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What Factors Influence The Period of A Simple Pendulum?
What Factors Influence The Period of A Simple Pendulum?
Answer each question in the space provided. Be sure to include a description of your procedures
and the data you collected in order to find your answer. Your data should convincingly support
your conclusions.
I. How, if at all, does the period of a simple pendulum depend on the mass of the
pendulum bob?
1
II. How, if at all, does the period of a simple pendulum depend on the length of the
pendulum?
III. How, if at all, does the period of a simple pendulum depend on the amplitude of
the pendulum?
2
IV. Given a pendulum of any specified mass, length, and amplitude, what must be
done to that particular pendulum to make its period double?
Our group found that increasing the amplitude of a simple pendulum (i.e., pulling it back further
before release) will cause its period to…
a. increase (take more time)
b. decrease (take less time)
c. be unchanged (take the same time)
Our group found that increasing the length of the simple pendulum (i.e., suspending the bob from a
longer string) will cause its period to…
a. increase (take more time)
b. decrease (take less time)
c. be unchanged (take the same time)
Our group found that increasing the mass of the pendulum bob (i.e., replacing the bob with a more
massive one) will cause its period to…
a. increase (take more time)
b. decrease (take less time)
c. be unchanged (take the same time)
What are some factors that might limit the certainty of your conclusions?