\

Length of string, Time taken 20 complete oscillations /s Period, T= t/20 /s

l/cm

t1 t2 Mean, t

20.0 17.6 17.5 17.6 0.88

25.0 19.3 19.5 18.4 0.92

30.0 22.1 22.2 22.2 1.11

35.5 24.0 24.2 24.1 1.21

40.0 25.0 25.0 25.0 1.25

45.0 26.9 26.7 26.8 1.34

50.0 28.0 27.9 28.0 1.40

55.0 29.1 29.3 29.2 1.46

60.0 30.8 30.8 30.8 1.54

65.0 32.4 32.2 32.3 1.62

70.0 33.1 33.2 33.2 1.66

T he pendulum is a body suspended from a fixed point
so as to swing freely back and forth under the action
of gravity. Its regular motion has served as the basis
for measurement, as recognized by Galileo. Huygens applied
the principle to clock mechanisms. Other applications include
seismic instrumentation and the use by NASA to measure
the physical properties of space flight payloads. The
underlying equation is at the heart of many problems in
structural dynamics. Structural dynamics deals with the
prediction of a structure’s vibratory motions. Examples
include the smoothness or bounciness of the car you ride in,
the wing motion that you can see if you look out of the
window of an airplane in a bumpy flight, the breaking up of
roads and buildings in an earthquake, and anything else that
crashes, bounces or vibrates. With this pendulum motion as
a point of departure, complex structures can be analyzed.

T he pendulum serves as an illustration of Newton’s

Second Law, which states that for every force there is
an equal and opposite reaction. The simpler
experiments illustrate another of Newton’s laws, namely,
that a body in motion continues in motion unless acted upon
by another force. The pendulum offers an extensive array of
experiments that can be done using easy to obtain,
inexpensive materials. The measurements require no special
skills and equipment. The graphical results of each
experiment are given, and can be compared to the results
calculated from a simple equation if desired.
1. Attach weight to the shortest string, then attach the other end of
the string to a support, such as shown in Figure 1. Measure the
length.

Figure 1

2. Lift the bob (keeping the string taut) so that the string angle
from vertical is about 15 degrees.
3. Let go of the bob without pushing it.
4. note the time when it released, and count the bob’s return for 20
cycles.
5. note the time when the 20th cycle is completed. The period is this
time divided by 20.
6. repeat the measurement several times and take the average
result.
7. Then, repeat the experiment for several lengths ranging from
20.0 cm - 70.0 cm.
8. the readings are recorded in a suitable table.
Length of string, Time taken 20 complete oscillations /s Period, T= t/20 /s
l/cm

t1 t2 Mean, t

20.0 17.6 17.5 17.6 0.88

25.0 19.3 19.5 18.4 0.92

30.0 22.1 22.2 22.2 1.11

35.5 24.0 24.2 24.1 1.21

40.0 25.0 25.0 25.0 1.25

45.0 26.9 26.7 26.8 1.34

50.0 28.0 27.9 28.0 1.40

55.0 29.1 29.3 29.2 1.46

60.0 30.8 30.8 30.8 1.54

65.0 32.4 32.2 32.3 1.62

70.0 33.1 33.2 33.2 1.66

 Graph of period, T/s against length, l/cm
1.8
1.6 1.62 1.66
1.54
1.4 1.4 1.46
1.34
1.2 1.21 1.25
1.11
1
0.88 0.92
T/s

0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
l/cm
Based on the graph obtained, it is clearly proven that :

T
he longer the length of the
string, the longer the time
taken to complete an
oscillations.

or

T
he shorter the length of the
string, the shorter the time
taken to complete an
oscillations.

This conclusions can be made when the mass of the pendulum is kept
constant. By mean that the same mass of pendulum is use in each
experiment although the length of string are varies.