Tittle

Determination of gravitational acceleration

Objectives

- To determine the value of gravitational acceleration, g .

- To determine the relationship between length of the spring and time taken for
complete 30 swings of the pendulum.
- To determine the relationship between elongation of spring and time taken for
complete 30 oscillation.

Introduction

Simple Harmonic Motion definition The simplest type of harmonic motion i.e. of
constant amplitude and single frequency whose acceleration is always directed
towards the mean position and is directly proportional to the displacement from the
mean position is called simple harmonic motion. In simple harmonic motion,
Acceleration ἀ displacement Or, acceleration = – k x displacement where k is a
constant and the negative sign shows that acceleration is directed in opposite direction
to the motion of the object. Examples of simple harmonic motion: motion of simple
pendulum, motion of helical spring, etc

Theory

Objects can oscillate in all sorts of ways but a really important form of oscillation is
SHM or Simple Harmonic Motion. An object is undergoing simple harmonic motion
(SHM) if;

-The acceleration of the object is directly proportional to its displacement from its
equilibrium position.
- The acceleration is always directed towards the equilibrium position.

The frequency (f) of an oscillation is measure in hertz (Hz) it is the number of

oscillations per second. The time for one oscillation is called the period (T) it is
measured in seconds

Apparatus
1. Retort stand.
2. Ruler.
3. Loads.
4. Spring.
5. Clamp.

Procedure

Section A

1.The experiment apparatus was setup as intended. A mass-spring system was

assembled
2. Load was hanged on the end of the spring to measure the length of the spring.
3. The spring was pulled downwards and released.
4. Time was taken for 30 complete oscillations.
5. The load was increased gradually. Steps 3 and 4 were repeated.
6. The collected data were tabulated.

Section B

1.The experiment apparatus was setup as intended. A pendulum system was

assembled.
2. The length of the string was determined and tied to the end of a jig.
3.An angle was set before swinging the pendulum. The same angle was used
throughout the experiment.
4.The pendulum was swung. The time taken for 30 complete oscillations were
recorded.
5. The length of the string was decreased gradually.
6. Steps 3 to 5 were repeated.
7. The collected data were tabulated.