The Simple Pendulum Experiment

Purpose: study the motion of a simple pendulum – a pendulum with a small angle of swing (~20 degrees from the vertical).

Equipment: pendulum support (e.g. edge of table, clamp); various lengths of string; various masses (anything that can be attached to bottom of string, e.g. washers, weights); stop watch.

Procedure: the period is the time for one full swing (let go, let come back to starting point). Study what happens to the period when you

1. Change the weight (keeping the length the same)
2. Change the length of the string (keeping the #washers the same)

To measure the period more accurately, time 10 swings and divide by 10.
Chart your data!
Discuss conclusions
Discuss sources of error.
Here are a few videos in case you need further direction: