Mechanics: Simple Pendulum
Timing oscillations to calculate acceleration due to gravity.
STATUS
This lab is in development.
When complete, this will be a guided, step-by-step 3D simulation of the real physics practical. For now, you can read exactly what the simulation will cover below.
What you’ll do
The guided simulation will walk you through these steps in order.
- 01Attach a bob to a string of measured length L (measure from the pivot to the centre of the bob).
- 02Displace the bob by a small angle (less than 10°) and release; time 20 complete oscillations with a stopwatch.
- 03Divide by 20 to get the period T; repeat twice more and take the mean period.
- 04Change the string length and repeat for at least six different lengths.
- 05Plot T² (y-axis) against L (x-axis); the graph should be a straight line through the origin.
- 06Calculate g from the gradient: gradient = 4π²/g, so g = 4π²/gradient.
- 07Compare your value of g with the accepted value (9.81 m/s²) and comment on any discrepancy.