The formula Potential energy is mass * height and kinetic energy is 1/2*mass*velocity squared. Pendulum Exhibits Periodic Motion. 1. In this related lesson , you will find a derivation of this formula for the period of a simple pendulum that will help you understand the restrictions on its use. Within certain limits, mass does not affect a pendulum's period. The mass that is hanged from the pendulum is constant and 250g for each trial. by Ron Kurtus (revised 18 December 2016) A pendulum consists of a weight suspended on a rod, string or wire. A pendulum is 90 cm long. If the amplitude is limited to small swings, the period T of a simple pendulum, the time taken for a complete cycle, is: Why is pendulum period independent of mass? ...” in Physics if there is no answer or all answers are wrong, use a search bar and try … In a clock's pendulum the bob is often a hanging chunk of lead. Instead, the period is directly affected by the length of the string from which the mass... See full answer below. Regardless of the weight of the pendulum bob, otherwise known as the weight at the end of the string, the deciding factor of the period of the swing is length, as it is the only variable in the stated equation. As with simple harmonic oscillators, the period T for a pendulum is nearly independent of amplitude, especially if … The reason that mass is irrelevant is because although it requires more energy to move the larger mass, the restoring force of the pendulum is apparent on the tangential axis which uses mgsinθ. Reason: The time period of a pendulum doesn’t depend upon the mass. When the weight or bob is moved and let go, the pendulum will swing back and forth in a regular periodic motion.. Therefore, the mass does not affect the period of the pendulum. (It is due to the effect of gravity.) Because the mass of any object does not affect its gravitational acceleration, and gravitational acceleration is what determines the period of a pendulum. See all questions in Simple Harmonic Motion - Pendulums. What are the factors and parameters of pendulum motion? Relevance. Favourite answer. The effect of gravity on the bob results in the periodic motion, and the length of the wire determines the frequency of its swing. What this does is What is the physics behind mass not affecting the period? 56014 views   Privacy Mass. Newton's second law can be used to explain this phenomenon. The really interesting physics behind this formula for the period of a pendulum is that the mass doesn't matter! One factor that does not affect swing rate is the weight of the bob. PART 2 Length and Number of Swings: How does the length affect the number of swings? More From Reference. … As mass increases, so does the force on the pendulum, but acceleration remains the same. In a simple pendulum, with its entire mass concentrated at the end of a string, the period depends on the distance of the mass from the pivot point. As mass increases, so does the force on the pendulum, but acceleration remains the same. Will it make the clock's time fast or slow? 3. Just like the time taken for a object to fall through a height of h, depends on the gravitational acceleration and not the mass, i.e. Clocks work like a pendulum and in this lab we will determine how a pendulum's period and frequency change when you change the mass of the pendulum. As the force increases so does the acceleration and along with gravity are the factors that affect the pendulum swing. 2. Why do you think mass does not effect the time it takes for the pendulum to, Why do you think mass does not effect the time it takes for the, _______________________________________________________________________, As the length of the pendulum _______________________ the number of, For this activity the mass should stay the same but the length, Use the photogate timer and record the period it takes for each, length. As mass increases, so does the force on the pendulum, but acceleration remains the same. For example, starting the bob higher only changes the frequency a little bit. This is because of the conservation of energy. Thank you. (It is due to the effect of gravity.) This preview shows page 3 - 5 out of 5 pages. The higher velocity allows the higher pendulum to complete its swing in about the same amount of time as the lower, even though it has a longer path.The reason this works is that, for small perturbations the additional velocity is almost exactly the amount needed to account for the additional distance. The answer is “NO”. That assumption needs to be valid in the construction of the pendulum. The acceleration due to gravity does not depend upon the mass of the bob. if you drop a sponge ball or you jump yourself, you both will cover height h in the same time (of course neglecting air resistance). This is the approximation I indicated in the "Answer" above. I know from the formula T = 2pi square root (l/g) it doesn't but can somebody give me an qualitative explanation that involves not only the formula but words as well. 1 Answer. Increasing the mass of the bob doesn't affect either the period or the frequency at all. The mass on a pendulum does not affect the swing because force and mass are proportional and when the mass increases so does the force. Because acceleration remains the same, so does the time over which the acceleration occurs. The period is completely independent of other factors, such as mass. Why does mass of the bob not affect the period of the pendulum? Why does a shorter pendulum have a smaller period than a longer pendulum? If you increase the mass of the bob, that is no problem since it makes the above assumption more valid (mass is even more concentrated at the end). Google Classroom Facebook Twitter The rest of the pendulum is as light as possible so that the wire the bob hangs from can be ignored. 1. Notice in the formula that the mass of a simple pendulum's bob does not affect the pendulum's period; it will however affect the tension in the pendulum's string. In practice it does due to air resistance. #T = 2*pi*sqrt(l/g)# (s) affect the period, you are also going to determine how they affect the period. Why does the angle you release the pendulum, not affect the period of the pendulum? Course Hero, Inc. For this activity the mass should stay the same but the length will change each time. $\begingroup$ @NoamChai: It becomes more clear if we add a single word to the final sentence. Simple pendulum review Overview of key terms, equations, and skills for simple pendulums, including how to analyze the forces on the mass. The easiest way to explain is by the kinetic and potential energy. The mass of a pendulum’s bob does not affect the period. Click reset, Next, use the timer (by clicking other tools) and observe the, number of swings the pendulum makes each time you change, Each time you adjust the length, count the number of full swings, Make sure that the pendulum is released at the same position, Write a conclusion on how the length of the pendulum affects the, ________________________________________________________________________. The starting angle does not affect the period of a pendulum. As the force increases so does the acceleration and along with gravity are the factors that affect the pendulum swing. It is independent of the mass of the bob. Because acceleration remains the same, so does the time over which the acceleration occurs. In F = m a, force is directly proportional to mass. assumes that all the mass is concentrated a distance #l# from the pivot. (It is due to the effect of gravity.) Use the photogate timer and record the period it takes for each length. As School for Champions points out, the force of gravity on any falling object is … A pendulum's length affects its period and frequency much more than other variables do. If you do that (or substitute a much lighter bob), you would have to consider that #l# has decreased significantly. Whatever be the mass of bob, it is pulled down with the same acceleration due to gravity. Thus the cause of motion of pendulum is the force of gravity and to be more exact it is due to the acceleration due to gravity. When this period formula is derived from the pendulum equation of motion, the dependence of the mass of the bob cancels out. The three components of a pendulum which you will be studying are: 1) The mass at the end of the string (called the “bob”) – measured in grams. Therefore, the mass does not affect the period of the pendulum. The mass on a pendulum does not affect the swing because force and mass are proportional and when the mass increases so does the force. 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