Period of a Simple Pendulum: The Effects of Mass,

Amplitude, Length, and Gravity

Hailey Crawford and Mary Flowers

October 23, 2020

Physics 111L, Department of Physics, University of Idaho, Moscow, 83843

KEYWORDS: period of a pendulum; oscillation; time; mass; length; angle of amplitude;

acceleration of gravity; kinetic energy; gravitational potential energy; law of energy
conservation; simple pendulum
INTRODUCTION:
A simple pendulum is defined as a small mass suspended from a pivot by a light wire or string so
that it can swing freely over a small arc of displacement. The force of gravity (9.8 m/s​2​)
ultimately drives a pendulum: at the top of the swing, the system’s energy is in the form of
gravitational potential energy, and with respect to the law of conservation of energy, it is
converted completely into kinetic energy as the pendulum travels through the arc. The amount of
time that it takes for the pendulum to complete this oscillation is known as the period of a
pendulum (​T​). Since the period is so quick, it’s hard to measure ​a single​ period precisely, so
instead the time will be measured for multiple (​N​) oscillations (​TN​ )​ and then divided to represent
the expected value for a single period (​T​exp).
​ This lab aims to explore how the period of a simple
pendulum is affected by different masses (​m​), angles of the amplitude (​A​), string lengths (​l​), and
gravitational acceleration (​g)​ . Since actual gravitational force cannot be altered, the use of a rigid
rod instead of string can tilt the angle of the plane (​β​) that the pendulum swings on, causing
variable gravity acceleration as well as cancelation of the normal force of the rod. Altering these
variables should produce a change in the period of time it takes for the pendulum to perform
oscillations.

PROCEDURE:
The equipment used in this lab includes a stopwatch, meter measuring stick, varying masses, a
rigid rod, a stand with a string, variable gravity pendulum, and a protractor. Suspend a mass on
the string hanging from the stand, and measure the length of the string. Secure a protractor on the
junction in order to measure the angle of amplitude. Deviate the pendulum to one side and record
the angle before releasing it. Note: the angle should not exceed 20​o​. Once the pendulum is
released, use the stopwatch to time the period it takes for the pendulum to complete ​N​ full swings
(Experiments 1 and 3: ​N ​= 5; Experiments 2 and 4: ​N​ = 10.) For each experiment, ensure all but
one factor remains constant for control variables; each experiment tests the relationship between
the period of the pendulum’s swing (​T)​ and a differing variable.

Experiment 1 tests variation in the suspended masses, so the length of string (30.8 cm) and the
angle of oscillation (15​o​) remains the same. Test five different masses (20g, 50g, 100g, 200g, and
500g), and record the amount of time (​T)​ it takes for the pendulum to complete five oscillations.
Plot the relationship of the time​ ​vs. the mass on a scatter plot.

Experiment 2 contains variations in amplitude of oscillation, meaning the angle changes while
the length (32.3 cm) and mass (0.5001 kg) are fixed. Repeat the experiment with five different
angles that the pendulum is released at (5​o​, 10​o​, 12​o​, 15​o​, and 20​o​), and measure the amount of
time the ten oscillations take. Plot the relationship of the time vs. the mass on a scatter plot.

Experiment 3 demonstrates variations in the length of the pendulum, so five different lengths are
tested (23.7cm, 30.8cm, 42.3cm, 60.1cm, and 80.3cm) while the angle (15​o​) and the mass (59g)
remain constant. Repeat the experiment five times with the differing lengths of string, and record
the time it takes for the pendulum to complete five oscillations. On a scatter plot, graph the
relationship of the time squared (​T​2​) vs. the lengths.

Experiment 4 stimulates variation in gravity by using a rigid rod instead of a string. Maintaining
a constant amplitude (15​o​), length (31.0 cm), and mass (0.5141 kg), perform six trials with
different angles of tilt between 30-80​o​ (0​o​, 30​o​, 40​o​, 50​o​, 60​o​, and 70​o​), and record the pendulum’s
period for ten oscillations in each of the trials. Plot the relationship of the time vs. the effective
gravitational acceleration.

CALCULATIONS:
So long as the length of the pendulum (​l​) and the gravitational acceleration (​g​) are known, the
period of a pendulum (​T)​ can be calculated using the equation below:
(Eq. 1)

In Experiment 3, both sides of this equation are squared in order to plot the relationship of the
period squared and the length of the string. The relationship is explained below:
(Eq. 2)
T​ = (4π​ /g) * l
2​ 2​

Additionally, Experiment 4 contains another variation of Eq. 1 with respect to the stimulated
different gravity created by the rigid rod:
(Eq. 3)

Since the plane the pendulum moves on is tilted in this experiment, the pendulum oscillates with
effective gravity acceleration (​g​effective​) -- computed by the equation below with consideration to
mass, gravity, and the angle the plane is tilted to (​β​):
(Eq. 4)
g​effective​ = mgcosβ

The value of a ​single o​ scillation period (​T)​ can also be calculated from the time (​t)​ measured and
the number of oscillations (​N​) included for the total period measured. The relationship is shown
below:
(Eq. 5)
T=t/N
This equation is used to compute the expected value of a single (​T​exp​) after measuring the total
period for ​N​ amount of oscillations (​T​N​).

RESULTS:

Figure 1. The table above displays the data collected from variations in mass which took place in
Experiment 1.

