APPLIED PHYSICS LAB

Lab 2

FAKHAR ALAM
01-135241-016 BS-IT
1A

Department of Computer Sciences

BAHRIA UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD
 Measuring Time Period of a
Simple Pendulum

Overview:
A little mass, referred to as the bob, is hung from a fixed location by a
light string or rod in a simple pendulum. The bob oscillates back and forth due to
gravity's force when it is released and moved out of its equilibrium position. A
simple pendulum's motion is periodic, which means it repeats itself on a regular
basis.
The time taken for one complete oscillation (i.e., the time taken for the pendulum
to return to its starting position) is called the time period (T) of the pendulum. The
time period of a simple pendulum depends on the length of the pendulum and the
acceleration due to gravity (g).

Diagram:

Materials Used:
 • A simple pendulum
• Stopwatch
• Meter scale
• Clamp stand.
• Paper and pencil

Procedure:
1. Attach the mass to one end of the string and secure the other end of the string
to the clamp support to assemble the pendulum.
2. Make sure nothing is preventing the pendulum from swinging freely.
3. Using the meter scale, determine the pendulum's length from the point of
suspension to the bob's center of mass. Record this length as L.
4. Pull the pendulum to one side and release it, starting the stopwatch as you
release it.
5. Allow the pendulum to oscillate freely for several cycles and record the time
taken for 10 complete oscillations. Repeat this step three times and calculate
the average time.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 for different lengths of the pendulum (e.g., 0.10m, 0.30m
and 0.50m).

Data:
• Length of pendulum (L) =0.10m,0.30m,0.50m • Angle of
displacement (θ) = 60,30,20 degrees
• Average time for 10 oscillations:
Trial 1: (0.65 s)
Trial 2: (1.13 s)
Trial 3: (1.46 s)

Observations:
Length(m) T1 T2 T3 Avg T(p) T(t) T(p)-
T(t)
1) 0.10 0.67 0.64 0.64 0.65 0.65 0.63 0.02
2) 0.30 1.15 1.13 1.11 1.13 1.13 1.09 0.04
3) 0.50 1.48 1.46 1.44 1.46 1.46 1.41 0.05

Conclusion:
In this experiment, we measured the time period of a simple
pendulum for different lengths and found that the time period is directly
proportional to the square root of the length of the pendulum. We also calculated
the value of acceleration due to gravity, which was found to be approximately.
9.81 m/s^2, close to the accepted value of 9.81 m/s^2
Overall, the experiment was successful in demonstrating the relationship between
the length of a simple pendulum and its time period, as well as in determining the
value of g.