EXPERIMENT 04

AIM

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Determine the value of acceleration due to gravity ‘g’ using Simple Pendulum.

PRACTICAL OUTCOME

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On performing this experiment, student will be able to determine acceleration due to gravity
‘g’ using Simple Pendulum

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ADDITIONAL PRACTICAL OUTCOMES

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On performing this experiment, student will be able to,

 Choose proper Unit System for an object of interest.

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 Define Periodic time, Frequency and Amplitude

 Understand the motion of simple pendulum CH

 Establish relationship between length of pendulum and its periodic time.

 Determine the value ‘g’ using various other types of pendula.

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 Determine the length of second’s pendulum.

APPRATUS AND MATERIAL REQUIRED

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Clamp stand; a split cork; a heavy metallic (brass/iron) spherical bob with a hook; a long,
fine, strong cotton thread/string (about 2.0 m); stop-watch; meter scale, graph paper,
pencil, eraser.
PO

DESCRIPTION OF TIME MEASUING DEVICES

D.

The most common device used for measuring time in a school

laboratory is a stop-watch or a stop-clock (analog). As the
names suggest, these have the provision to start or stop their
working as desired by the experimenter.
K.

(a) Stop-Watch: Analog

A stop-watch is a special kind of watch. It has a multipurpose
knob or button for start/stop/back to zero position. It has two
circular dials, the bigger one for a longer second’s hand and the

Experiment – 03 Force constant (spring constant) by Hooke’s law 1

 other smaller one for a shorter minute’s hand. The second’s dial has 30 equal divisions,
each division representing 0.1 second. Before using a stop-watch you should find its least
count. In one rotation, the seconds hand covers 30 seconds (marked by black colour) then
in the second rotation another 30 seconds are covered (marked by red colour), therefore,
the least count is 0.1 second.

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TA
(b) Stop-Clock
The least count of a stop-watch is generally about 0.1s
as shown in figure 1(b). while that of a stop-clock is 1s,
so for more accurate measurement of time intervals in

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a laboratory, a stop-watch is preferred. Digital stop-
watches are also available now. These watches may be
started by pressing the button and can be stopped by
pressing the same button once again. The lapsed time
interval is directly displayed by the watch.

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TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

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1. Second's pendulum: It is a pendulum which takes precisely one second to move from one
extreme position to other. Thus, its times period is precisely 2 seconds.
2. Simple pendulum: A point mass suspended by an inextensible, mass less string from a
CH
rigid point support. In practice a small heavy spherical bob of high-density material of
radius r, much smaller than the length of the suspension, is suspended by a light, flexible
and strong string/thread supported at the other end firmly with a clamp stand. Fig. E 6.2
is a good approximation to an ideal simple pendulum.
3. Effective length of the pendulum: The distance L between the point of suspension and
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the center of spherical bob (center of gravity), 𝐿𝐿 = 𝑙𝑙 + 𝑟𝑟 + 𝑒𝑒, is also called the effective
length where 𝑙𝑙 is the length of the string from the top of the bob to the hook, 𝑒𝑒, the length
of the hook and 𝑟𝑟 the radius of the bob.
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PRINCIPLE
The simple pendulum executes Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM) as the acceleration of
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the pendulum bob is directly proportional to its displacement from the mean position and
is always directed towards it.
The time period (T) of a simple pendulum for oscillations of small amplitude, is given by
the relation
𝐿𝐿
D.

𝑇𝑇 = 2𝜋𝜋� . . . (1)
𝑔𝑔
where, 𝐿𝐿 is the length of the pendulum, and 𝑔𝑔 is the acceleration due to gravity at the place
K.

of experiment.
Eq. (1) may be rewritten as
4𝜋𝜋2 𝐿𝐿
𝑇𝑇 2 = . . . (2)
𝑔𝑔

Experiment – 03 Force constant (spring constant) by Hooke’s law 2

PROCEDURE
1. Place the clamp stand on the table. Tie the hook, attached to the pendulum bob, to

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one end of the string of about 150 cm in length. Pass the other end of the string
through two half-pieces of a split cork.

