DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS

FACULTY OF SCIENCE
UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA

MODULE TITLE EXPERIMENT 3 : Simple Harmonic Motion

COURSE CODE PHY3901
MODULE CODE UPM/FS/PHY3901/03/2024/v1
LEARNING The following selected resources give essential information on the content of
RESOURCES this module:
● Simple pendulum experiment – https://youtu.be/fECsnyoZ6BY
● Mass-spring system experiment – https://youtu.be/FJBPNJR2QJU
●
PRIOR To study this module effectively, the students are expected to have some
KNOWLEDGE knowledge on:
● Basic algebra
● Basic mechanics
●
TERMS TO After completing the module, students should be able to explain the following
KNOW terms:
● Simple harmonic motion
● Restoring force
● Hooke’s law
● Equilibrium
●
LEARNING At the end of this experiment, students will be able to:
OUTCOMES ● Relate the Hooke’s law equation with real world phenomena.
● Determine the relevant physical quantities through experiments, graphing,
and calculations.
●
INTRODUCTION Simple harmonic motion refers to the repetitive movement back and forth
through an equilibrium, or central, position, so that the maximum displacement
on one side of this position is equal to the maximum displacement on the other
side. The time interval of each complete vibration is the same.
The force responsible for the motion is always directed toward the equilibrium
position and is directly proportional to the distance from it, given by:

where F is the force, x is the displacement, and k is a constant. This

relationship is called Hooke’s law. Simple harmonic motion is observed in the
simple pendulum and mass-spring system.
 Figure 1
For a simple pendulum, with the assumption of small angles, the period of
oscillation, T is independent of the initial angular displacement; that is all simple
pendulums should have the same period regardless of their initial angle or
mass. Therefore, T depends only on the length, l of the string and the value of
the gravitational acceleration, g. The relationship is given by:

Note that this equation is derived from Hooke’s law, however the derivation is
out of this module’s scope.

Figure 2

Similarly, the oscillation of a mass-spring system is also governed by Hooke’s

law as the force of the spring always acts in the opposite direction of the system
displacement (indicated by the negative sign in the law’s equation). The
equation that describes the mass-spring system oscillation period, T is given
by:
 where m is the mass of the weight (assuming that the mass of the spring is
negligible) and k is the spring constant, which determines the spring’s stiffness.

Figure 2
LEARNING Apparatus & Materials
ACTIVITIES
(PHYSICAL Experiment 1: Simple pendulum experiment
MODE) ● Pendulum bob
● String
● Retort stand
● Ruler
● Stopwatch

Procedure

Simple pendulum experiment

Figure 3

1. Hang a pendulum bob on a retort stand by using a string of length, l .

2. Displace the pendulum by a small angle and measure the time taken for it to
make 10 complete oscillations.
3. Divide the time by 10 to obtain the period of oscillation, T . Repeat you
 measurement minimum 3 times to get an accurate result. More reading will
produce good result.
4. Repeat steps 1 – 3 for 10 different l ’s.
5. Tabulate the data in Table 1.
6. Rearrange the equation given in Introduction so that the relationship can
be expressed as a linear equation, y=mx+c by using the trend line
function using MS Excel. Make sure you record the regression R 2 from the
analysis.
7. Plot an appropriate linear graph on a suitable spreadsheet software to
determine the value of g and the correspond percentage errors.
8. Discuss: How does the obtained value of g differ from the theoretical value,
g=9.81 ms-2?
9. Suggest a way to reduce the error in the measurements.

Experiment 2: Mass-spring system experiment

● Spring
● 10 weights of different masses
● Retort stand
● Stopwatch

Procedure

Mass-spring system

Figure 4

1. Hang the spring on the retort stand and attach a weight of mass, m to the
spring. Make sure the needle of the spring is at the middle. You can add
more mass but not too much otherwise you will have a difficulty to see and
count the oscillation.
2. Hold the weight to keep it steady. When you are ready, pull down the weight
and release it while starting the stopwatch. Do not pull the spring too hard to
avoid the damage to the spring.
3. Measure the time taken for the system to complete 10 oscillations. Obtain
the period of oscillation, T . Repeat you measurement minimum 3 times to
get an accurate result. More reading will produce good result.
4. Repeat steps 1 – 3 for 10 different mass m.
5. Tabulate the data in Table 2.
 6. Rearrange the equation given in Introduction so that the relationship can be
expressed as a linear equation, y=mx+c .
7. Plot an appropriate linear graph on a suitable spreadsheet software to
determine the value of k .
8. Discuss:
a. Compare the value of k obtained from your setup with those from
your friends’ setups. Does the value reflect the relative stiffness
between the springs?
b. The value of k can be determined directly from the Hooke’s law
equation where the spring extension, x needs to be measured. Find
the value of k using this alternative method and compare with the
value you obtained from the experiment.

