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

A simple rigid pendulum consists of a 35 cm long lightweight aluminum tube with masses 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.

PASCO Advantage: The rigid pendulum can be assumed to be a simple pendulum: the actual period is approximately 99% of the period of a simple pendulum of the same length.

Concepts

• Period of a simple pendulum
• Effect of decreasing “g” on the pendulum period
• Large amplitude period
• Shape of displacement, velocity, and acceleration curves for large amplitude