Calculating g with a Pendulum
Purpose: Calculate the focre of gravity, g, by using the period and varying distances on a pendulum.
Materials:
Photogate
Calculator
Meter stick
c clamp
block of wood
putty
paper clip
ring stand
Procedure:
Hang meter stick off of paper clip that is secured onto the wood block and the table. Use varying distances to put the meter stick on from the center of mass. When you change the distances, record each separately with 5 swings within the photogate that should be hooked up to the calculator. Record the T (period value) for each distance.
Data Analysis:
Linearize data and graph according to calculated linearization.
Conclusion:
The calculated acceleration due to gravity was less than the actual acceleration on Earth. The percentage error was about 18%. There was an outlier in the data, and this may have been a great source of error. Since the procedure was crude, it could also be a large source of error. There may have been extraneous sources of friction, or abnormalities due to the photogate not being positioned directly under the meter stick at the beginning of the time period.
Materials:
Photogate
Calculator
Meter stick
c clamp
block of wood
putty
paper clip
ring stand
Procedure:
Hang meter stick off of paper clip that is secured onto the wood block and the table. Use varying distances to put the meter stick on from the center of mass. When you change the distances, record each separately with 5 swings within the photogate that should be hooked up to the calculator. Record the T (period value) for each distance.
Data Analysis:
Linearize data and graph according to calculated linearization.
Conclusion:
The calculated acceleration due to gravity was less than the actual acceleration on Earth. The percentage error was about 18%. There was an outlier in the data, and this may have been a great source of error. Since the procedure was crude, it could also be a large source of error. There may have been extraneous sources of friction, or abnormalities due to the photogate not being positioned directly under the meter stick at the beginning of the time period.
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