SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

COLEGIO NUEVA YORK

TITLE: THE PENDULUM

Authors: Juliana Ramirez and Victoria Salazar

ABSTRACT

In this laboratory we are going to make a pendulum, and we are going to

identify which facts affect the time that a pendulum takes to make
an oscillation, taking in mind Simple Harmonic Motion.

KEY WORDS

-Pendulum
-Oscillation
-Protractor (conveyor)
-Period
-Frequency

Objectives:

Inquire by your own how to make a pendulum.

Identify different facts that affect its period.
Explain why that facts affect the period of the pendulum.

Problem Question:
Which are the variables that affect the period in a pendulum?
Introduction:

The purpose of this laboratory is to identify which facts affect the pendulum
movement. It has an uniform movement that comes and goes to the same initial
position, this is called an oscillation. The time that the pendulum takes to make an
oscillation is called period. The pendulum can swing freely because any force is
acting on it (taking in mind Simple Harmonic Motion), the pendulum maintains an
equilibrium position and the oscillation of the mass causes this.

Methods and materials:

-Chronometer-Protractor
- String
- Mass (of different weights)
- Ruler
-Tape
-Calculator

Procedure:

1. Use the materials to create a simulation of a pendulum. (In our case we use
the protractor, tape, string and the mass for making our pendulum)
2. Take the measure of the string
3. Put a object (mass) at the end of the string
4. The pendulum is created. for starting the practice, verify from which angle
the string is going to release
5. Take the time since the mass is release until it returns to the initial position.
6. Choose a different angle for releasing again the string
7. Repeat this at least 4 times
8. Repeat steps 2 and 3 with a different measure of string and with different
kind of mass (heavier or lighter)
9. Repeat steps 4, 5 and 6 for making your conclusions.
10. Then stablish which factors affects pendulums movement.

Results:

In this table we use a string of 40 cm, and we release the string from 160° of
the protractor.
Mass (g) Period (sec)
12 1.18
30 1.24
48 1.30

In this table we use a string of 40 cm, and we release the string from 130° of
the protractor.
Mass (g) Period (sec)
12 1.03
30 1.10
48 1.17

In this table we use a string of 15 cm, and we release the string from 160° of
the protactor.
Mass (g) Period (sec)
12 0.63
30 0.75
48 0.85

In this table we use a string of 15 cm, and we release the string from 130° of
the protractor.
Mass (g) Period (sec)
12 0.49
30 0.63
48 0.55

We observed that changing the large of the string makes the pendulum moves
faster or slower, and throwing the string for different angles affects also the
movement of the pendulum. As well we noticed that the mass affect the oscillation
or period of the pendulum, because when the object is heavier always the period
is going to be “bigger” making it directly proportional.

Conclusion:

We can answer and conclude our problem question with our experiment.
The variables that affect the pendulum in an Simple Harmonic Motion are going to
be the length of the string and the initial position you are going to release the
pendulum.
The mass is also a variable that affect in a directly proportional way the pendulum
in a Simple Harmonic Motion, because the bigger the object the bigger the time is
going to take the pendulum to make an oscillation.

Our experiment is trying to explain Simple Harmonic Motion in real life, but we
have to take into account that in SHM there is NO friction, and in real life it is.

References:

Physics Class
Physics Notebook