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Method:
1. Hold the pendulum bob to one side of the SmartEye sensor.
2. Release the pendulum and allow the pendulum to swing a minimum of 10 times.
3. Note the time period.
4. Repeat for various length of pendulum.
5. When fi nished the results can be printed, saved or transferred to a spreadsheet for more analysis.
Note: Make sure that the pendulum only swings a small amount to prevent the premature degradation of the time period.
If you obtain some strange results, this can usually be attributed to a false trigger of the light ‘gate’. This can happen if a hand or
other object inadvertently passes through the gate. You can also get false triggers if the ambient light changes suddenly, for
example bright sunlight falling on the sensor part way through an experiment.
Results:
What effect does the change in length of a pendulum have on the time period?
What variables might affect the time period?
Why are the oscillations kept small?
What factors do you think may have contributed to any incorrect results?
What would you do to improve the accuracy of the experiment?
Was it a fair test?
Going further:
What effect does adding mass have on the time period?
Pupils could test the relationship T = 2
π
√
(l/g) for a simple
pendulum.
Investigate the time period of a spring. How might they differ?
Physics