Experiment A3

Question 1

Set the pendulum swinging, ensuring that the amplitude of oscillation is less than about 5°.
Measure the time for a large number of complete oscillations (about 20) of the pendulum.
- Explain why this is necessary.

Answer 1

It is necessary to measure the time for a large number of complete oscillations, 20, of the pendulum as the more oscillations you measure, the more accurate your result will be for the average oscillation. It also reduces ERROR.

Question 2

This experiment is designed to: (2)

Answer 2

a) determine the acceleration due to gravity;

b) illustrate the use of log graphs.

Question 3

The period, T, (i.e. the time for a complete oscillation) of a simple pendulum depends on its length, 1. For small amplitudes of oscillation (less than about 5°) the relationship is of the form:

Answer 3

T=kl”

Question 4

where the constant & is given in terms of the acceleration due to gravity, g, by : ______, and n is a dimensionless constant.

Answer 4

k = 2π/√g