THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BOGOTA

PHYSICS SL FOR THE DIPLOMA PROGRAMME

How can the gravity be calculated when using a bob in an oscillation

system depending on its period?

Topic 4: Oscillations and Waves

Presented to Alberto Rafael Osorio García..

Written by: Juan Manuel Campuzano

September 23, 2010

DESIGN ___ marks

Aspects: C/2 P/1 N/0
Defining the problem and selecting variables.
Controlling variables.
Developing a method for collection of data.
DATA COLLECTION AND PROCESSING ___ marks
Aspects: C/2 P/1 N/0
Recording raw data.
Processing raw data.
Presenting processed data.
CONCLUSION AND EVALUATION ___ marks
Aspects: C/2 P/1 N/0
Concluding.
Evaluating procedures.
Improving the investigation.

Teacher´s notes:
Design aspect 1: “Defining and selecting variables.”

Introduction:
This experiment is about a bob in this case a locket which is tight to a spring. What
it is going to be done is that the bob is going to be placed in a position of 90
degrees. After this the bob will be released in order that it make 10 oscillations and
the time taken will be recorded, also the Period which is the time nedded for the
object to complete 1 oscillation. The porpoise of this experiment is to find the value
of gravity which is already known g=9.8ms-1. The idea is to prove that that value is
correct with the next formula:
g= (4π^2 l)/T^2

Research question:
How can the gravity be calculated when using a bob in an oscillation system
depending on its period?

Independent variable:
• Frequency ( measured in Hertz)

• Period ( measured in seconds)

• Length of the spring

Dependant variable:
• Gravity (measured in ms-1)

Controlled variables:
• Initial length of the strings. (cm/m)

• The bob used. (locket)

• The amplitude.

• It was used the same type of string.

Constant:
• Number of oscillations.

Hypothesis:
Using the formula to find the gravity, I think that after the bob is released is going to
be taken an specific time after 10 oscillations. From that and applying the laws of
gravity the result from the formula will be 9.8ms-2.
Design Aspect 2: “Controlling the variables.”

Method:
.
Measuring the variables:

Apparatus list
Universal base.
Spring.
Locket.

Chronometer.

Measuring the variables and controlling the controlled variables:

From the beginning, to have an specific amplitude, the bob was always released
form the same distance from the base which was with an inclination of 90 degrees.
It was important that in order to always have the same inclination the person who
was measuring the displacement put its head totally vertical to the bob. After the
bob is released the time is taken after it has made 10 complete oscillations. To take
the time it was used a chronometer which have an uncertainty of ±0.05s. In order to
have more exact values the same string was used in all the trials. From it was
founded the frequency with the formula
f=1/p
and finally the period which was taken by the total time of the oscillations divided by
10.
In order to control the variables the same bob was used as the same type of string
and the same chronometer through all the experiment.

Design Aspect 3: “Developing a method for the collection of data”

This experiment was repeated five different times with the same type of spring, but
each time with a different length. The same bob was used through all the
experiment in order that the oscillation time doesn’t varieties. Finally the gravity will
be taken by the formula
g= (4π^2 l)/T^2
Data Collection and Processing (DCP) 1: “Recording Raw Data”
Results:

Raw data table:

Below are the tables of the data collect during the experiment, where it is shown
the length of the stings used, the frequency, the period and the number of
oscillations.

GRAVI
LENGHT (CM) FREQUENC TIME (S) NUMBER OF TY
TRIALS UNC. ± 0.05 CM. Y (S-1) UNC. ± 0.05S OSC. (MS-2)
1 25 1.02 10.23 10 9.43
2 25 0.96 9.96 10 9.94
3 25 1.01 10.15 10 9.58
4 25 0.98 9.88 10 10.11
5 25 1.00 10.02 10 9.83
Change units for math calculations and for SI units.

FIRST CHART.

SECOND CHART.

