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IB Physics HL Internal Assessment:

The Relationship Between a Pendulums Length and its Period of Oscillation

Design an experiment that emphasizes the factors that influence the period of oscillation of a
pendulum.

Examination session: May 2015

School name: Mark Twain International School, Bucharest
School Code: 002707
Teacher: Mrs. Mihaela Tinca UDRISTIOIU
Date: November 17, 2014
Course: IB Physics HL
Word count: 897
Name: Andrei Calin BADEA
Candidate session number: 002707-0002

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Research question
How does a pendulums period of oscillation depend on its mass and length?

Background information
Mass is the physical property of an object that determines the resistance it produces when
accelerated by a force. It is measured in kilograms, and is one of the seven base units of the
International System of Units. ("Mass and Weight", n.d.)
Length can be defined as being any quantity that represents a dimensional distance
measurement. It is measured in meters, which is the distance traveled by light in vacuum in an
interval of approximately 3.33 10-9 seconds. ("Base unit definitions: Meter", n.d.)
The period of oscillation of a pendulum executing simple harmonic motion (at angles
smaller than 5) is given by the following formula:
T =2

L
g

Where T is the period in seconds, L is the length of the pendulum, and g is the
gravitational acceleration due to gravity.

Hypothesis
According to the formula for the period of oscillation, during this experiment, a direct
proportionality relationship between T and

L should be observed. Changing the mass of the

pendulum should not affect the period of oscillation.

Variables
-Independent: -Pendulum length
-Dependent:

-Period of oscillation

-Controlled:

-Gravitational acceleration (9.81 ms-2),

-Mass of pendulum (was not changed during this experiment, the same
mass was used)
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-Air resistance (controlled by using the same shaped mass, therefore it had
the same air resistance)

Materials
-Scissors (Used to cut the string to different lengths)
-String (2m)
-Metal Support
-Ruler
-Tape
-Mass (100g)
-Stopwatch

Figure 1: Experiment design and materials used

3

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Procedure
1. All the materials were gathered.
2. The pendulum support was set up at 1.3 m above the ground.
3. The string was attached to the support in a V shape, to restrict the pendulum to a two
dimensional motion.
4. The attached ends were fixed using tape to stop them from sliding towards the center
of the support.
5. A mass of 100g was attached to the string. The length from the mas to the support was
taken as 120cm.
6. The mass was given a slight impulse so that the angle of oscillation was under 5.
7. The amount of time necessary for the pendulum to complete 14 periods was measured
using the stopwatch.
8. The measurement was repeated three times for the 120cm length.
9. The length from the mass to the support was changed by cutting the string. Steps 6 to 8
were repeated for the lengths of 105cm, 98cm, 91cm, 83cm, 76cm, 67cm and 60cm.
10. The data was collected and processed.

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Data collection and processing

Table 1: Period of oscillation for each length between support and mass
Length (cm)
1

Number of
Oscillation
s

120

111

105

98

91
14
83

76

67

60

Time necessary for 14

oscillations (s) 1
30.45
30.89
30.59
29.11
29.03
29.34
28.65
28.55
28.51
27.64
27.64
27.84
26.72
26.64
26.51
25.35
25.28
25.42
24.43
24.22
24.24
22.91
23.09
22.83
21.51
21.63
21.62

Average Time
(s)

Period of one
oscillation (s)

30.643.26%

2.193.26%

29.163.43%

2.083.43%

28.573.50%

2.043.50%

27.713.61%

1.983.61%

26.623.76%

1.903.76%

25.353.94%

1.813.94%

24.304.12%

1.744.12%

22.944.36%

1.644.36%

21.594.63%

1.544.63%

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Graph 1: Period of oscillation in function of the length from support to mass

2.3
2.2
2.1
2
1.9
Period of oscillation (s)

1.8
1.7
1.6
1.5
1.4
120

111

105

98

91

83

76

67

60

Length from support to mass (cm)

Table 2: Comparison of experimental value and theoretical value of the period of oscillation
Pendulum length
(m) 0.01
1.20
1.11
1.05
0.98
0.91
0.83
0.76
0.67
0.60

Period experimental
value (s)
2.19 3.26%
2.08 3.43%
2.04 3.50%
1.98 3.61%
1.90 3.76%
1.81 3.94%
1.74 4.12%
1.64 4.36%
1.54 4.63%

Period theoretical
value (s)
2.20
2.11
2.06
1.99
1.91
1.83
1.75
1.64
1.55

Difference between experimental and

theoretical value (s)
-0.01
-0.03
-0.02
-0.01
-0.01
-0.02
-0.01
0
-0.01

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Graph 2: Length from support to mass L in function of the square of the period of
oscillation (T2)
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The period of oscillation squared ( T2 )

0
0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.1

1.2

1.3

Length from support to mass (L) in meters (m)

Analysis
In the experiment, the relationship between the length of the pendulum and the period of
oscillation was observed. As seen in Table 1 and Graph 2, a decrease in the length of the
pendulum determined a decrease in the square root of the period of oscillation, as predicted by
the hypothesis.
In Table 2, the theoretical value of the period of oscillation calculated by the formula
T =2

L
g

was compared to the experimental values obtained. The error was well within

limits, and the measurements were surprisingly accurate.

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Evaluation and Conclusion

The hypothesis, as mentioned above, has been validated. The obtained results are in the
range of the theoretical results. A relationship of direct proportionality can be observed in Graph
2 between the square of the period of oscillation (T2) and the distance between the mass and the
support (L). The line of the graph obtained passes through the origin of the axes (0,0), fact which
supports and proves the hypothesis.
If this experiment were to be repeated, many aspects of it could be improved, like using a
more competent chronometer, as the period of oscillation had to be measured manually using a
hand chronometer. Furthermore, the error range could have been restrained even more if more
accurate instruments were used, which would measure the length digitally, thus minimizing
human error.
As seen in table 2, the errors obtained were all negative, being systematic. This could be
due to the air resistance slowing the pendulum down. A potential solution to this problem could
be repeating the experiment in a vacuum, where air resistance would be eliminated.

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References
Mass and Weight. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2014, from http://hyperphysics.phyastr.gsu.edu/hbase/mass.html
Base unit definitions: Meter. (n.d.). Retrieved May 24, 2014, from
http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/meter.html