LEARNING Materials & Sources

ACTIVITIES
(VIRTUAL Simple pendulum experiment
MODE) ● PhET Interactive Pendulum Lab Simulation at
https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/pendulum-lab/latest/pendulum-
lab_en.html

Mass-spring system experiment

● PhET Interactive Masses and Springs Simulation at
https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/masses-and-springs/latest/masses-and-
springs_en.html

Procedure

Experiment 1: Simple pendulum experiment

1. Go to the PhET Interactive Pendulum Lab Simulation website.

2. Follow the simulation setup as shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5

3. Set the string length, l=0.50 m and check the ‘Stopwatch’ box.
4. Displace the pendulum by a small angle ( θ ∼1 0∘) and measure the time
taken for it to make 10 complete oscillations.
5. Divide the time by 10 to obtain the period of oscillation, T .
6. Repeat steps 3 – 5 for 6 different l ’s.
7. Tabulate the data in Table 1.
8. Rearrange the equation given in Introduction so that the relationship can be
expressed as a linear equation, y=mx+c .
9. Plot an appropriate linear graph to determine the value of g.
10. Discuss: How does the obtained value of differ from the theoretical value,
g=9 .81ms-2 ?

Experiment 2: Mass-spring system

1. Go to the PhET Interactive Masses and Springs Simulation website.

2. Follow the simulation setup as shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6

1. Attach a weight of mass, g=100 g to the spring.

2. Select any value of spring constant, k from the slider and keep it constant
throughout this activity.
3. Check the ‘Mass Equilibrium’ box to show the equilibrium position as a
dashed line. You may also want to select the ‘Slow’ option to make it easier
for you to record time.
4. Pull down the weight and release it while starting the stopwatch.
5. Measure the time taken for the system to complete 10 oscillations. Obtain
the period of oscillation, T .
6. Repeat steps 3 – 7 for 6 different m ’s.
7. Tabulate the data in Table 2.
8. Rearrange the equation given in Introduction so that the relationship can be
expressed as a linear equation, y=mx+c .
9. Plot an appropriate linear graph on a suitable spreadsheet software to
determine the value of k .
10. Discuss: Compare the value of k obtained from your setup with those from
 your friends’ setups. Does the calculated value reflect the actual value of the
spring constant in the simulation?

DATA & Table 1: Simple pendulum experiment

DISCUSSION

Set l (m) Average T (s)

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
12

10

8
Time, T (sec)

Series1
6

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Length, l (m)
g = ___________ m/s2
Percent error of g = ___________ %

Table 2: Mass-spring system experiment

Set m (kg) Average T (s)

1
2
3
4
5
6
 7
8
9
10

12

10

8
Time, T (sec)

Series1
6

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Mass, m (kg)
k = ___________ N/m
Percent error of k = ___________ %

Using the Hooke Law:

k = ___________ N/m
Percent error of k = ___________ %

SUMMARY At the end of this module, students learn the concept of simple harmonic motion
and Hooke’s law by conducting two different experiments. In the simple
pendulum experiment, the gravitational acceleration is investigated, whereas in
the mass-spring system experiment, the spring constant is studied. Both
elements (i.e., gravity and spring constant) are considered the restoring forces in
respective experiments.
ASSIGNMENT Answer the following questions, and show your calculations (if any):
1. In the simple pendulum experiment, the assumption of ‘small angles’ was
made. What do you understand about this and how does it affect the
experiment results?
2. A block whose mass, m is 680 g is fastened to a spring whose spring
constant, k is 65 Nm-1. The block is pulled a distance x=11 cm from its
equilibrium position at x=0 on a frictionless surface and released from rest
at t=0 .
a. What are the angular frequency, the frequency, and the period of
the resulting motion?
b. What is the amplitude of the oscillation?
c. What is the maximum speed v max of the oscillating block, and where
is the block when it has this speed?
d. What is the magnitude amax of the maximum acceleration of the
block?
ASSESSMENT Assessment will be based on the report of the experiment and answers of the
assignment. Students need to complete the submission on the next laboratory
session or through the decided learning management system.