Pendulum Lab

jockdisvdude

Senior member
Jun 29, 2001
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Is anyone else doing a pendulum lab like me in physics ?

Pendulum Lab

Purpose: Our lab is to determine how an independent variable, which is the length of a string, affects the dependent variable, which is the time of a period.

Apparatus and Procedure: 1.







2. Step 1: Obtain an apparatus, fastener with rod, stopwatch, string, tape, and weight. Step 2: Attach the fastener with rod to the apparatus. Step 3: Tape the string to the rod and measure one meter of distance for the string. Step 4: Connect the weight to the string via a loop at the end of the string. Step 5: Measure an angle of 30° for the string. Step 6: Drop the weight and start the stopwatch to obtain how long it takes to complete 5 periods. Step 7: Record the data. Step 8: Repeat steps 5-7 a total of 8 trials.

3. The variables kept constant were the weights (200g), the angle of which the weight was dropped (30°), and a total of 5 periods were recorded per trial.

Data: 1.
Length (m) Period (sec)
1.06 10.4
0.88 9.84
0.77 9.18
0.63 8.38
0.55 7.58
0.41 6.99
0.31 5.88
0.21 4.80
0.08 4.50
0.00 0.00

Evaluation of Data: 1.







2. General Equation:




Conclusion: 1. The length of the string did have an affect on the time of the period. As the independent variable decreases, the dependent variable also decreases, in other worlds the time of the period decreased as the length of the string decreased.
2. The X and Y variables were reversed because it allowed the slope of the equation to have a more meaningful definition.
3. In our lab, the y-intercept was equal to zero. The y variable which represented time of the period was appropriate because it is assumed that when the length of the string is equal to zero, the time of the period also is zero.
4. In order to obtain more accurate results, increasing the number of periods per trial will help. In our lab, we could have allowed the same person who dropped the weight to also time the stopwatch thus allowing minimal time difference from when the stopwatch actually started to when the weigh was actually dropped.
5. If we had another 2 hours to do more experiments, this lab could be extending my creating more trials. We could also have groups do different angles and weights.
 

ApacheXMD

Platinum Member
Oct 9, 1999
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i remember doing that "lab" when i was 10 in 5th grade.
ah.. memories.. :)

what class is this? 1st semester highschool physics?

-patchy
 

j0lly

Platinum Member
Jul 30, 2001
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<< i remember doing that "lab" when i was 10 in 5th grade.
ah.. memories.. :)

what class is this? 1st semester highschool physics?

-patchy
>>



Me too. :)
 

johndoe52

Senior member
Aug 12, 2001
773
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<< i remember doing that "lab" when i was 10 in 5th grade.
ah.. memories.. :)

what class is this? 1st semester highschool physics?

-patchy
>>



Are you kidding? lol...we just did something similar to that in a college sophmore level physics course. Granded we had three other parts to the lab and it is only the introduction. Just covering the basics.
 

ApacheXMD

Platinum Member
Oct 9, 1999
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keep in mind that in 5th grade, we used paper clips and fishing weights.

"hey look kids! more paper clips makes the weight swing slower!"
"ooooh!!"
"and hey kids! more weight doesn't change the swing time!"
"oooooh!!"
Then we all look at the chubby kid and understand that he swings just as fast as the rest of us at the playground :p

-patchy