Del Mar

8th Grade Science

10/6/14 5

Ely Selden

Goals - To develop the skills of a scientist

by reviewing the scientific method.

graphing with independent variable as x axis, and dependent variable
as y axis
Introducing accuracy, reproducibility and significant figures

Problem

What affects the period of a pendulum?

period = the time a pendulum swings back and forth once

Materials

stand, string, washers, big paperclips, rulers, stop watch

Hypothesis
I think that the weight of Bob will affect the period of

a pendulum by having a faster period as the weight increases.

Therefore, my independent variable is Bobs weight.

Independent variable = manipulated variable-what I am changing

My dependent variable is the speed of the period.

Dependent variable = responding variable -what I am measuring

My controlled variables are: The length of the string and the

drop

Controlled variables are everything I am keeping the same

Starting Data
Independent
Variable

Starting Value

Incremental change

Weight of Bob

14g

14g

Dependent variable = the period of the pendulum (swing time)

Controlled Variables

Value

String length

46.2cm

Drop height

51 cm

Experimental Data
Trial

Average time
for 5 swings
(s)

The Period (s)

4.58
seconds
3.985

4.44

0.888

3.935

0.787

3.861

3.8275

0.7655

3.827

3.78

3.8035

0.7607

3.695

3.766

3.7305

0.7461

Independent
variable =
Weight

Time of 5 swings
(s)

14g

28g

42g

4.3
seconds
3.885
second
3.794

56g

70g

Test 1

Test

(Average time
for 1 swing)

Period Length: Weight of Bob

4.6
4.4

4.44

4.2
4
Time of 5 Swings (Seconds) 3.8
3.6

3.94
3.833.8

3.73

3.4
3.2
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Weight of Bob (Grams)

The period of a pendulum is the time it takes it to swing back and forth
once. In this lab we measure the period of a pendulum when we added weight to
the pendulum. Our hypothesis was that the speed of the period would increase
the more weight we added. We timed the pendulum to swing five times twice, and
then we put another weight on the bob. We kept our control variables, the length
of the string and the drop height of the bob, the same throughout the experiment
so that our data would stay as consistent as possible. In the lab, we got a wide
variety of data with the different weights on the bob. First we got 4.44 seconds for
a 14-gram bob. After that, we got 3.935 for a 28-gram pendulum, 3.8275 for a 42gram bob, and 3.8035 for a 56-gram bob. Finally, we got 3.7305 for a bob that
weighed 70 grams. We got a negative slope on our graph because as the weight
got bigger, the time the pendulum took to take five swings was shorter and

shorter, which supported my hypothesis completely. Most of the other groups in

the class had noticeable, like our group, but they mostly had a positive slope. Our
graph looked different from a lot of the other graphs because we put in our data
differently. I believe that the mail thing that affects the pendulum is gravity
because, without it, the pendulum would not swing. Of the three factors that we
tested on in the lab, I thing that the drop height of the bob would affect the period
the most because in controls the acceleration and the velocity of the pendulum
more that the other three. Some of the things that could have changed my data
were the friction of the pendulum and the air drag because they both slow down
the pendulum, making the period longer. In conclusion, a pendulum is affected by
three different things, the drop height, the weight of the bob, and the length of
the string, and the drop height of the bob affects the period the most.