Mason Trang

Hour 5
January 15, 2009
I. Title: AP Physics Pendulum Lab

II. Purpose: To find out if the mass, length of string, and/or height of release affect the period of a
pendulum’s swinging motion. To determine the height of the Science Silo using the equations found
through data collection.

III.Hypothesis:
a. If mass is increased, the period of the pendulum will decrease because of the greater acceleration
due to gravity. If the mass is increased, the force of gravity will have a great affect on the mass.
b. If the length of the string is increased, the pendulum’s period will increase because the distance
travelled per period increases. It will take a greater amount of time for the pendulum to travel a
further distance at the same speed.
c. If the height of release is increased, the period of the pendulum will decrease because the object
will have a greater force of gravity to accelerate it downward.

IV. Variables: Independent (manipulated): mass

Dependant (responding): pendulum’s swing period
Controlled: length of string (1m), angle/height of release (42degrees)

Independent (manipulated): length of string

Dependant (responding): pendulum’s swing period
Controlled: mass (86.3g), angle/height of release (42degrees)

Independent (manipulated): angle/height of release

Dependant (responding): pendulum’s swing period
Controlled: mass (86.3g), length of string (1m)

V. Materials: string, set of five pendulum bobs (masses: 5.81g, 23.7g, 64.84g, 70.58g, 86.3g), stand, tape,
protractor, meter stick, stopwatch, and scale

VI. Procedure:
a. Mass
i. Attach an individual pendulum bob of 5.81g the end of the string.
ii. Measure the string from the center of the pendulum bob to the other end of the string.
 Mason Trang
Hour 5
January 15, 2009
Attach the end of the string to the stand at a measured length of 1 meter.
iii. Allow the bob to swing from a 42-degree angle. Have two people time each trial for
three swing periods.
iv. Swing each bob twice to record a total of four timing values for each bob.
v. Repeat steps i-iv for pendulum bobs of remaining masses. (23.7g, 64.84g, 70.58g, 86.3g)
b. Length of String
i. Attach an individual pendulum bob with the mass of 86.3g to the end of the string.
ii. Measure the string from the center of the pendulum bob to the other end of the string.
Attach the end of the string to the stand at a measured length of 1 meter.
iii. Allow the bob to swing from a 42-degree angle. Have two people time each trial for 3
swing periods.
iv. Swing each bob twice to record a total of four timing values for each string length.
v. Repeat steps i-iv for remaining string lengths. (1.2, 1.3, and 1.4 meters)
c. Height of Release
i. Attach an individual pendulum bob with the mass of 86.3g to the end of the string.
ii. Measure the string from the center of the pendulum bob to the other end of the string.
Attach the end of the string to the stand at a measured length of 1 meter.
iii. Allow the bob to swing from a 20-degree angle. Have two people time each trial for 3
swing periods.
iv. Swing from each angle three times to record a total of six timing values for each
measured angle.
v. Repeat steps i-iv for remaining angle measurements. (30 degrees, 35 degrees, 40 degrees)
d. Height of Science Silo
i. Time three periods of the swinging pendulum in the Science Silo
ii. Measure the height from the ground to the center of the mass on the pendulum
iii. Using the equation found in the length lab, substitute in the time value and solve for
length (x-value)
iv. Add 27 cm for the length from the ground to the center of the mass of the pendulum and
7.5 cm for the length of the pendulum’s swinging apparatus to the ceiling

VII.Data

Mass (g) Total Time for 3 Swings (s)

5.81 6.16 6.05 6.09 6.09
23.7 6.19 6.1 6.28 6.19
64.84 6.16 6.17 6.18 6.18
70.58 6.15 6.28 6.23 6.11
86.3 6.21 6.19 6.27 6.15

Length (m) Total Time for 3 Swings (s)

