EXPERIMENT 8

OBJECTIVE

weight of agiven body using parallelogram law of vectors.

To find the
APPARATUS
law of forces apparatus (Gravesand's apparatus), plumb line,two hangers
Parallelogram be determined, thin strong or
wooden block) whose weight is to
with slotted weights, a body (a mirror strip, sharp pencil, half metre scale,
paper sheet, drawing pins,
thread, white drawing
set squares, protractor.

THEORY weights
unknown weight S suspended from middle hanger, balances
If the body of
suspended from other two hangers, then P + Q + Z =0
Pand
...1)
Or
S=p++2PQ cos 0
calculated from equation (1).
The unknown weight can be
 DIAGRAM (FIg.5.04)

Fig. 5.03. Gravesand's apparatus.

PROCEDURE (Stepwise)
1. Set up the Gravesand's apparatus with its board vertical, tested with the help of a
plumb line.
2. Test that pulleys P, and P are
3. Fix the white drawing paper
frictionless. Oil them if necessary.
sheets on the board with the help of drawing
4. Take three pieces of strong pins.
thread and tie their one end together tomake
knot becomes junction of the three threads. knot 0. This
5. From the other ends of two
These serve as the weights Pthreads, tie a hanger with some
and Q. From the other end of slotted weights in each.
body S. third thread tie the siven
6. Pass threads with
weights P and Q over the pulleys and let
given body S, stay vertical in the middle of the board. the third thread with
7. The weights P Qand
wooden block S act as three forces
the three threads at the P,2 and S
8. Adjust the weights P andjunction The forces are in equilibrium. acting along
0.
Q
slightly below the middle of the(forces)
paper.
such that the junction 0
stays in
equilibrium
 87
VECTOR ADDITION

9. See that all the weights hang freely and none of them touches the board or the table.
10. Mark the position of junction O on the white paper sheet by a sharp pencil.
11. Disturb weights P and Q and leave them.
12. Note position of junction O. It must be verv close to earlier position. (If not, o1l the
pulleys to remove friction.)
13. Keeping mirror strip lengthwise under each thread, mark the position of the ends of
the image of thread in the mirror, covering the image by the thread (this removes
and Q, for thread of
parallax error). The position are P,. P, for thread of weight P, Q,
weight and S,, S, for thread of weight S (Fig. 5.05).

B*

p= 150 9 a= 150 9
Q.

S,

S= 2009
D
+
2

Fig. 5.04. Determination of weight of a wooden block.

14. Remove paper from the board.
15. With the help of a half metre scale draw lines through points P,and P, to represent P,
through points Q,and Q, to represent Qand through points S, and S, to represent S.
These lines must meet at point 0.
16. Taking a scale, 1cm = 50 g, take OA = 3 cm and 0B = 3cm to represent P = 150 g and
Q= 150g.
17. Complete parallelogram OACB using set squares and join OC. It represents R.
18. Measure 0C. It comes to be 3.9 cm.
19. For different sets of observation, change P and Q suitably.
20. Find weight of the wooden block by a spring balance.
 88 COMPREHENSIVE PRACTICAL
OBSERVATION
Least count of spring balance = .... g
Zero error of spring balance = ..... 8
Weight of unknown body by spring balance =....g
Scale. Let lem =50 g.
Serial Forces Sides
No. Weight
by spring
Resultant | Unknown
Obs 0A OB 0C force R weight S bal(g uwt)nce
(g wt) (cm) (cm) (cm) (g wt) (g wt)
() (2a) (2%) (3a) (36) (3c) (4) (6)
1
(6) (7
150 150 3 3.9 195 195
2 200
3.

(Note. Observation 1 is as
sample)
CALCULLATIONS
0C= 3.9 cm, R = 50x 3.9= 195 g
Unknown weight S= 195 g.
Mean unknown weight
3 =195 g
Weight by spring balance =200 g
Difference
RESULT =5g.
The unknown weight of
The error is given body = 195 g
within limits of
PRECAUTIONS (to be takern) experiment error.
1. The
board should be stable and
2. The
pulleys should be vertical.
3. The
4.
frictionless.
hangers should not touch the
Junction
5. Points
O should be in board or
the middle of the table.
6. Points should be marked only when paper sheet.
7. should be marked with weights are at rest.
Arrows should be marked to sharp pencil.
8. A show
proper scale direction
should taken to make
be of forces.
fairly big
parallelogram.
VECTOR ADDITION

sOURCES OF ERROR
1. Pulleys may have friction.
2. Weights may not be accurate.
8. Points may not be marked correctly.
4. Weight measured by spring balance may not be much accurate.