Experiment-:4 Determination of shear modulus using Dynamic Method

Objectives:

1. Understand how a torsional pendulum works.

2. To determine the sheer modulus of the element of wire by the method of oscillation with the prior
knowledge of Angular force and Simple Harmonic motion.

Apparatus:

A uniform wire, a cylindrical bar, suitable clamp, stopwatch, screw gauge, slide calipers, meter scale.
Theory:
A torsion pendulum consists of a mass suspended from a thin wire. When the mass is twisted about the axis
of the wire, the wire exerts a torque on the mass, tending to rotate it back to its original position. If twisted
and released, the mass will oscillate back and forth to its original position executing a simple harmonic
motion.
For example, a cylindrical mass is suspended by a vertical wire of length l and radius r as shown in Fig.
1.1. The axis of the wire passes through its center of gravity. If at any instant the angle of twist is θ, the
restoring torque exerted by the wire will be proportional to the angular displacement,

𝜏 = −𝐶𝜃 (1)
And the time period for torsional oscillations will be,

𝐼
𝑇 = 2π√𝐶 (2)

where I is the moment of inertia of the cylindrical body and C is the couple per angle of twist.
1
Given by, 𝐼 = 2 𝑀𝑎2 , ‘M’ and ‘a’ are the mass and radius of the cylinder respectively.

𝜂𝜋𝑟 4
and 𝐶 = 2𝑙
(3)

η is the modulus of rigidity of the material of the wire, l is the length of the wire, r is the radius of the wire.
From above equations, we get
4π2 𝐼 8𝜋 𝐼 𝑙
𝑇2 = = (4)
𝐶 𝜂𝑟 4

8𝜋 𝐼 𝑙
by rearranging the expression, 𝜂= (5)
𝑇2𝑟4
 A

Fig 1 Torsional Pendulum

Procedure:

1. Find out the value of one smallest division of the main scale and the total number of divisions of
the Vernier scale of the slide calipers and calculate Vernier constant (V.C).
2. Find out the value of pitch (the distance along the linear scale traveled by circular scale when it is
completed one rotation) and the total number of divisions of the circular scale of the screw gauge
and calculate least count (L.C).
3. Measure the radius, a of the cylinder by using the slide calipers.
1
4. Measure the mass, M of the cylinder. Calculate moment of inertia, I = 2 𝑀𝑎2 .
5. Measure the radius, r of the wire by using the screw gauge.
6. Measure the length, l of the wire from the point of suspension and the point at which the wire is
attached to the cylinder with a meter scale.
7. Twist the cylinder from its equilibrium position through a certain angle and release so that it begins
to oscillate. Measure the time for 20 complete oscillations with a stop watch. Find out time period
(T) of the oscillation.
8. Calculate the value of the modulus of rigidity (η) of the material of the given wire.
 Lab Report

Name of the Experiment :

Your Name :

Your ID # :

Name of the Lab Partner :

Date :

Instructor’s comments:
Data Tables:
Vernier Constant (V.C.) of the slide calipers,

The value of one smallest division of the main scale

V .C =
Total number of divisions in the vernier scale

Least Count (L.C.) of the Screw Gauge

Pitch
L.C. =
Total number of divisions in the circular scale

Table-1: Data for the radius of the cylinder

Vernier Vernier Mean

Main scale Diameter Radius,
scale constant diameter, 𝐷
No. of reading, x 𝑎=2
division, y =x+ Vc × d
obs. VC D
(cm) (cm) (cm)
d (cm) (cm)

1
2

5
Table-2: Data for the radius of the wire

Linear Least
Circular Diameter Mean Instru- Radius
Correcte
No. scale scale count, diameter, mental D
of reading,
y=x+d× d r=
division, Lc D error diameter, 2
obs. x Lc
d D (cm) (cm)
(cm) (cm) (cm) (cm)
(cm)

Table-3: Data for the time period

No. of obs. Time for 10 oscillations, t (sec) Time period, T= t/10 (sec) Mean T (sec)

3
4

Length of the wire, l: (i) __________cm (ii) __________cm (iii) __________cm

Average length of the wire, l = __________cm

Mass of the cylinder, M= ______________ kg

Calculations:

Moment of Inertia of the cylinder, I = 1 Ma 2 =

2

8 πI l
Modulus of rigidity of the wire,  = (SI unit)
T2r4

Error Calculation:
Standard value of the modulus of rigidity of the material of the wire = 7.7 x 1010 SI Unit.

𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒~𝐸𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒

Percentage error = x 100
𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒

= _____________________

Results:
Questions:
1. What do you understand by shear modulus of rigidity?

2. How will the period of oscillation be affected if the cylindrical mass of the pendulum be made heavy?

Discussion: