Pate Sanders, Alexander Weinstock Pendulum LabJanuary 29, 2010 Purpose of Experiment The purpose of this experiment was to find out what forces acting on a Pendulum during its swing will affect the time of the swing.During the procedure, we tested mass, length of string, and angle. Hypothesis From doing this experiment, we wanted to find out which variable (mass/length of string/angle) would affect the Pendulum swing the most. We feel that a longer length of string will increase the duration of the swing. We also think that a greater angle of swing will result in a longer duration, but we do not think that mass will affect duration. Set Up Pendulum in motion  1. Procure supplies, including calculator, ruler, protractor, weights of 200g, 100g, and 10g, string, and, of course, pendulum. 2. We started by testing angle, keeping the mass and length constant. 3. Then, we changed the mass, keeping the length and angle constant. 4. Lastly, we changed the length of string, keeping the mass and angle constant. Data
Analysis For this project,we needed to find out which variables affected the length of a pendulum swing the most ( string length, mass, or angle of release). Based on our data, we concluded that the clear variable that determines the change is the length of string. As our data tables showed, the biggest change in time was that of when the length of string was changed. Before starting the experiment, we guessed which variable would change the outcome the most, and our initial reaction was the string. We thought this because we knew that it takes a shorter time to go a shorter distance at the same speed that it takes a longer time to go a longer distance. Basically, if the string was shorter it would have less far to travel, therefore taking less time than a longer string would. Our guesses turned out to be right, culminating in a successful completion of this lab. Experimental Error One probable source of experimental error could be not putting the weight at the right angle each time of the launch. This could affect the time of the pendulum's swing. Another experimental error could be that the string is not at a perfectly straight angle. This could cause the pendulum to swing out of control throwing data off course. Summary We hypothesized that length of string and angle would affect period length, but that mass wouldn't. We turned out to be right about the length of string affecting the amount of time, but wrong about the angle, which had no real effect on the length. It seems like we had a fairly low error percentage, around 5%, and overall I would say that the data we garnered and the experiment overall was fairly successful. |
Although the title welcomed me into what i thought to be a magical place wonder, i was slightly disappointed by missing graphs and lack of an analysis. These are two very important parts of the lab that I'm sure you will complete as soon as possible. Despite these missing pieces the site looks well put together and sophisticated. Good job guys.
I think that the creativeness of the title will draw in many readers,but I would have to agree with Chris and say I was a little disappointed. The picture is blurry and the the analysis, summary, and experimental error are concise and i feel that you two could have gone in depth a little more. But i do like the order in which the information was presented.
The color scheme and layout is very good however the missing graphs make it hard to understand the experiment. Good job but maybe focus on the data more than the layout.