This program shows the motion of a simple pendulum.
You can use it to investigate the relationship between the length of a pendulum and its period of oscillation.
You can use the computer to draw a graph of period against length, then analyse your results to find the relationship between them. You can also determine g, the acceleration of gravity.
Heading: Displaying the data.
The computer measures the time of each swing of the pendulum. After each measurement, it updates the table at the top right of the screen.
* "Length of pendulum L" is the length in metres.
* "Number of measurements" is the number of times it has measured the period for length L.
* "This measurement" is the time of the last swing measured by the computer.
* "Mean" is the mean value of the measurements for length L.
* "SD" is the standard deviation of the measurements (the spread of results).
Every measurement is different because it is impossible to measure anything with complete accuracy. However, the Mean value gets more accurate if you make more measurements, and the SD decreases.
The computer also plots the points on the graph.
Heading: Changing the length of the pendulum.
Move the mouse along the "Length" axis of the graph until the "Trial length" equals the new length you require. Then click the Select button, and the length is changed. Lengths from 0.1m to 1.25m are allowed.
Heading: Collecting data
To get a graph of Period against Length, you select a length, wait until the uncertainty in Period is small (about 10 swings should be enough). Choose another length, and so on.
