Measurement of Gravitational Constant

Stephen Tranovich
Physics Intermediate Lab Igor Strakovsky 10/24/2013

I.

Abstract

The purpose of this lab was to measure the gravitational constant. This was done by using the Cavendish experiment, a famous experiment conducted by Henry Cavendish in the 18th century, though on a much smaller scale. The canonical value for G is (6.674215 +/- 0.000092) x 10-11 m3/kg/s2, while the experimental value of G was found to be (6.314 +/- 0.0498) x 10-11 m3/kg/s2. This yielded a relative error of 0.101745. Please keep significant digits in your values and correct your relative error term as I shown you for your previous reports.

II.

Introduction

G and g are different constants in physics; Little g is the more commonly referenced one, being the acceleration due to gravity, while big G is the gravitational constant. Big G is a value that should help us relate mass to gravitational force. It was first measured over 200 years ago by Henry Cavendish. Despite its first measurements having been taken so long ago, the accuracy with which this number is known today is not much better. Today the canonical value for G is stated as (6.674215 +/- 0.000092) x 10-11 m3/kg/s2. The equation used in this lab to help find G is below. In this equation F is the force between the two objects, r is the distance between the two, and m1 and m2 (center-of-mass of them) are the masses of each object.

Unfortunately the actual lab equipment was malfunctioning for weeks leading up to the date it was to be performed, and therefore the lab was not able to be performed to completion. The data herein was provided by the professor for the writing of this report. Too short. III. Experimental Setup

This experiment is a smaller scale, more technological version of Cavendishs original experiment. Two small spheres sit on opposite sides of a bar, which is allowed to swing on its horizontal access. This swinging bar is connected the computer and input into a software which can measure and plot changes in position. Two larger spheres are placed on a larger bar, which allows movement only enough to adjust the distance the large spheres are from the small ones. With the setup complete, the large spheres are set at a specific distance from the smaller ones, and a small force causes the bar holding the smaller spheres to begin moving. The gravitational attraction of the smaller and larger spheres causes the system to oscillate. These oscillations were

recorded by the software on the computer. This was done with the larger spheres at varying distances, and the data from each was recorded. You have to show exp set up. IV. Data
Graph 1: Oscillation: 1 Hz 0.4 0.2 0 -0.2 -0.4 -0.6

10

20

30

40

50 t (a.u.)

60

70

80

90

100

Graph 2: Oscillation: 5 Hz 0.2

0.15

0.1

0.05

-0.05

-0.1

-0.15 0

10

15

20

25 t (a.u.)

30

35

40

45

50

Graph 3: Oscillation 10 Hz 0.15

0.1

0.05

-0.05

-0.1

-0.15

-0.2

100

200

300 t (a.u.)

400

500

600

a.u. ?? Table 1. Caption Try to keep significant digits! What is the difference between uncorrected and corrected G? Canonical value has no err. What data did you use to get G. Then, did you make avrg? Table 1
Value -11 2 2 G [x 10 Nm /kg ] Gravitational Constant, uncorrected Gravitational Constant Canonical value 6.314E-11 Nm^2/kg^2 6.058E-11 Nm^2/kg^2 6.674E-11 Nm^2/kg^2 Error [x 10 Nm /kg ] 0.05 4.980E-13 Nm^2/kg^2 6.000E-13 Nm^2/kg^2 6.700E-15 Nm^2/kg^2 -0.988832427 Cannot be negative
-11 2 2

Fractional Relative Error 0.007888 0.009904 1.00E-4 -0.989863741 Does not make any sence

Relative Error

0.101745008 ??

V.

Analysis

The data in this experiment was recorded digitally, and the number of recorded points is in the hundreds. For these reasons the details of the recorded data are omitted from this report.

Graphs 1 through 3 show the oscillations of the system for 3 different sampling frequencies. The y axis is of the angular displacement in milli-radians mrad. The x axis is time, measured in arbitrary units created by the computer software. Graph 1 shows the oscillations of the system with a sampling frequency of 1 Hz, meaning the system is sampled one time every second. With this much time the beginnings of the damping effect can be seen. The peaks and troughs of the oscillations can be seen getting smaller over time. Graph 2 shows the same for 5 Hz and graph 3 shows it for 10 Hz. With these two graphs the peaks and troughs can be more easily seen and worked with. Using the information gathered in graphs 2 and 3, along with the excel spread sheet provided by the professor, the corrected and uncorrected values for big G were calculated. The results are summarized on table 1. That is not analysis, that is a part of Exp Sec VI. Conclusion

The resulting value for G is (6.314 +/- 0.0498) x 10-11 m3/kg/s2. This is close to the canonical value, yielding a relative error of 0.101745. One of the reasons for the accuracy of this value is that the software takes multiple corrections into account before outputting the data. These corrections include the attractions between the spheres, the distance between the mass centers, and the torque exerted on the beam for a total of 7% correction. The experiment also sits on top of a mechanism used for eliminating stray vibrations, eliminating the main source for error. All of this, and the precision with which the experiment must have been completed, allowed the resulting value for G to be as accurate as it is. Too short. VII. Appendix

Actual data points omitted for brevity. Code: