Del Mar

8th Grade Science

Name: Wilder Brooks Date: 9-24-14 Per 1

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 angle will affect the period of

a pendulum by speeding up the bob the period as the angle increases.

Therefore, my independent variable is the angle.
Independent variable = manipulated variable-what I am changing

My dependent variable is time.

Dependent variable = responding variable -what I am measuring

My controlled variables are: the angle of the pendulum

Controlled variables are everything I am keeping the same

Starting Data
Independent Variable

Starting Value

Incremental change

Angle of drop point

130

-20

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

Controlled Variables
Person keeping time

Value
Wilder (me)

Stop time at the end

When it hits 4.5

Experimental Data
Trial

Average time
for 5 swings (s)

The Period (s)

8.87

8.88

1.776

9.17

9.09

9.13

1.826

90

9.69

9.59

9.64

1.928

70

8.69

8.65

8.67

1.734

Time of 5 swings (s)

Independent
variable = angle
130

8.89

110

3
4

Test 1

Test 2

(Average time for 1

swing)

50

8.58

8.46

8.52

1.704

Graph your results- title and label your graph!

Pendulum's Period (sec)

(Whatever your independent variable is, it goes on the

x-axis & the period on the y-axis.) See my download
file: graph in excel. Dont forget units!

The Effect of the Starting Angle on the

Period of the Pendulum
2.5
2
1.928

1.5

1.734

1.704

1.826

1.776

0.5
0
0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Starting Angle (deg)

Analysis
In this lab we needed to test if changing the angle that you drop the bob at would
affect the period of time it swings back and forth known as the oscillation. I hypothesized
that the higher the angle you place and drop the bob at will take more time to swing back
and forth. We tested this by measuring the starting angle by using a protractor on the
side of the string connected to the pipe holding it there opposite from the bob. Once we
found the angle we released the bob at that angle after recording it and counted the
times it swung back and forth 5 times before stopping the clock. In order to make a
better observation on the angle to time relationship we did the same process with five
different angles. To make sure the research was most precise it could be we only
changed the independent variable. To do this we had the same person start and stop the
clock, to get the most precise results we also had the same person drop the bob and
make sure there was nothing in its way to hit or interfere with the data. After all of this
was done and all the data was recorded properly are results show that there was not a
correlation between angle and time of swings. The longest swing time was 90 with
1.927 average per swing while 130 was 1.77 average per swing. And 50 was 1.70
average swing. This is proof that there is no correlation at all in our data. I also talked to
another group doing angle of the string they to did not have a direct correlation but
more so of a correlation than our group slightly. I do believe that our data was mainly
accurate because of the other groups similar results However there may have been slight

errors in the time. Our data also shows that my theory that the higher the angle the more
time it would take was wrong. Overall the angle of the pendulum does not truly have
correlation just slight irrelevant changes.