Physics 1 Experiment: The Simple Pendulum Shihabi, Page 1 of 7 Purpose To investigate the dependence of the length, angle (amplitude), and mass of a pendulum on the period of its motion. To experimentally determine the acceleration of gravity g by graphing methods. To explore the law of conservation of Mechanical energy in the case of the pendulum Materials String (100-150 cm) Ruler Protractor Stopwatch Three different weights to be attached to the string (you do not have to weight them, just classify them into light, medium, and heavy). You may use strong clip with one hex nut for light mass (see figure 1 below), two hex nuts for medium mass, and three hex nuts for heavy mass Figure 1: light mass: one bolt nut. You may hang the pendulum to a closet pole using a hanger. Discussion One of the principles of science is the scientific method. The scientific method states that no scientific theory or model is acceptable unless the results it predicts can be tested and verified by experimentation. That is, the results of the theory must match the experimental results. Scientists try to predict the behavior of physical systems and then test these predictions through experiments. The theory is considered valid only if there is a strong agreement between the prediction and the experimental results over a large number of replicated trials. The present experiment will illustrate the use of the scientific method through the investigation of the motion of a simple pendulum. You will be given a theoretical model (ie. an equation) that supposedly describes the motion of a simple pendulum. You are to test the validity of this model in this experiment Remember, an experiment will not prove a theory to be true; it will either disprove the theory or fail to disprove the theory. In this lab you will study the factors which determine the period of a simple