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2. Clamp the split cork firmly in the clamp stand such that the line of separation of the
two pieces of the split cork is at right angles to the line OA along which the pendulum
oscillates as shown in figure 2(a).

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C,
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CH
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3. Mark, with a piece of chalk or ink, on the edge of the table a vertical line parallel to
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and just behind the vertical thread OA, the position of the bob at rest. Take care that
the bob hangs vertically (about 2 cm above the floor) beyond the edge of the table so
that it is free to oscillate.
PO

4. Measure the effective length of simple pendulum as shown in figure 2(b).

5. Displace the bob to one side, not more than 15 degrees angular displacement, from
the vertical position OA and then release it gently. In case you find that the stand is
shaky, put some heavy object on its base. Make sure that the bob starts oscillating
D.

in a vertical plane about its rest (or mean) position OA and does not (i) spin about its
own axis, or (ii) move up and down while oscillating, or (iii) revolve in an elliptic path
around its mean position.
K.

6. Keep the pendulum oscillating for some time. After completion of a few oscillations,
start the stop-watch/clock as the thread attached to the pendulum bob just crosses
its mean position (say, from left to right). Count it as zero oscillation.
7. Keep on counting oscillations 1, 2, 3, …, 𝑛𝑛, every time the bob crosses the mean

Experiment – 03 Force constant (spring constant) by Hooke’s law 3

 position OA in the same direction (from left to right). Stop the stop-watch/clock, at
the count n (say, 20 or 25) of oscillations, i.e., just when n oscillations are complete.
For better results, n should be chosen such that the time taken for n oscillations is
50 s or more. Read, the total time (t) taken by the bob for n oscillations. Repeat this

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observation a few times by noting the time for same number (n) of oscillations. Take
the mean of these readings. Compute the time for one oscillation, i.e., the time period
𝑇𝑇 ( = 𝑡𝑡/𝑛𝑛) of the pendulum.

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8. Change the length of the pendulum, by about 10 cm. Repeat the step 6 again for
finding the time (𝑡𝑡) for about 20 oscillations or more for the new length and find the
mean time period. Take 4 or 5 more observations for different lengths of pendulum

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and find mean time period in each case.
9. Record observations in the tabular form with proper units and significant figures.
Take effective length 𝐿𝐿 along x – axis and 𝑇𝑇 2 along y – axis, using the observed values
from Table 1.1, choose suitable scales on these axes to represent 𝐿𝐿 and 𝑇𝑇 2 . Plot a

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graph between 𝐿𝐿 and 𝑇𝑇 2 as shown in Figure (4). Identify the shape of 𝐿𝐿 → 𝑇𝑇 2 graph.

OBSERVATIONS

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 Radius (r) of the pendulum bob (given) 𝑟𝑟 = _________𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐

 Length of the hook (given) 𝑒𝑒 = __________ 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐

CH
 Least count of the meter scale =_______ mm =_______ cm

 Least count of the stop-watch/clock =________ s

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Table 1.1: Measuring the time period T and effective length L of the simple pendulum

Time for (n) oscillations, t Time

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Number of 𝐿𝐿
Length of Effective (s) period,
Sr. Oscillations 𝑡𝑡 𝑇𝑇 2 𝑇𝑇 2
pendulum length
No. counted 𝑇𝑇 = (𝑠𝑠 2 ) (𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐
𝒍𝒍 𝑛𝑛 �𝑠𝑠 2 )
𝐿𝐿 = 𝑙𝑙 + 𝑟𝑟 + 𝑒𝑒 𝑛𝑛 Mean (𝑠𝑠)
𝑡𝑡1 𝑡𝑡2 𝑡𝑡3
𝑡𝑡 (s)
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D.
K.

