Pendulum Lab
Callum H. Olivia B.
Changing Mass
Hypothesis: If we change the mass of a pendulum, the period will change because adding more
mass will change the speed of the pendulum, taking more or less time to complete a full swing.
Variables: Controlled - Length/Amplitude, Manipulated - Mass, Responding - Time/Period
Observations:
Mass (g)
Length (cm)
Amplitude (cm)
Time (s)
Period
100
60
30
15.67
1.567
200
60
30
15.93
1.593
300
60
30
16.15
1.615
Changing Length:
Hypothesis: If we change the length of a pendulum, the period will change because the time it
takes for the pendulum to come back to the same amplitude will change because of the length
of the pendulum.
Variables: Controlled - Mass/Amplitude, Manipulated - Length, Responding - Time/Period
Observations:
Mass (g)
Length (cm)
Amplitude (cm)
Time (s)
Period
200
40
30
13.40
1.340
200
60
30
15.93
1.593
200
95
30
20.41
2.041
Changing Amplitude:
Hypothesis: If we change the amplitude of a pendulum, the period will change because of the
time difference that it will take the pendulum to reach its original height position.
Variables: Controlled - Mass/Length, Manipulated - Amplitude, Responding - Time/Period
Observations:
Mass (g)
Length (cm)
Amplitude (cm)
Time (s)
Period
200
60
25
15.90
1.590
200
60
30
15.93
1.593
200
60
35
16.47
1.647
Analysis:
If the manipulated variable does not have an affect on the period then all the periods would be
the same. The differences would have to be rather large to see any difference in the periods. To
account for human error you have to give a 1-2 result leeway but when doing this you can see
that in theory the period does not change in a significant matter.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, anything can change the period of a pendulum. Big changes from the previous
observation will change the period drastically, but small changes will only affect the period in a
minor way. This could be human error, but from our observations, anything can affect the
period, even in the slightest way.