Vyshnavi Anura

Circular Motion Practical

Aim
To examine the influence of a mass on the orbital velocity of a bob

Hypothesis
As the mass on the end of the string increases, the period will increase and hence the orbital velocity of the bob will
decrease..

Equipment
- Stopwatch
- Mass balance
- Pipe
- Mass
- Bob
- String

Method
1. Setup apparatus as shown with 50g mass
2. Weigh the mass of the bob
3. Swing the bob in an orbital motion so that it’s moving at a constant speed
4. Record the time for 10 revolutions by multiple observers
5. Mass of the bob was increased by 25 g
6. Repeat steps 3-5

Results
50g 75g 100g 125g 150g 200g
Trial 1 (s) 11.91 11.44 8.4 8.07 7.5 7.25
Trial 2 (s) 11.1 12.41 9.12 8.87 8.37 8.37
Trial 3 (s) 10.68 11.35 8.14 8.34 7.56 7.47
Trial 4(s) 11.51 11.92 9.19 8.32 8.44 8.07
Trial 5 (s) 10.91 12.28 9.44 9.06 8.32 7.91
Trial 6 (s) 11.87 12.28 9.75 9.13 8.35 8.16
Trial 7 (s) 11.65 12.3 9.2 8.25 8.22 6.72
Trial 8 (s) 11.5 12.5 7.56 7.68
Trial 9 (s) 12.5
Average Time 1.139125 1.210888889 0.903428571 0.857714286 0.804 0.770375
for 1 full
revolution (s)
Orbital Velocity 5.95706365 5.60401552 7.511208242 7.911539128 8.440099666 8.808489543
ms-1

Discussion
Every trial, the mass was increased. Hence we can conclude that the hypothesis was incorrect as orbital velocity
increases when the mass of the bob increases.

From the table we can gather that as the bob’s mass increases, so too does the orbital velocity. This is shown
through the equation:

mv2
F c=
r
 Vyshnavi Anura
The “r” (radius of orbit) and “m” (mass of bob) were kept constant in each trial. Hence, there exists a proportional
relationship between centripetal force and orbital velocity. Thus, increasing the velocity can be accounted for by
increasing the centripetal force.

The force of Tension (T) in the string is the same in magnitude at every point on the string, and is also equivalent to
the centripetal force on the bob (as it is the only force contributing to it, so F T = FC ) Therefore, Tension in the string is
affected by the weight force acting on the mass. Thus, an increase in mass causes an increase in weight force, as
reflected by an increase in tension of the string. Ultimately, the orbital velocity of the bob increases.

Reliability: The experiment can be considered fairly reliable as many trials were conducted and the measurements
were taken of the period for ten revolutions, determined by multiple observers. Reliability could be improved by
repeating the experiment multiple times and utilising the results of the average of these times.

Validity: Many sources of error may have affected the validity of the experiment, particularly in keeping all variables
constant. Firstly, the radius of the orbit may have been affected as the bob may have not been kept completely
horizontal. To reduce this error, the same person swung the bob each time, so the angle of depression was kept to a
minimum. The radius of the orbit may have changed and varied as it moved in the pipe, thus varying the length of
the string. This error was minimised by marking the string and ensuring the radius was kept as close as possible.
Further

Accuracy: There were few problems associated with the accuracy of the experiment. Human reaction time could also
have affected the results of this experiment, hence, multiple results were obtained by multiple observers. This
source of error may be improved by using an automated method of recording the time, such as a motion sensor,
which will not be affected by human reaction time.

Conclusion
Hence, the result of this experiment demonstrate that the orbital velocity of the bob can be increased by increasing
the mass at the end of the string.