Experiment – 03 Force constant (spring constant) by Hooke’s law 4

CALCULATION
1. 𝑳𝑳 → 𝑻𝑻𝟐𝟐 𝒈𝒈𝒈𝒈𝒈𝒈𝒈𝒈𝒈𝒈: Plot a graph between 𝐿𝐿 → 𝑇𝑇 2 from observations recorded in Table 1.1,
taking 𝐿𝐿 along x – axis and 𝑇𝑇 2 along y – axis. You will find that the graph is a straight

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line passing through origin as shown in figure (3).

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𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴
𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆 = =−−−−
𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵
∴ 𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆 = ___________

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𝑙𝑙
Now 𝑇𝑇 = 2𝜋𝜋�
𝑔𝑔

4𝜋𝜋 2 𝐿𝐿
∴ 𝑇𝑇 2 =
𝑔𝑔

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4𝜋𝜋 2 𝐿𝐿
∴ 𝑔𝑔 = = 4𝜋𝜋 2 × 𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆 = 4𝜋𝜋 2 × __________
𝑇𝑇 2

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∴ 𝑔𝑔 = ________𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐/𝑠𝑠 2

2. From the table calculate mean value of 𝐿𝐿�𝑇𝑇 2 and find the value of g.

Mean
𝐿𝐿
= ______________
CH
𝑇𝑇 2

4𝜋𝜋 2 𝐿𝐿
𝑔𝑔 = = −−−−
𝑇𝑇 2
TE

∴ 𝑔𝑔 = ________𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐/𝑠𝑠 2
3. From the graph of 𝐿𝐿 → 𝑇𝑇 2 locate the effective length of second's pendulum for 𝑇𝑇 2 = 4𝑠𝑠 2,
At 𝑇𝑇 2 = 4𝑠𝑠 2 ⟹ 𝐿𝐿 = 𝑙𝑙𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑑𝑑′ 𝑠𝑠 𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝 = _____________𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐
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RESULTS
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1) Value of ‘g’ from graph, 𝑔𝑔 = _____________𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐/𝑠𝑠 2

2) Value of ‘g’ from calculation, 𝑔𝑔 = ____________𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐/𝑠𝑠 2
3) The effective length of second's pendulum from 𝑳𝑳 → 𝑻𝑻𝟐𝟐 graph is
𝑙𝑙𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑑𝑑′ 𝑠𝑠 𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝 = _____________𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐.
D.

[Note: The radius of bob may be found from its measured diameter with the help of calipers
by placing the pendulum bob between the two jaws of Vernier calipers, as described in
K.

experiment (1).]

Experiment – 03 Force constant (spring constant) by Hooke’s law 5

PPRECAUTIONS
1) The ruler was carefully viewed from all angles to ensure that it was vertical.
2) A pointer was used to help read the scale on the ruler. The scale had to be viewed

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at eye level to avoid parallax error.
3) Make sure you measure the length of the pendulum from the center (of mass) of

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the bob.
4) Make sure the top edge is well defined- clamp the string between two blocks so it
is clear where the string can move and where it can’t.
5) Make sure the point of suspension should be reasonably rigid - e.g., a clamp stand

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can easily flex and so the top support moves.
6) Make sure you use small amplitudes (less than 10 degrees from the vertical).
7) Make sure you time enough swings such that the total time is sufficient to get the
uncertainty in the timing of a single swing down. (It is the total time that is

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important not the number of swings) Release the pendulum and start timing
counting while it is swinging. Start the clock and say zero (not 1).
8) The thread should be very light and strong.
9) The pendulum should oscillate in the vertical plane without any spin motion.

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10) The floor of the laboratory should not have vibration, which may cause a deviation
from the regular oscillation of the pendulum.
11) The length of the pendulum should be as large as possible in the given situation.
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12) There must not be strong wind blowing during the experiment.

SOURCES OF ERROR
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1) Human errors occur when measuring the period using a stopwatch.