1 6.16 6.18 6.12 6.1
1.1 6.3 6.32 6.25 6.34
1.2 6.88 6.85 6.66 6.64
1.3 6.85 6.94 6.99 7.07
1.4 7.15 7.35 7.38 7.16
 Mason Trang
Hour 5
January 15, 2009
Angle
(Degrees) Total Time for 3 Swings (s)
40 6.1 6.05 6.04 6.17 6.09 6.02
35 6.11 6.15 6.01 6.04 6.09 6.04
30 6.07 6.02 6.06 6.14 6.02 6.06
20 5.99 5.82 6 6.17 5.95 6.06

Average Time Average Time Angle Average Time

Mass (g) Per Swing (s) Length (m) Per Swing (s) (Degrees) Per Swing (s)
5.81 2.03 1 2.05 40 2.03
23.7 2.06 1.1 2.1 35 2.02
64.84 2.06 1.2 2.25 30 2.02
70.58 2.06 1.3 2.32 20 2
86.3 2.07 1.4 2.42

Length Vs. Time y = -0.7442x 2 + 2.7621x

R2 = 0.9994
3

2.5
Time (s) of One Period

1.5

0.5
Length from .27 m
pendulum to 0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6
floor (m) Length (m)
Length of .075 m
pendulum top
to ceiling (m)
Time (s) of 3 15.36 s
periods
Time (s) of 1 5.12 s
Period
 Mason Trang
Hour 5
January 15, 2009

Average Time
Length^.5 for 1 Swing (s)
2.469817807 2.05
2.517935662 2.1
2.576819745 2.25
2.65894716 2.32
2.675817632 2.42

VIII.Calculations for Data

Period for one swing = (Sum of times/number of times recorded)/3
((6.16 s + 6.05 s + 6.09 s + 6.09 s)/4)/3 = 2.0325
 Mason Trang
Hour 5
January 15, 2009

Textbook: T(1.1)=2π(1.1/9.8)^.5 = 2.105 sec

Percent Error: ((Actual-Experimental)/(Actual))x100

((2.105-2.1008)/(2.105)x100= .1995 % error

Height of Silo: y = 2.0391(x^.5) - .00014

1.12 = 2.039 (x^.5) - .00014
x = ((5.12 + .00014) / 2.039)2 + .27 + .075
x = 6.65 m
Actual height = 7.123
Percent Error = 6.64 % Error

IX. Conclusions: The collected data shows that there is a relationship between the length of a pendulum
bob’s string and it’s swing period. The collected data and the graph show that the square root of the
length has a direct relationship to the swing period. As the length of the string increases, the speed of
the pendulum decreases to make the period increase. While the string’s length affects the swing period,
the mass and height of release seem to not have an effect on the pendulum’s period. The graphs do not
show a significant amount of change for the mass and height of release.

Two possible sources of error could be found from dropping the pendulum in a circular motion and
possibly giving the pendulum a slight initial velocity. If you don’t allow the pendulum to fall freely
and give it a slight push, it might throw off the results. The lab results could have been slightly
skewed by finding the average of 3 swing periods, but I found it to be quite accurate. To make
improvements in future labs, we could have a device that could more accurately measure the height of
release. If we could mark the point, we could easily drop the pendulum from the exactly point every
time, but realistically, it cannot be exact. Also, if there were some type of photo gate to more
accurately time the pendulum, it would produce more accurate results.

The stated hypothesis for mass and height of release were proven to be incorrect. The tests show that
mass and height of release do not affect a swinging pendulum’s period. I have come to the
conclusion that mass and height of release do not affect the pendulum’s period because gravity acting
on each different mass it going to be the same in its motion going both up and down. The acceleration
of gravity is always the same, but the force is greater for greater masses. In the end, I have decided
that it doesn’t affect it because the force of gravity is the same throughout the motion of the swing.
The height of release does not affect the pendulum bob’s period because it increases the height of
release to give it more potential energy, but it also has to swing to a higher point before it swings back.
It has to use its potential and kinetic energy to swing to the same height. We can conclude that this is
why the height of release does not affect the pendulum’s period.