The normal component along the thread (normal to the trajectory arc of the pendulum),
Gn = mgcos and the tangential component to the trajectory Gt=mgsin
3) The recovery force is proportional to the angular elongation so pendulum oscillations are not
harmonic in generally. But for sufficiently small angles , sin in radians (eg, for = 5 =
0.0873 rad, sin = 0.0872), such that the force return is proportional to the angular elongation
and oscillations can be considered harmonics.
The small oscillations of the pendulum period are independent of gravity pendulum mass and the
amplitude of oscillations, they depend only on the length of the pendulum(g constantly being
given instead of the experiment).
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4)

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