2) The arc angle also introduces errors. As much as possible small angles must be
used.
3) The friction between the swinging bob and the surrounding air is another source of
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error. This can be minimized by using a heavier bob than a lighter bob. The shape
of the bob must be spherical to minimize this friction. The friction of the string and
its pivotal anchor point cannot be eliminated.
4) The precise measurement of the length of the pendulum is difficult to take by using
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meter sticks or rulers.

5) The value of the acceleration due to gravity g in the locality is not constant and
must be obtained from reliable sources.
6) The string may be a bit elastic and so length changes with the load.
7) The pivot point will not be a single fixed point but will swing as well, which increases
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the effective length of the pendulum.

8) The pendulum mass is not a point mass (as there is no such a thing) so there may
be errors in finding it’s center of mass, plus there is some nonzero moment of inertia
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around that center of mass which also changes the pendulum period comparing to
the ideal model. Use compact, concentrated spherical mass.
9) The pendulum formula is only valid for very small swing amplitudes since usually
the formula uses the approximation sin(x) ≈≈ x for very small x. Use smallest

Experiment – 03 Force constant (spring constant) by Hooke’s law 6

 possible angles the air drag adds a dumping force to the pendulum action. If you
use compact mass for the pendulum, this one should also be minimized.
10) The length of thread between the bob and the coins is not measured by very
accurate instruments. Since meter ruler has a large percentage error, as a result,

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it should be replaced by a vernier caliper.
11) The bob started rotating by the impact of the Earth’s revolution. It disturbs the
measurement of counting the oscillation. The experiment should start quickly after

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moving the bob.

DISCUSSION

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1) The accuracy of the result for the length of second's pendulum depends
mainly on the accuracy in measurement of effective length (using meter
scale) and the time period 𝑇𝑇 of the pendulum (using stop-watch). As the time
period appears as 𝑇𝑇 2 in equation (2), a small uncertainty in the measurement

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of 𝑇𝑇 would result in appreciable error in 𝑇𝑇 2 , thereby significantly affecting
the result. A stop-watch with accuracy of 0.1s may be preferred over a less
accurate stop-watch/clock.

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2) Some personal error is always likely to be involved due to stop-watch not
being started or stopped exactly at the instant the bob crosses the mean
position. Take special care that you start and stop the stop-watch at the
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instant when pendulum bob just crosses the mean position in the same
direction.
3) Sometimes air currents may not be completely eliminated. This may result
in conical motion of the bob, instead of its motion in vertical plane. The spin
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or conical motion of the bob may cause a twist in the thread, thereby
affecting the time period. Take special care that the bob, when it is taken to
one side of the rest position, is released very gently.
4) To suspend the bob from the rigid support, use a thin, light, strong, unspun
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cotton thread instead of nylon string. Elasticity of the string is likely to cause
some error in the effective length of the pendulum.
5) The simple pendulum swings to and fro in SHM about the mean, equilibrium
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𝑙𝑙
position. Eq. (1) that expresses the relation between 𝑇𝑇 and 𝐿𝐿 as 𝑇𝑇 = 2𝜋𝜋� ,
𝑔𝑔
holds strictly true for small amplitude or swing θ of the pendulum.
Remember that this relation is based on the assumption that 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 𝜃𝜃 ≈ 𝜃𝜃,
(expressed in radian) holds only for small angular displacement 𝜃𝜃.
D.

6) Buoyancy of air and viscous drag due to air slightly increase the time period
of the pendulum. The effect can be greatly reduced to a large extent by taking
a small, heavy bob of high-density material (such as iron/ steel/brass).
K.

