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Lab1 Vibration Mechanics

1. The experiment determines the period of oscillation and acceleration of gravity using a simple pendulum with different string lengths. 2. The results show that longer string lengths correspond to longer oscillation periods. 3. By calculating the period from measurement data and using the pendulum equation, the experimental gravity value was found to be 9.51 m/s2 with an average error of 3.1% from the accepted value of 9.81 m/s2.

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90 views5 pages

Lab1 Vibration Mechanics

1. The experiment determines the period of oscillation and acceleration of gravity using a simple pendulum with different string lengths. 2. The results show that longer string lengths correspond to longer oscillation periods. 3. By calculating the period from measurement data and using the pendulum equation, the experimental gravity value was found to be 9.51 m/s2 with an average error of 3.1% from the accepted value of 9.81 m/s2.

Uploaded by

dana
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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LABORATORY 1 MODULE

TITLE:
SIMPLE PENDULUM OSCILLATION FREE VIBRATION

1.0 Theory:
Figure 1 shows a simple pendulum consists of a mass hung from a fixture by a very light
string (assume massless) of length L. The oscillation period, T, is the time it takes the mass to
make one complete cycle of oscillation. The period of a pendulum is given by

𝐿𝐿
𝑇𝑇 = 2 𝜋𝜋√
𝑔𝑔

The gravitational acceleration, g, can then be expressed in terms of the length and the period
of the pendulum by solving for g from the above equation.

4𝜋𝜋2𝐿𝐿
𝑔𝑔 =
𝑇𝑇2

Note: Air resistance is ignored.

Figure 1: Simple pendulum oscillation

2.0 Objective:
1. To determine the period of oscillation for a simple pendulum.
2. To determine the acceleration of gravity (g) using simple pendulum oscillation.

3.0 Procedure and setting


1. Weight (mass) is placed at the end of the string (assume massless) as shown in Figure 1.
2. The weight is pulled θº from its equilibrium and released to oscillate.
3. 20 full cycles oscillation time of pendulum is measured using a timer/stop watch.
4. The experiments are repeated with a different length of string.
4.0 Experimental Results
Data Analysis:
1. Select ONE (1) mass, m, ONE (1) angle, θ, and FIVE (5) different lengths of string.
2. Determine the error of this experimental value of g with the accepted value of 9.81 m/s2.
3. Complete the Table 1.

Table 1
No Length, L(m) Trail 1 (t1) Trail 2 (t2) t= 𝑡𝑡1+𝑡𝑡2 T = 20
𝑡𝑡 𝑇𝑇2
2

1 1 40.34 40.39 40.36 2.018 4.07


2 0.9 38.36 38.27 38.31 1.915 3.66
3 0.8 36.27 36.25 36.26 1.813 3.28
4 0.6 31.52 31.62 31.57 1.578 2.49
5 0.4 26.33 26.46 26.39 1.319 1.73

Length and Period


2.5
2.0 8
1.8 3 1.915
2
1.5 8
1.3 9
1.5
Period T

0.5

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2
Length L

Table 2
Angle, θ (º) Mass, m (kg) Length, L (m) Period, T (s) g (m/s2) Error, e (%)
60 20 1 2.018 9.69 1.2%
0.9 1.915 9.68 1.3%
0.8 1.813 9.60 2.1%
0.6 1.578 9.51 3.0%
0.4 1.319 9.07 7.5%
Average 9.51 (m/s2) 3.1%

|𝒈𝒈 − 𝒈𝒈𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂| |𝟗𝟗. 𝟖𝟖𝟖𝟖 − 𝟗𝟗. 𝟓𝟓𝟓𝟓| 𝟎𝟎. 𝟑𝟑


𝑬𝑬𝑬𝑬𝑬𝑬𝑬𝑬𝑬𝑬 % = = × 𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏% = × 𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏% = 𝟑𝟑. 𝟏𝟏%
𝒈𝒈 𝟗𝟗. 𝟖𝟖𝟖𝟖 𝟗𝟗. 𝟖𝟖𝟖𝟖
5.0 Discussion
Based on the experiment it can be seen that the longer the length of the string, the more time the
pendulum will take to complete 20 cycles of oscillation. 2 trials were made to get out with more
accurate data and to minimize the errors in the experiment. In both trails the time for
completing 20 cycles of oscillation was very close as shown in Table 1, because the mass and
the angle was not changed. After that we calculated the Time Period in order to calculate the
acceleration of gravity which we calculated to be 9.51 m/ s2 average. After calculating the
acceleration of gravity it was compared with the standard gravity value 9.81m/ s2, nevertheless
there was a small percentage of error and the average error is 3.1%.

6.0 Conclusion
In conclusion we can see that when we increase the length of the string it will take more time to
oscillate and after doing the experiment we found that there a different between the standard
acceleration of gravity value and the value we found in our calculations by a 3.1% error.

7.0 Questions

1. Do you think that air resistance has effect on your results in this experiment?
Explain and discuss it.
Yes air resistance will have an effect on the experiment. Air resistance slow objects and
the less the mass and angel of the object the easier for air resistance to stop it. If that
experiment was conducted in space for example where there’s no air resistance, the object
will keep oscillate without stoping unless an external force stop it.

2. Explain the relationship between the period of simple pendulum, T with the length of
string, L according to your observation in this experiment.
As it can be seen in Table 1, the longer the length of the string, the more time it will take
to complete a full period of 20 cycle oscillation

3. Suggest and discuss the possible solutions in order to reduce the error of this
experimental value of g with the accepted value of 9.81 m/s2.

• Measuring more than 20 oscillations (increasing the total time measured for multiple
swings)

• conducting the experiment in a place without an air resistance.

• measuring many oscillations to calculate the average time for one oscillation

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