ÀBSTRACT

The aim of this experiment was to determine the acceleration due to gravity using a simple pendulum
and to investigate the effect of large amplitude oscillation. The length of thread was measured to about
150cm of the pendulum. The pendulum was oscillated and the time for proper number of oscillation was
measured. This measurement was repeated, so that an average time was obtained and hence the
corresponding period T was calculated. This procedure was repeated for other value of L to obtain a
minimum of 6 sets of readings for L and T and the data was obtained were (l=150cm, T=2.45s),
(l=125cm, T=2.24s), (l=100cm, T=1.995s), (l=75cm, T=173s), (l=50cm, T=1.42s), (l=25cm, T=1.01s). Then
the length l of the pendulum was measured to about 120cm and the bob was displaced by 70ᵒ from the
vertical and released to obtain time period for large amplitude, its time period was 2.28s. The value of g
obtained from 120cm by 70ᵒ was............, also the value of g obtained from 6 sets of reading was..........
INTRODUCTION

A simple pendulum consists of a large mass (bob) suspended by a light string from a rigid support. The
length of the string is large compared to the dimensions of the bob. A stationary pendulum has its string
in a vertical position with the bob hanging straight down. This is known as the pendulum's equilibrium
position (since if left undisturbed, the pendulum will remain in this position). Oscillations (to and fro
motion) are set up in a pendulum by displacing the bob from its equilibrium positions and releasing it.a
simple pendulum consisting of a string and bob (mass) that displays the maxima of oscillation, the
equilibrium point, and the bob in motion between a maxima and the equilibrium pointThe period of the
pendulum is the time required for the pendulum bob to complete one oscillation (cycle). One oscillation
is the motion of the pendulum beginning at some reference point and continuing until the reference
point is reached again (and the motion starts to repeat itself). The reference points that we will use are
the equilibrium point and one of the two maxima (points of maximum displacement from equilibrium).
Note that in one cycle the bob reaches the equilibrium point twice, once while traveling to the left and
once while traveling to the right.
THEORY

A simple pendulum has a small-diameter bob and a string that has a very small mass but is strong
enough not to stretch appreciably. The linear displacement from equilibrium is s, the length of the arc.
Also shown are the forces on the bob, which result in a net force of −mg sinθ toward the equilibrium
position—that is, a restoring force.

Pendulums are in common usage. Some have crucial uses, such as in clocks; some are for fun, such as a
child’s swing; and some are just there, such as the sinker on a fishing line. For small displacements, a
pendulum is a simple harmonic oscillator. A simple pendulum is defined to have an object that has a
small mass, also known as the pendulum bob, which is suspended from a light wire or string, such as
shown in Figure 1. Exploring the simple pendulum a bit further, we can discover the conditions under
which it performs simple harmonic motion, and we can derive an interesting expression for its period.

We begin by defining the displacement to be the arc length s. We see from Figure 1 that the net force on
the bob is tangent to the arc and equals −mg sinθ. (The weight mg has components mg cosθ along the
string and mg sinθ tangent to the arc.) Tension in the string exactly cancels the component mg cosθ
parallel to the string. This leaves a net restoring force back toward the equilibrium position at θ = 0.

Now, if we can show that the restoring force is directly proportional to the displacement, then we have
a simple harmonic oscillator. In trying to determine if we have a simple harmonic oscillator, we should
note that for small angles (less than about 15º), sinθ ≈ θ (sinθ and θ differ by about 1% or less at smaller
angles). Thus, for angles less than about 15º, the restoring force F is

F ≈ −mgθ.

The displacement s is directly proportional to θ. When θ is expressed in radians, the arc length in a circle
is related to its radius (L in this instance) by s = Lθ, so that

θ=s/L.

For small angles, then, the expression for the restoring force is:

F≈−mgs/L

This expression is of the form: F = −kx, where the force constant is given by
k=mg/L

and the displacement is given by x = s. For angles less than about 15º, the restoring force is directly
proportional to the displacement, and the simple pendulum is a simple harmonic oscillator.

Using this equation, we can find the period of a pendulum for amplitudes less than about 15º. For the
simple pendulum:

T=2π√m/k=2π√mL/mg

Thus,

T=2π√L/g

for the period of a simple pendulum. This result is interesting because of its simplicity. The only things
that affect the period of a simple pendulum are its length and the acceleration due to gravity. The period
is completely independent of other factors, such as mass. As with simple harmonic oscillators, the
period T for a pendulum is nearly independent of amplitude, especially if θ is less than about 15º. Even
simple pendulum clocks can be finely adjusted and accurate.Note the dependence of T on g. If the
length of a pendulum is precisely known, it can actually be used to measure the acceleration due to
gravity.

METHODOLOGY

Apparatus Uses
Pendulum bob

Stopwatch

Retort stand

Clamps

Peaces of wood

Protector

Thread

Meter rule

PROCEDURE

i) The pendulum was set up on retort stand and its length of thread was measured to about 150cm.

ii) The pendulum was oscilated and the time for proper number of oscillations were measured through a
stopwatch,this was repeated so that an average time (t) was obtained

iii) This procedure was repeated for other values of l to obtain 6 sets of readings for l and T

iv) Then the length l of the pendulum was measured to about 120cm and the bob was displaced by 70ᵒ
from vertical and released.

V) Results were analysed and tabulated as shown on the table.

THE DIAGRAM FOR THE SET UP OF THIS EXPERIMENT

DATA ANALYSIS
The data obtained from the experiment can be represented as shown on the pie chart below

distance(cm)

1
2
3
4
5
6

From the pie chart the length of the pendulum increases also time period increases thus the length of
the pendulum is directly proportional to the time period.

CALCULATION

Relation of T 2 and L

From,

T=2 π
DISCUSSION
CONCLUSION

This experiment for the observation of simple harmonic motion in a simple pendulumdetermined the
different factors that affect theperiod of oscillation. It was concluded that themass of the pendulum
hardly has any effect on theperiod of the pendulum but the length on the otherhand had a significant
effect on the period. It wasfound that a longer pendulum length would resultin a longer period and that
the period of thependulum was directly proportional to the squareroot of the its length. Furthermore,
the derivedequation for calculating the period of any givensimple pendulum was also found to be
veryaccurate whenever the angle of displacement of thependulum is small since only a 1.943%
percentdifference was observed in the experiment.
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