In this experiment, the pendulum’s string length (30.8cm) and angle (15*) remained constant,
while the mass of the pendulum changed. The lowest mass was 20g and produced an oscillation
time of 6s for 5 full oscillations. 50g produced a time of 6.12s. At 100g the oscillations were
completed in 6.07s. With 200g on the end of the string it took 5.98s for 5 oscillations. Lastly,
with a 500g mass, the oscillations were completed in 6.38s.

Figure 2. The graph above shows the random relationship between the mass of the object at the
end of the pendulum and the measure ​T​ period.
Based on the graph above, it can be concluded that the oscillation times period is not based on
the mass at the end of the string. The graph does not show a distinct trend in the data and the
plots are scattered quite randomly throughout the scatter plot. The 200g mass finished the five
oscillations in the fastest time, but the 500g mass finished in the slowest time. The other three
masses were spread randomly between the times of these two.

Figure 3. The table above displays the data obtained during Experiment 2 -- where the
experimental variation was the angle of the amplitude.

Figure 4. Above the relationship between the measured ​T​ period and varying angles of the
amplitude of oscillation is exhibited.
 Figure 5. The table above displays the data collected in Experiment 3 where the length of the
string is the variable.

In the table above, the values for each trial can be obtained. When the string was shortest
(.237m) the pendulum moved fastest (.291s​2​). As the string got longer, the times got slower. For
example, at .308m the time was .374s​2​, at .423m the times was .490s​2​, and at .601m the time was
.669s​2​. The longest string length (.803m) had the slowest oscillation time of .891s​2​. A mass of
50g was maintain and so was the 15* angle.

Figure 6. The graph above shows the relationship between the length of the string and the time it
took for the pendulum to oscillate five times.

In the graph above, the length of the string in meters and the time in s​2 ​are plotted against each
other. The length of the string plays a direct role in the time it takes for the pendulum to oscillate
five times. The slope of the line is close to one, but the times do not double when the length is
doubled. When completing the 4π​2​/slope = g equation, there is an error related to the data I
gathered. The final value is about 30.1 because the slope is not close to 4.

Figure 7. The data collected from variations of the magnitude of gravity in Experiment 4 is
displayed above.
 Figure 8. Plotted above is the relationship between the ​T ​period measured and the stimulated
effective gravity acceleration.

OBSERVATION AND DISCUSSION:

In the first experiment, the mass at the end of the pendulum string is the variable. This
experiment tests the impact of mass on the swing of the pendulum. Based on Figure 2, the mass
of at the end of the pendulum does not play a large role in how fast the pendulum swings.
Although there was some variation in the time elapsed for the pendulum to swing five times, it
was not in a way that we can conclude that mass was the determining factor. The plots in the
scatter plot are spread fairly randomly and have a trend of about 6 seconds.

The second experiment demonstrates that the angle of oscillation is directly proportional to the
amount of time it takes for the pendulum to complete ten swings. Figure 4 shows the linear
relationship as increasing the amplitude increases the period as well. The change can be
attributed to the differing angles since the string length and mass remained constant.

The third experiment shows the relationship between length of string and the time it takes for the
pendulum to swing five times. Based on the scatter plot labeled Figure 6, there is a linear
relationship between the length of the string and the time it took for the pendulum to swing five
times. The weight at the end of the pendulum stays the same and so does the angle of the string
at the top of the pendulum. The longer the length of the string is, the longer it takes the pendulum
to complete five swings. Based on the graph from the data I gathered, the calculation for
4π​2​/slope = g is not anywhere near the accepted value of g. I used a small value for the mass in
this experiment, and based on the data I would say that is a reason for error since all the values
are extremely low causing the final value of g to be very high.
The fourth experiment suggests that changes in gravity would have an impact on the period of a
pendulum. Figure 8 shows that there is a decreasing linear relationship between the time it took
the pendulum to swing ten times and the increasing gravity effects. Since gravity is the force that
drives oscillation of the pendulum, the stronger its magnitude, the quicker the pendulum will
complete the oscillation cycle. For example, with a gravitational effect of 3.36 m/s​2​, the
pendulum completed ten oscillations in 18.63 seconds, but it only took 10.9 seconds with a
stronger gravitational force of 9.81 m/s​2​.

All four experiments are subject to an error pertaining to reaction times and measurements. The
times were recorded using a human operated timer, so the reaction times between releasing the
mass and starting the timer could be slightly different for each trial of all the experiments. The
measurement for length of the string and the angle can also have a small margin of error. Length
was found using a yardstick so the string was said to be the length of the closest 10th of
centimeter. The angle was found using a protractor so the angle is not taken from an exact spot
each time but more an estimate of the angle needed each time, indicating there could be some
error in the precision of the equipment.

A pendulum would oscillate for longer on the moon because there is less gravitational force. The
lack of force causes the pendulum to swing slower, thus extending the amount of time it will stay
in motion compared to the same pendulum on earth.

CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, the period of a pendulum is affected by various factors such as the amplitude of
oscillation, length of the string, and the magnitude of force acting upon it. Changing the mass,
however, didn’t seem to cause a distinguishable impact (Figure 2). This experiment proved that
the time it took the pendulum to complete the swings is directly proportional to changes in the
amplitude and length (Figures 4 and 6) and inversely proportional to the gravitational force
(Figure 8). Controlled variation of these components allowed us to test and understand their
relationship of the pendulum’s oscillation period.