AH Exp – Mechanics 08 – Variation of period of swing with length for a simple pendulum – Determination of “g”

Aim – To investigate the relationship between the period of oscillation of a simple pendulum and its length and to obtain a value for “g”

Instructions

The pendulum is suspended vertically form a stand.

▪ Click and drag the rule to measure the length of the pendulum. (measure from the centre of the bob).
▪ Pull the pendulum bob aside and start it swinging.

Note that this “virtual” pendulum does not lose energy and the amplitude of the swing remains constant.
In practice, the amplitude of the swing will decrease as energy is lost.

▪ Use the timer to determine the period of the swing.
▪ Repeat for different lengths of pendulum.
▪ Draw a graph to show the relationship between the period of the swing and the length of the pendulum.
▪ Use the graph to obtain a value for the gravitational field strength.

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