Variable-g Pendulum EX-5519 Page 1 of 4

Variable g Pendulum

Equipment:

INCLUDED:
1 Large Rod Stand ME-8735
1 45 cm Long Steel Rod ME-8736
1 Angle Indicator ME-9495A
1 Adjustable Angle Clamp ME-8744
1 Mini-Rotational Accessory (rod and masses only) CI-6691
1 Rotary Motion Sensor PS-2120
NOT INCLUDED, BUT REQUIRED:
1 850 Universal Interface UI-5000
1 PASCO Capstone UI-5400

Introduction:

This experiment explores the dependence of the period of a simple pendulum on the acceleration
due to gravity.

A simple rigid pendulum consists of a 35-cm long lightweight (28 g) aluminum tube with a 150-
g mass at the end, mounted on a Rotary Motion Sensor. The pendulum is constrained to oscillate
in a plane tilted at an angle from the vertical. This effectively reduces the acceleration due to
gravity because the restoring force is decreased.

Written by Chuck Hunt

Variable-g Pendulum EX-5519 Page 2 of 4

Theory:

A simple pendulum consists of a point mass at a distance L away from a pivot point. In this
experiment, a mass is attached to a lightweight rod and the mass is concentrated enough to
assume it is a point mass and the rod's mass can be neglected.

The period of a simple pendulum is given by

L
T  2 Eq. 1
ag

where ag is the acceleration due to gravity and the approximation becomes exact as the amplitude
of the oscillation goes to zero. We will limit to angles less than 100 (0.17 rad) where assuming
the equality in Equation 1 holds produces an error of a fraction of a percent. Here it is
understood that ag is a constant acceleration that acts in the plane of oscillation.

The pendulum we use is actually a physical pendulum (not a point mass) so Equation 1 is
replaced by the rotational analog

I
T  2 Eq. 2
magr

Where I is the moment of inertia of the system about the fixed axis, m is the mass of the brass
masses (150 g) plus the rod (26 g), and r is the distance from the axis to the center of mass of the
rod plus masses (~31 cm). Note that I, m, & r are all constant and that I/mr must have the units
of length so we may write I/mr = Leff where Leff is the effective length of a simple pendulum that
would behave the same as our physical pendulum. We may then re-write equation 2 in the form
of Equation 1:

Leff
T  2 Eq. 3
ag

We will determine Leff by measuring the period when ag = g = 9.80 m/s2. Then we have

Leff = (T/2)2g Eq. 4

In this experiment, the acceleration ag will be varied by tipping the plane of oscillation of the
pendulum by and angle of  from the vertical. See Figure 1. The component of g that is in the
plane of oscillation is ag where

ag = g cos  Eq. 5

Note that the component of g perpendicular to the plane of oscillation, aperp, is cancelled by forces
in the rod since no motion is allowed in this direction. Putting it all together gives:

Written by Chuck Hunt

Variable-g Pendulum EX-5519 Page 3 of 4

Leff
T  2 Eq. 6
g cos 

aperp = g sin 
ag = g cos  θ

Figure 1: Components of g

Written by Chuck Hunt

Variable-g Pendulum EX-5519 Page 4 of 4

Figure 2:
Attaching the Rod Clamp

Setup:

1. Remove the black thumb screw from the clamp on the Rotary Motion Sensor. See Figure
2. Remove the mobile rod clamp from the Adjustable Angle Clamp. Screw the
Adjustable Angle Clamp onto the Rotary Motion Sensor.
2. Mount the Rotary Motion Sensor on the rod stand (see Figure 3).
3. Attach the Angle Indicator as in Figure 3.
4. Put the pulley on the Rotary Motion Sensor with the largest step outward. Attach the rod
to the Rotary Motion Sensor pulley and put the two 75 g masses on the end of the rod.
5. Plug the Rotary Motion Sensor into a PasPort input on the 850 Universal Interface.
6. Adjust the Adjustable Angle Clamp for an initial angle of 00.
7. With the pendulum at rest, click open Hardware Setup at the left of the screen. In the
bottom right of the Hardware Setup panel, click the Gear icon. De-select Zero Sensor
Measurement at Start by clicking on the checkmark. Click on the Remove Sensor Zero
Offset button. Then click on the Zero Sensor Now button. Click OK. Click Hardware
Setup to close the panel.

Figure 3: Setup

Written by Chuck Hunt

Variable-g Pendulum EX-5519 Page 5 of 4

Procedure:

1. Displace the pendulum from equilibrium (no more than 10 degrees [0.17 rad] amplitude)
and let go. Click RECORD. Let the timer run for 20 seconds and click STOP. Read the
period on the digits display and type the value into the table on the line next to zero
degrees.
2. The oscillations should be symmetric about 0⁰, but the period will not be affected if they
are not symmetric. If they are not symmetric, you can fix it by repeating step 7 of Setup.
3. Increase the angle by 5 degrees and repeat. Continue until the final angle is 850. Note: if
you have set up the Adjustable Angle Clamp as shown in Figs. 2 & 3, then you must
rotate the pulley under the Rotary Motion Sensor for the jam nut on the clamp to work
correctly. See Fig. 4. If you have trouble getting the desired angle and your angle is
slightly off, 29⁰ instead of 30⁰ for example, just change the value in column 1 to 29⁰.

Figure 4: Varying the Angle

Written by Chuck Hunt

Variable-g Pendulum EX-5519 Page 6 of 4

Analysis:

1. Use the zero degree period from the Period as a function of Angle table under the
Procedure tab and Equation 4 from Theory to calculate Leff. Click open the Calculator at
the left of the screen and in line 3, replace the value for Leff (0.332 m) with your value.
2. Click open the Calculator and verify that “T theory” calculated in line 4 agrees with
Equation 6 from Theory. Click the Calculator again to close it.
3. How well does “T theory” agree with the measured Period across the range of angles. If
there is some difference at large angles, what probably causes this? Hint: on the
Procedure page, change the last angle from 85.00 to 84.50 and see how much this changes
the values on the Variable g Pendulum graph.
4. What does this show about Equation 6 from Theory?

Written by Chuck Hunt

Variable-g Pendulum EX-5519 Page 7 of 4

QUESTIONS

1. How does the period depend on the acceleration due to gravity?

2. What do the constants in the curve fit for the Period vs. g data represent? Calculate what
they should be theoretically and compare the theoretical value to the curve fit constants.

3. Would the pendulum be longer or shorter on the Moon?

4. What would the period be if the pendulum had been inclined to 90 degrees? What value
of g does this correspond to?

Written by Chuck Hunt