Addis Abeba Science and Technology University (AASTU) Group

Assignment for the course General Physics

Course code : Phys1001

General Physics Lab Report

Experiment № 2 Simple Pendulum

Section 25
Group Members
Names ID
1. Dagem Abebe----------------------------------------------0342/15
2. Yohannes gezahegn---------------------------------------1437/15
3. kidus yosef tesfaye-----------------------------------------0784/15
4. Liya Robel---------------------------------------------------0839/15
5. Kidus wendesen--------------------------------------------0782/15
6. Mamaru kindie---------------------------------------------0870/15
7. Tewodros Anteneh-----------------------------------------1308/15
8. Biruk Endalkachew----------------------------------------1526/15
9. Natnael Asfaw----------------------------------------------1071/15
10.Yohannes Solomon----------------------------------------1433/15
11.Firaol Feyisa------------------------------------------------0562/15
12.Yabets Maregn---------------------------------------------1526/15

Instructor :Haileyesus
Submission date:9/31/2023
 Catalog

The Simple Pendulum.......................................................................................1

Objective...........................................................................................................1
Apparatus..........................................................................................................1
Theory...............................................................................................................1
Procedure.......................................................................................................... 3
Data Recording.................................................................................................3
Data Analysis....................................................................................................4
Discussions....................................................................................................... 5
Conclusion........................................................................................................6
References.........................................................................................................6
 The Simple Pendulum
Objective

. The objective is to investigate how the length of the string and the mass of the pendulum
bob impact the period of a simple pendulum. The goal is to establish a mathematical
relationship between the length and the period of the pendulum by examining their
effects or contributions.

Apparatus
. A string used as a rigid rod . Table clamp
. Meter tape . A rod on which the mass is fixed
. A pendulum bob . Stopwatch

Theory

The simple pendulum is composed of a small, massless bob (treated as a particle in theory) with
mass m, suspended from a light, inextensible thread of length l. The pendulum is allowed to swing
back and forth from a specific point. The forces acting on the bob are the tension in the thread,
denoted as FT, and the weight of the bob, mg, directed vertically downward. By analyzing the
forces acting on the bob, we can observe that the radial component of the weight is balanced, while
the tangential component serves as the restoring force that pulls the bob back towards its
equilibrium position.

1
If we define "a" as the acceleration of the bob along its arc caused by the force mg sin θ, then the equation that
describes the motion of the bob can be written as:

Since the motion of the bob is a simple harmonic motion, we can equate a to

where x is the displacement from the equilibrium position, 幼 is the angular frequency or speed,
g is the gravitational acceleration, l is the length of the thread, and T is the time period (the
time
taken for a single oscillation).

Rearranging the last equation to solve for the time period gives:

T = 2π

The time period is therefore independent of the amplitude of the oscillation, and at a given
place
on the Earth’s surface where g is constant, it depends only on the length l of the pendulum.

2
 Procedure

1. The experimental setup allowed for the variation of the pendulum's length.
2. The bob was displaced, causing the string to form an angle between 0° and 10° with a
vertical line passing through the equilibrium point, adjusting for each length of the string.
3. Once released, the stopwatch was started, and the time taken for 10 complete oscillations
was recorded.
4. Steps 2 and 3 were repeated two more times without altering the length, resulting in
three trials.
5. Next, the length of the string was reduced in 10 cm increments, and steps 2 and 3 were
repeated for each new length.
6. Data points were recorded with three trials conducted for each length.

Data Recording

The table below shows the raw data collected which includes the decrease in the length of
the
string and the corresponding time trial for 10 oscillations.
Length of the Time (s) Average Time for 10
Period(T) (
string (m) Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Oscillations (s)
1 19.81 20.6 20.36 20.25 2.025
0.9 20.08 19.43 19.27 19.43 1.960
0.8 18.16 17.56 18.14 18.17 1.795
0.7 16.95 17.18 17.31 16.95 1.715
0.6 15.78 15.55 15.32 15.77 1.571
0.5 14.24 14.33 14.20 14.43 1.425
0.4 12.55 12.71 12.23 12.90 1.250

3
 Data Analysis

The table below shows the value of the calculated data that includes the period of oscillation
T,
which further gives us the acceleration due to gravity g.

Length Average Time for Period Square of the Acceleration Due to Percentage
l (m) 10 Oscillations (s) T (s) Period T2 (s 2 ) Gravity g (m⁄s 2 ) Error
1.0 20.25 2.025 4.100 9.61 1.53%
0.90 19.43 1.960 3.841 9.24 4.08%
0.80 18.17 1.795 3.222 9.79 2.45%
0.70 16.95 1.715 2.941 9.38 1.94%
0.60 15.77 1.571 2.468 9.58 2.96%
0.50 14.43 1.425 2.030 9.71 3.36%
0.40 12.90 1.250 1.562 10.03 3.26%

In Data Recording and Data Analysis, the following formulae were used:

1. Average time =

2. Period of oscillation (T) =

3. Acceleration due to gravity (g) =

4 . A v e r a g e acceleration due to gravity( gav) = = ¿ 9.62 m/s 2

a
Tℎeoretic l value − calcula ted value
5. percentage error= Tℎeoret c l value × 100%
i a

4
 Discussions T2 (s2)

1. Investigate how the period of the pendulum varies for different length of the pendulum.

We observe that the two variables exhibit a direct square root relationship, indicating that they
are directly proportional to each other. This is evident from the data presented in the table, which
further reinforces this relationship.

2. Plot the graph of T2 against l and find the value of the acceleration due to gravity g from
2
the gradient (slope) of the graph – this will be equal to 4π .
g

The Graph of T2 Against l

4.5

3.5

2.5

1.5

0.5

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2
l (m)

We can see that it is quite nearly a straight line. Hence, we can calculate its slope m.
Taking the first and last points on the line, i.e., (0.40, 1.562) and (1.0, 4.100):
∆y 4.100 − 1.562 2.538
m = = = = 4.23
∆x 1.0 − 0.40 0.60

But m = . Thus:
2
g= = 4 π = 9.32 m/s 2
4.23

5
 3. Discuss what the possible source of errors could be in each method for the
determination of g.
> Personal error
> Air resistance

4. How much is your measurement of g approximate to the theoretical value?

percentage error =
Average
= 2.80%

Ergo, the measured value is 2.80% less than the theoretical value.

Conclusion

The experiment had two main objectives. The first was to determine the mathematical
relationship between the length (l) of a pendulum bob and its time period of oscillation (T).
The second objective was to utilize this mathematical relationship to calculate the value of the
gravitational acceleration (g).
Based on our initial observations of real-world pendulum behavior, we could predict that a
longer string would result in a longer time for each swing. However, this experiment aimed to
precisely quantify the relationship between length and time period, establishing their direct
proportionality.
Furthermore, the experiment provided an alternative method for measuring the acceleration
due to gravity. While the more conventional approach would involve measuring the time it
takes for a freely falling object to cover a certain distance and reach the ground, this
experiment employed a more mathematically sophisticated yet efficient method, taking into
account factors like air resistance.As a result, both objectives of the experiment were
successfully achieved.

References

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/lab#simple-pendulum

General Physics