Determining whether different traits affect the period of a pendulum

Purpose: To determine how length, mass and amplitude affect the period of a simple pendulum.

Hypothesis:

The longer the length of the pendulum, the longer the period will be.

The mass of the pendulum should not affect the period.

The amplitude of the pendulum shall affect the period little by little since the period is where one finishes each swing.

Materials:

• Stopwatch/ phone
• Retort stand
• String
• Meterstick
• Various masses
• Protractor
• Utility Clamp
• Ruler

Experimental setup:

1. Set up a retort stand.
2. Attach a flexible string onto utility clamp. Ensure the string is of a known length and securely fastened.
3. Attach a mass to the free end of the string
4. Make sure the mass is free to move
5. Adjust the length of the string to achieved the desired pendulum length each calculation.

Procedure for Length:

1. Select a fixed mass
2. Measure the length of the string using a ruler or a meterstick. Record this length as the initial length of the pendulum.
3. Start the timer when the pendulum is released from its starting position
4. Time how long it takes the pendulum to finish a specific amount of swings. (It is more accurate to determine the period when measuring more cycles.)
5. Calculate the average time for one swing by diving the total time by the number of swings. (Be sure to analyse the data.)
6. Repeat the procedure using different pendulum lengths, keeping the mass and amplitude constant.

Procedure for Mass:

1. Choose a pendulum length and keep it constant
2. Choose various weights for the experiment
3. Securely attach a mass to the free end of the string.
4. When the pendulum is released with a constant amplitude, start the timer.
5. Measure the time it takes for the pendulum to finishes a certain number of cycles.
6. Repeat the experiment with a different mass each time, but keep the length and amplitude the same.
7. Calculate the average time for one swing by dividing the total time by the number of oscillations
8. Be sure to analyze the data

Procedure for Amplitude:

1. Choose the length and mass of the pendulum.
2. As the initial angle for the pendulum, select a certain angle with a protractor.
3. Start the timer when the pendulum is released from its initial angle.
4. Measure the time it takes for the pendulum to finishes a certain number of swings.
5. Repeat the experiment each time with a new amplitude measurement, keeping the length and mass constant.
6. Be sure to analyze the data

Data and Analysis:

Observation in Length:

CHANGE IN LENGTH
Mass (kg)	Amplitude	Length	Total Time for 10 cycles	Time for 1 cycle
0.05	60	0.6	16.95	1.695
0.05	60	0.55	15.29	1.529
0.05	60	0.5	14.69	1.469
0.05	60	0.45	14.03	1.403
0.05	60	0.4	13.38	1.338
0.05	60	0.35	12.51	1.251
0.05	60	0.3	11.68	1.168

\fTime for 1 Cycle Relation of the Length and the Period Length 2.0 1.5 // 1.0 0.5 0.0 0.30 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50 0.55 Length of Pendulum