SELF ASSESMENT
1) Two springs A (soft) and B (stiff), loaded with the same mass on their hangers, are

Experiment – 03 Force constant (spring constant) by Hooke’s law 7

 suspended one by one from the same rigid support. They are set into vertical
oscillations at different times, and the time period of their oscillations are noted. In
which spring will the oscillations be slower?
2) Interpret the graphs between 𝐿𝐿 and 𝑇𝑇 2 , and also between 𝐿𝐿 and 𝑇𝑇 that you have

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drawn for a simple pendulum.
3) Examine, using Table 1.1, how the time period T changes as the effective length L

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of a simple pendulum; becomes 2-fold, 4-fold, and so on.
4) How can you determine the value of 'g', acceleration due to gravity, from the 𝑇𝑇 2 → 𝐿𝐿
graph?

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SUGGESTED ADDITIONAL EXPERIMENTS/ACTIVITIES
1) To determine 'g', the acceleration due to gravity, at a given place, from the 𝑇𝑇 2 → 𝐿𝐿
graph, for a simple pendulum.

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2) Studying the effect of size of the bob on the time period of the simple pendulum.
[Hint: With the same experimental set-up, take a few spherical bobs of same
material (density) but of different sizes (diameters). Keep the length of the pendulum

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the same for each case. Clamp the bobs one by one, and starting from a small
angular displacement of about 10°, each time measure the time for 50 oscillations.
Find out the time period of the pendulum using bobs of different sizes. Compensate
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for difference in diameter of the bob by adjusting the length of the thread. Does the
time period depend on the size of the pendulum bob? If yes, see the order in which
the change occurs.]
3) Studying the effect of material (density) of the bob on the time period of the simple
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pendulum. [Hint: With the same experimental set-up, take a few spherical bobs
(balls) of different materials, but of same size. Keep the length of the pendulum the
same for each case. Find out, in each case starting from a small angular
displacement of about 10°, the time period of the pendulum using bobs of different
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materials, Does the time period depend on the material (density) of the pendulum
bob? If yes, see the order in which the change occurs. If not, then do you see an
additional reason to use the pendulum for time measurement.]
4) Studying the effect of mass of the bob on the time period of the simple pendulum.
PO

[Hint: With the same experimental set-up, take a few bobs of different materials
(different masses) but of same size. Keep the length of the pendulum same for each
case. Starting from a small angular displacement of about 10° find out, in each
case, the time period of the pendulum, using bobs of different masses. Does the
time period depend on the mass of the pendulum bob? If yes, then see the order in
D.

which the change occurs. If not, then do you see an additional reason to use the
pendulum as a time measuring device.]
5) Studying the effect of amplitude of oscillation on the time period of the simple
K.

pendulum. [Hint: With the same experimental set-up, keep the mass of the bob and
length of the pendulum fixed. For measuring the angular amplitude, make a large
protractor on the cardboard and have a scale marked on an arc from 0° to 90° in
units of 5°. Fix it on the edge of a table by two drawing pins such that its 0°- line
coincides with the suspension thread of the pendulum at rest. Start the pendulum

Experiment – 03 Force constant (spring constant) by Hooke’s law 8

 oscillating with a very large angular amplitude (say 70°) and find the time period T
of the pendulum. Change the amplitude of oscillation of the bob in small steps of
5° or 10° and determine the time period in each case till the amplitude becomes
small (say 5°). Draw a graph between angular amplitude and T. How does the time
period of the pendulum change with the amplitude of oscillation? How much does

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the value of T for A = 10° differ from that for A= 50° from the graph you have drawn?
Find at what amplitude of oscillation, the time period begins to vary? Determine

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the limit for the pendulum when it ceases to be a simple pendulum.]
6) Studying the effect on time period of a pendulum having a bob of varying mass
(e.g., by filling the hollow bob with sand, sand being drained out in steps) [Hint:

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The change in T, if any, in this experiment will be so small that it will not be possible
to measure it due to the following reasons: The center of gravity (CG) of a hollow
sphere is at the center of the sphere. The length of this simple pendulum will be
same as that of a solid sphere (same size) or that of the hollow sphere filled
completely with sand (solid sphere). Drain out some sand from the sphere. The
situation is as shown in figure (4). The CG of bob now goes down to point say A.

