Experiment No M9
Experiment Simple Pendulum
Name :
To calculate the gravitational acceleration using a simple
Experiment
Goals : pendulum.
Photodetector, two metal spheres with different radii and masses,
Required
Equipment : inextensible lightweight string, support stand, support rod,
clamping mechanism, ruler.
THEORY
A simple pendulum is an idealized model consisting of a point mass suspended by a massless,
inextensible string. The equilibrium position of the point mass is directly downward. When the
mass-string system is displaced from its equilibrium position and released, it oscillates under the
influence of gravity. Systems such as a wrecking ball on a crane cable or a child swinging on a
swing can be modeled as simple pendulums. These systems are examined in the context of
energy and force conservation and represent a fundamental example of harmonic motion. When
the mass is raised by a small angle \theta from its equilibrium position (where the potential
energy of the mass is at its minimum) and released, it starts oscillating in a vertical plane under
the influence of gravity. The path traced by the mass is angular, not linear.
Figure 9.1 Free-body diagram of a simple pendulum
A mass m suspended from a pivot point follows a circular arc with a radius equal to the length of
the string L, under the influence of gravitational acceleration g (Figure 9.1). The displacement
from the equilibrium position is measured along the x-axis. If the motion is simple harmonic, the
restoring force must be proportional to the displacement x or, equivalently, to θ (sinc x=Lθ ).
Figure 9.1 shows the radial and tangential components of the forces acting on the swinging mass.
According to Newton’s second law, force is the product of mass and acceleration. In this case,
the forces acting on the mass m are the gravitational force F=mg and the tension T in the
string. The gravitational force can be broken into two components:
Radial component: This is along the direction of the string and is balanced by the tension in the
string.
F rad. =m . g . cos (θ)
Tangential component: This is perpendicular to the radial component and is the restoring force
responsible for the motion.
F tan . =m. g . sin (θ)
The gravitational force generates the restoring force F tan ., while the tension T in the string only
allows the mass to move along the arc. Since F tan . is proportional to sin θ , not θ , the motion is
not simple harmonic. However, for small angles θ, sin θ (in radians) is approximately equal to
θ. For instance, when θ=0.1radians (about 6°), sin θ=0,998 which corresponds to only a 0.2%
difference. Under this small-angle approximation:
F tan . ≈ m . g . θ
The tangential acceleration a tan . is given by:
m atan .=−m. g .θ
The relationship between the tangential acceleration a tan . and angular acceleration α is:
a tan . =r . α
Bu sistemde yayın yarıçapı, ipin uzunluğuna eşit olup, olarak verilmektedir. Bu durumda
denklem şu şekilde olur: In this system, the radius of the arc is equal to the length of the string,
r =L Therefore, the equation becomes:
m . L . α =m. g .θ
By canceling out the mass, the equation of motion is:
g
α + .θ=0
L
g
This equation represents simple harmonic motion (SHM), where corresponds to the square of
L
the angular frequency:
2 g
ω=
L
Thus, the angular frequency ω of a simple pendulum with small amplitude is:
ω=
√ g
L
ile verilir. Harmonik hareket için periyot (T ) ile açısal frekans arasındaki ilişki şu şekildedir:
The relationship between the period T and angular frequency (ω) for harmonic motion is:
2π
T=
ω
Substituting ω =
√ g
L
into the equation for the period yields:
T =2 π
√ L
g
1
→f = =
1
T 2π √ g
L
The period equation shows that for small angles:
• The period of a simple pendulum depends only on the length of the string L and the
gravitational acceleration g . The mass of the pendulum has no effect on the period.
• The period increases with the length of the string and decreases with greater gravitational
acceleration
Energy Conservation
In an ideal simple pendulum, energy is conserved through the exchange between potential energy
and kinetic energy.
The instantaneous potential energy Ep is determined by the height of the mass:
E p =m. g . h
The kinetic energy Ek is determined by the instantaneous velocity of the mass:
1 2
E k = . m. υ
2
According to the principle of energy conservation, the total energy of the pendulum remains
constant:
Etotal =Ek + E p =constant
A simple pendulum is useful as a timekeeping device because, for small amplitudes, the period is
almost independent of the amplitude. Thus, even as the amplitude of oscillations decreases
slightly over time, a pendulum clock will still maintain nearly accurate time.
a. b.
Figure 9.2 a. Simple Pendulum Experimental Set b. Full-period measurement mode for the
photodetector
EXPERIMENT PROCEDURE
1. Attach the free end of the string, connected to the mass, to the clamp at the top of the
experimental apparatus.
2. Measure the length of the pendulum L , accounting for the radius of the sphere, and
record this in Table 1.
3. Adjust the photodetector (light barrier) to the mode for measuring the complete period of
the pendulum’s oscillation.
4. Hold the mass gently without excessively tightening the string, then release it to make
small oscillations, ensuring that the initial angle does not exceed 5°.
5. For each pendulum length L , record the measured period T and calculate T2.
6. . Plot a graph of T2 – L, ensuring that the slope line and equation of the slope are
displayed.
7. Use the slope of the graph to calculate the gravitational acceleration ⃗g.
8. Compare the experimentally determined gravitational acceleration with the theoretical
value and calculate the percentage error
Table 9.1 Experimental Results and Calculations
⃗gexp
L (m) T (s) Tavg (s) T2avg (s2) Slope Error (%)
(m/s2)