Materials Needed For
Content
Materials Needed For “Galileo’s Pendulum” Lab
Yard stick Metal Bob (nut) Twine (at least 70cm worth) Weight (backpack will work as a good weight) Pencil Paper
Introduction
Galileo’s pendulum was very important because it was the only device that could tell time back when Galileo was alive. Later on, using his idea some scientists saw how it worked like a time teller and they made an early version of the modern clock. In the present time we now know they were not only useful for telling time but Galileo had not only invented a machine that could tell time, but he had created a device that was used for navigation on all seafaring vessels. So when Galileo discovered the pendulum, not only did he change the way we see time but he changed the way all ships would travel for years to come.
Methods We set up a metal rod and held over a table about halfway and then held it down with our backpacks and textbooks. We tied a string (66cm long) to the end of the rod and then tied a metal bob to the end of the string. We then held yard sticks on either side of the rod, to measure the start and end heights. We dropped the bob from start heights 30, 50, and 70cm, then when the pendulum swung to the other yard stick we measured its apex and recorded it on our data sheet.
Analysis Our results showed what I expected; as we increased the height of the bob drop the weight had a wider swing. And if it had a swing from a lower height like 30 cm it wouldn’t have swung as far. It kept doing that as we moved up through the 30, 50, and 70 cm drops.
Conclusion Our hypothesis supports our results; it stated that if the drop height was higher the swing would go farther and if the drop height was lower than the swing would go farther. This is exactly what happened in the actual experiment. For example when we dropped it from 30cm it averaged around a 25 cm end height, but when we dropped it from a 70cm start height we recorded an average of about 63cm thus when the drop height is higher the end height will be higher. One error that I think we made is that the measurement for the end height of the bob was a little off. Because my lab partner was only measuring the end height of the bob by sight it was not a completely correct measurement. We could eliminate that by finding some way to measure it correctly, like if we held out a pencil when the bob reached its apex to stop the string from falling back again, then we could find a more accurate measurement.
Yard stick Metal Bob (nut) Twine (at least 70cm worth) Weight (backpack will work as a good weight) Pencil Paper
Introduction
Galileo’s pendulum was very important because it was the only device that could tell time back when Galileo was alive. Later on, using his idea some scientists saw how it worked like a time teller and they made an early version of the modern clock. In the present time we now know they were not only useful for telling time but Galileo had not only invented a machine that could tell time, but he had created a device that was used for navigation on all seafaring vessels. So when Galileo discovered the pendulum, not only did he change the way we see time but he changed the way all ships would travel for years to come.
Methods We set up a metal rod and held over a table about halfway and then held it down with our backpacks and textbooks. We tied a string (66cm long) to the end of the rod and then tied a metal bob to the end of the string. We then held yard sticks on either side of the rod, to measure the start and end heights. We dropped the bob from start heights 30, 50, and 70cm, then when the pendulum swung to the other yard stick we measured its apex and recorded it on our data sheet.
Analysis Our results showed what I expected; as we increased the height of the bob drop the weight had a wider swing. And if it had a swing from a lower height like 30 cm it wouldn’t have swung as far. It kept doing that as we moved up through the 30, 50, and 70 cm drops.
Conclusion Our hypothesis supports our results; it stated that if the drop height was higher the swing would go farther and if the drop height was lower than the swing would go farther. This is exactly what happened in the actual experiment. For example when we dropped it from 30cm it averaged around a 25 cm end height, but when we dropped it from a 70cm start height we recorded an average of about 63cm thus when the drop height is higher the end height will be higher. One error that I think we made is that the measurement for the end height of the bob was a little off. Because my lab partner was only measuring the end height of the bob by sight it was not a completely correct measurement. We could eliminate that by finding some way to measure it correctly, like if we held out a pencil when the bob reached its apex to stop the string from falling back again, then we could find a more accurate measurement.