LENGHT (CM) FREQUENC TIME (S) NUMBER GRAVITY

TRIALS UNC. ± 0.05 CM. Y (S-1) UNC. ± 0.05S OF OSC. (MS-2)
1 35 1.19 11.95 10 9.67
2 35 1.21 12.15 10 9.35
3 35 1.16 11.60 10 10.26
4 35 1.20 12.03 10 9.54
5 35 1.80 11.80 10 9.92

THIRD CHART.

LENGHT (CM) FREQUENC TIME (S) NUMBER GRAVITY

TRIALS UNC. ± 0.05 CM. Y (S-1) UNC. ± 0.05S OF OSC. (MS-2)
1 45 1.32 13.21 10 10.18
2 45 1.36 13.65 10 9.53
3 45 1.34 13.38 10 9.92
4 45 1.33 13.31 10 10.02
5 45 1.34 13.42 10 9.86
FOURTH CHART.

LENGHT (CM) FREQUENC TIME (S) NUMBER GRAVITY

TRIALS UNC. ± 0.05 CM. Y (S-1) UNC. ± 0.05S OF OSC. (MS-2)
1 55 1.48 14.88 10 9.80
2 55 1.49 14.97 10 9.68
3 55 1.47 14.75 10 9.98
4 55 1.50 15.05 10 9.58
5 55 1.48 14.84 10 9.85

FIFTH CHART.

LENGHT (CM) FREQUENC TIME (S) NUMBER GRAVITY

TRIALS UNC. ± 0.05 CM. Y (S-1) UNC. ± 0.05S OF OSC. (MS-2)
1 65 1.61 16.15 10 9.83
2 65 1.68 16.80 10 9.09
3 65 1.61 16.17 10 9.81
4 65 1.67 16.75 10 9.74
5 65 1.62 16.23 10 9.74

Data Collection and Processing (DCP) 2: “Processing Raw

Data”

Processed data:
Since the same bob was used through all the trials the gravity must give the same
value, and it would be calculated by the formula
g= (4π^2 l)/T^2
In the next graph it would be shown the average of the time, the frequency and
finally the average of the gravity. The average will be found by summing all the
trials and divided by the number of samples.

LENGHT (CM) FREQUENC TIME (S) GRAVITY PERIOD PERIOD

UNC. ± 0.05 CM. Y (S-1) UNC. ± 0.05S (MS-2) (T) (T)^2
25 0.99 10.04 9.77 1.00 1.00
35 1.31 11.90 9.74 1.19 1.41
45 1.33 13.39 9.90 1.33 1.76
55 1.46 14.89 9.77 1.48 2.19
65 1.63 16.42 9.64 1.64 2.68
Data Collection and Processing (DCP) 3: “Presenting Processed Data”

Graphs:

Graph of the (PERIOD2 vs. LENGHT)

Conclusion and Evaluation (CE) 1: “Conclusion”

Conclusion

From the graph it can be seen that the slope obtained from the line is the value of
the gravity, in this case 9.8.

Also the uncertainties can be found from the graph, which is this case is obtained
from subtracting the minimum value from the maximum value and dividing it by 2.

Evaluation

As it can be seen the experiment gives very accurate solutions and answers to the
question, because as we want to find the gravity with an oscillation example it was
founded as the answer was 9.8ms-2. Also from the graph can be deducted that the
air resistance didn’t affect the motion of the pendulum because if it affected the line
of the graph hasn’t be an straight line, but as it was straight the air resistance didn’t
affect. Also the little uncertainties where shown in the graph as the line of best fit
doesn’t pass exactly over the points but very close.
Improvements

The experiment give very accurate results but there where some aspects that could
give a better precision to the answer. For example, to use a bob with a high mass
so in that way the air resistance would be lower. By the way, by fixing the string
harder to the base would be better, because as the string start to balance from one
side to another it make friction against the base, and this make that the kinetic
energy of the oscillation transform in potential energy, lowering the speed of the
oscillation. Finally, would be better to have an element to see that the bob is
released exactly 90 degrees respect to the base.