Name: Fredrich Louie A.

Daras Date: July 13, 2021

SIMPLE PENDULUM

Problems:

1. When is the motion of a simple pendulum simple harmonic?

2. What is the effect of the following physical quantities on the period of
oscillation of a simple pendulum: mass of the pendulum bob and angular
displacement.

Materials:

Pendulum Lab (PhET simulation)

Online Resources:

Pendulum Lab PhET simulation:

https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/pendulum-lab/latest/pendulum-
lab_en.html

Procedure:

Period and Mass

1. Open the Pendulum PhET lab provided in the link above.

2. Set the following parameters:

Length 1m
Mass 0.3 kg
Friction none
Environment Earth
Simulation speed normal
Velocity indicator disabled
Acceleration vector disabled
Simulation PAUSED
Angular displacement 15 degrees
Timer enabled

3. Run the simulation by clicking on the pause/play button. While the pendulum
bob is oscillating, activate the Period Timer and note the period of oscillation.
4. Using the same parameters in (1), make several trials, each time, increasing the
mass by 0.3 kg until m = 1.5 kg. Record your data in the table below.

Mass, m, of the Pendulum bob (kg) Period, T, of Oscillation (s)

0.3 2.0147 s
0.6 2.0147 s
0.9 2.0147 s
1.2 2.0147 s
1.5 2.0147 s

5. Using a spreadsheet, plot the line graph of the period of oscillation (T) against
the mass of the pendulum bob (m). Describe the graph formed.

GRAPH
2.5
PERIOD OF OSCILLATION

1.5

0.5

0
0.3 0.6 0.9 1.2 1.5
MASS OF THE PENDULUM BOB

➔ The graph shows that even the mass of the pendulum bob(m) will increase the
period of oscillation(T) will remain constant.

QUESTION:

• What does the T vs. m graph suggest about the relationship between the
period of oscillation of a simple pendulum and its mass?

➔ There is no relationship between the two because the period of oscillation of a

simple pendulum does not depend on the mass of the ball.
Period and Angular Displacement:

1. Set the following parameters:

Length 1m
Mass 1 kg
Friction none
Environment Earth
Simulation speed normal
Velocity indicator disabled
Acceleration vector disabled
Simulation PAUSED
Angular displacement 3 degrees
Timer enabled

2. Determine the period of oscillation using the photogate timer.

3. Repeat procedure (1) for different values of the angular displacement (Refer to
the table below)
4. Record your data.

Angular Displacement Period Angular Displacement Period

(degrees) (s) (degrees) (s)
3 2.0064s 25 2.0302s
6 2.0074s 40 2.0689s
9 2.0092s 55 2.1281s
12 2.0116s 70 2.2110s
15 2.0147s 85 2.3228s
18 2.0185s 90 2.3678s

QUESTIONS:

• For 𝜃 < 15°, does the period of oscillation depends on the angular
displacement?
➔ It does not depend on the angular displacement
 • For 𝜃 > 15 does the period of the pendulum depend on the angular
displacement? What happens to the period of the pendulum as the angular
displacement increases?
➔ When the angular displacement increases; the period of the pendulum also
increases too.

• When do you say that the motion of a simple pendulum is simple harmonic?

➔ When the restoring force is directly proportional to displacement.

Conclusion(s):

In conclusion, the period of T for a simple pendulum does not depend on the mass, but
depends on the length of the string, and pendulum’s period does not depend on the
displacement because when the angular displacement increases there is a larger
distance to travel that is why the period of T is increases.