Entry#2

The Period of a Pendulum

Question

Which of the following variables will affect the period of a pendulum the most: the length of the string, the angle of release, or the mass of the object?

Hypothesis

I believe that the length of the string will affect the period of the pendulum the most.

Data Gathering

I used the PhEt Pendulum Lad 2.02 to compete this experiment.

I did a trial for each of the three variables.

First I tested the angle of the pendulum. The two pendulums would have the same length and mass. I set the length at 2 m and the mass at 1kg. These options are on the right side of the screen. I would start the first pendulum at 45 degrees and the second one at 90 degree and see how long it would take to make one period using the photogate timer on the bottom of the screen for each pendulum.

Next, I tested the mass of the pendulum. . The two pendulums would have the same length and angle. I set the length at 2 m and started at a 45 degrees angle. One pendulum would have the mass of 1kg and the second one would have the mass of 2kg. I would see how long it would take to make one period using the photogate timer on the bottom of the screen for each pendulum.

Last, I tested the length. The two pendulums would have the same mass and angle. I set the mass at 1 kg and start at a 45 degrees angle. One pendulum would have the length of 1 m and the second one would have the length of 2 m. I would see how long it would take to make one period using the photogate  timer on the bottom of the screen for each pendulum.

Results

Angle

Angle	45 degree	95 degree
Period	2.9503 seconds	3.3486 seconds

Mass

Mass	1kg	2kg
Period	2.9503 seconds	2.9502 seconds

Length

Length	1 m	2m
Period	2.086 seconds	2.9503 seconds

Conclusion

The length of the pendulum affected the period the most. It had a difference of .8643 seconds for the period with the different lengths. The different angles only had a .3956 second differences in its periods. Surprisingly, the mass only had a .0001 second difference in its periods. My hypothesis that the length would have the most affect on the period of a pendulum was correct.