Stasha King Massiah Aim: To determine whether the period of oscillation varies with the angle between the

arms of the wire. Apparatus:

Procedure: 1. The apparatus was set up as shown above, using the 60o wire first, followed by the 90o wire. 2. The 60owire was placed on the optical pin as shown above. 3. The wire was slightly displaced, and the time was recorded for 20 oscillations using a stopwatch. 4. Step 3 was repeated in order to have a second set of results. 5. Steps 2-4 were repeated, except the 90o wire was used to carry out this part of the experiment. 6. The results acquired were then tabulated and an average was found for the oscillation time of both angled wires.

Results: x 60 90o Calculations: (For one oscillation) 90o = 0.90s 60o = 0.80s Difference= 0.90-0.80 = 0.10s
o

t/20 t1 16.00 18.22 t2 15.93 17.91

Average(s) 15.97 18.07

T(s) .80 .90

Variables: Controlled: Number of oscillations Manipulated: The angled wire (60o 90o) Responding: Period for oscillation Errors: 1. While oscillating, the bent wire did not swing horizontally straight, but instead shifted and swayed in different directions. 2. Due to friction between the optical pin and the oscillating wire, the results acquired were not completely accurate. 3. Air friction and also the draft created from the air conditioning vent would have had an effect on the experiment, and by extension the lab.

Precautions: 1. While the wire was oscillating, it was done carefully in order to prevent it from slipping from the optical pin. 2. When setting up this lab, the optical pin was clamped down in such a way that its head was outside to allow a resistance to prevent the wire from slipping off. Modifications: 1. A cork should have been used in order to better prevent the wire from slipping off the optical pin. 2. A protractor should have been used in this experiment to have a precise angle of displacement. Discussion: The period (T) of a wave is the time taken for one complete oscillation. In this experiment, the oscillations made by both angled wires were not straight which affected the results. In order to find the period of the waves, the time for 20 oscillations was found and averaged in order to have accurate results. By finding the period of each oscillation for both wires, the aim of this lab which was to determine whether the period of oscillation varied with the angle between the arms of the wire was found to be true. The observation of air resistance and other possible errors were accounted for, but were not taken into consideration in aspect of the results. From this experiment, it is also assumed that the difference of the period with the varied angles can be summed up into a ratio of 30o:0.10(s). Conclusion: The period of oscillation does indeed vary with the angle between the arms of the wire.