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The effective length of the pendulum increases and therefore the TA increases
(𝑇𝑇𝐴𝐴 > 𝑇𝑇0 ), some more sand is drained out, the CG goes down further to a point B.
The effective length further increases, increasing 𝑇𝑇. The process continues and 𝐿𝐿

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and 𝑇𝑇 change in the same direction (increasing), until finally the entire sand is
drained out. The bob is now a hollow sphere with CG shifting back to center C. The
time period will now become 𝑇𝑇0 again.] CH
VIVA VOCE
1. The period of a simple pendulum is independent of__________
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(a) length of the pendulum

(b) mass of the bob
(c) acceleration due to gravity
(d) diameter of the bob
2. A simple pendulum is kept oscillating in a lift. If the lift starts moving down with
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uniform velocity then the periodic time of the simple pendulum________

(a) will increase
(b) will not change
(c) will decrease
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(d) will be zero

3. The tension in the string of a simple pendulum is maximum, when the bob of the
pendulum___________
(a) is at the extreme position
(b) midway between the mean position and extreme position
D.

(c) is at the mean position

(d) starts oscillating with very large amplitudes
4. If a watch with a wound spring is taken to the moon, it_______
(a) runs faster
K.

(b) runs slower

(c) shows no change
(d) stops working
5. A pendulum clock keeps correct time at 30° latitude taken to poles, then_______

Experiment – 03 Force constant (spring constant) by Hooke’s law 9

 (a) it keeps correct time
(b) its period increases
(c) it loses time
(d) it gains time
6. A spring wrist watch keeps correct time at the equator. If it is taken to poles,

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then__________
(a) it loses time

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(b) it keeps correct time
(c) it gains time
(d) it does not give correct time
7. The period of a simple pendulum will be doubled if________

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(a) its length is increased to four times
(b) the acceleration due to gravity is doubled
(c) the mass of the bob is doubled
(d) the length of the pendulum and mass of the bob are doubled
8. For small amplitudes, the force constant of a simple pendulum_______

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(a) is directly proportional to the acceleration due to gravity
(b) is inversely proportional to the acceleration due to gravity
(c) independent of the mass of the bob and the length of the pendulum
(d) directly proportional to the mass of the bob

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9. The graph of l against T for a simple pendulum is_______
(a) a straight line
(b) a curve CH
(c) an ellipse
(d) a parabola
10. A simple pendulum is attached to the roof of a lift. When the lift is at rest, the
frequency of oscillation of the simple pendulum is 1 Hz. What will be its frequency of
oscillation, in the cable wires controlling the vertical motion of the lift are broken?
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(a) zero
(b) 2 Hz
(c) 1 Hz
(d) infinity
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11. If the mass of the pendulum bob is doubled, the period of a simple pendulum will
(a) Increase
(b) Decrease
(c) Stay the same
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(d) Not enough information

12. If the length of the string is increased, the period of a simple pendulum will
(a) Increase
(b) Decrease
(c) Stay the same
D.

(d) Not enough information

13. If the amplitude is decreased, the period of a simple pendulum will
(a) Increase
(b) Decrease
K.

(c) Stay the same

14. If an astronaut takes a pendulum to the moon (g=1.6N/kg), the period compared to
that on Earth will
(a) Increase

Experiment – 03 Force constant (spring constant) by Hooke’s law 10

 (b) Decrease
(c) Stay the same

ASSESMENT SCHEME

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TA
Sr. Performance Indicators for the Practical Weightage in Total Marks Marks
No. Outcomes % Obtained
1 Prepare of experimental setup 20 2

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2 Operate the equipment setup or circuit 20 2
3 Follow safe practices measures 10 1
4 Record observations correctly 20 2
5 Interpret the result and conclude 30 3

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TOTAL 100 10

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Signature of Teacher: __________________
CH
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D.
K.

Experiment – 03 Force constant (spring constant) by Hooke’s law 11

K.
D.
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TE
CH
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C,
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TA
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