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Discuss with the students the dynamic of gravity and that it can be
measured doing this simple experiment.
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Talk about safety precautions. Be careful not to hit anyone or knock
anything over with the pendulum. This is an experiment that will be done
together as a class.
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Attach the clamp to the ring stand or other support so that it is
free to hold the string for the pendulum. It is important that the
pendulum suspension be friction free, so the wood blocks or coins are
used to provide a point of suspension for the string. Put the blocks or
coins together with the string in between and sandwich the combination
between the jaws of the clamp.
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Tie the washers to the other end of the string to make a pendulum.
The pendulum should swing freely without hitting anything.
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Measure the length of the pendulum in centimeters from the place
where the string leaves the blocks to the middle of the suspended
washers. This value should be recorded on a piece of paper as length.
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Pull the pendulum away from the vertical at an angle of 15 degrees.
(Use the protractor to check the angle.) Let the pendulum swing from
that angle. With the stopwatch, time how long it takes to make 10
complete back and forth swings. Record this result on the piece of
paper.
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Release the clamp and change the length of the pendulum. Measure and
record this new value for the length. Again bring the pendulum out to 15
degrees, and measure and record the time for 10 complete swings.
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Repeat step 7 three more times for a total of five trials. Each
trial should use a pendulum with a different length.
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To find the period of one swing, divide your time values for 10
swings by 10.
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