Vyshnavi Anura

Circular Motion Practical

Aim
To examine the influence of a mass on the orbital velocity of a bob

Hypothesis
As the mass on the end of the string increases, the period will increase and hence the orbital velocity of the bob will decrease..

Equipment
Stopwatch Mass balance Pipe Mass Bob String

Method
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Setup apparatus as shown with 50g mass Weigh the mass of the bob Swing the bob in an orbital motion so that its moving at a constant speed Record the time for 10 revolutions by multiple observers Mass of the bob was increased by 25 g Repeat steps 3-5

Results
50g Trial 1 (s) Trial 2 (s) Trial 3 (s) Trial 4(s) Trial 5 (s) Trial 6 (s) Trial 7 (s) Trial 8 (s) Trial 9 (s) Average Time for 1.139125 1 full revolution (s) Orbital Velocity ms-1 11.91 11.1 10.68 11.51 10.91 11.87 11.65 11.5 75g 11.44 12.41 11.35 11.92 12.28 12.28 12.3 12.5 12.5 1.210888889 0.903428571 0.857714286 0.804 0.770375 100g 8.4 9.12 8.14 9.19 9.44 9.75 9.2 125g 8.07 8.87 8.34 8.32 9.06 9.13 8.25 150g 7.5 8.37 7.56 8.44 8.32 8.35 8.22 7.56 200g 7.25 8.37 7.47 8.07 7.91 8.16 6.72 7.68

5.95706365 5.60401552

7.511208242

7.911539128

8.440099666

8.808489543

Vyshnavi Anura

Discussion
Every trial, the mass was increased. Hence we can conclude that the hypothesis was incorrect as orbital velocity increases when the mass of the bob increases. From the table we can gather that as the bobs mass increases, so too does the orbital velocity. This is shown through the equation:

The r (radius of orbit) and m (mass of bob) were kept constant in each trial. Hence, there exists a proportional relationship between centripetal force and orbital velocity. Thus, increasing the velocity can be accounted for by increasing the centripetal force. The force of Tension (T) in the string is the same in magnitude at every point on the string, and is also equivalent to the centripetal force on the bob (as it is the only force contributing to it, so FT = FC ) Therefore, Tension in the string is affected by the weight force acting on the mass. Thus, an increase in mass causes an increase in weight force, as reflected by an increase in tension of the string. Ultimately, the orbital velocity of the bob increases. Reliability: The experiment can be considered fairly reliable as many trials were conducted and the measurements were taken of the period for ten revolutions, determined by multiple observers. Reliability could be improved by repeating the experiment multiple times and utilising the results of the average of these times. Validity: Many sources of error may have affected the validity of the experiment, particularly in keeping all variables constant. Firstly, the radius of the orbit may have been affected as the bob may have not been kept completely horizontal. To reduce this error, the same person swung the bob each time, so the angle of depression was kept to a minimum. The radius of the orbit may have changed and varied as it moved in the pipe, thus varying the length of the string. This error was minimised by marking the string and ensuring the radius was kept as close as possible. Further Accuracy: There were few problems associated with the accuracy of the experiment. Human reaction time could also have affected the results of this experiment, hence, multiple results were obtained by multiple observers. This source of error may be improved by using an automated method of recording the time, such as a motion sensor, which will not be affected by human reaction time.

Conclusion
Hence, the result of this experiment demonstrate that the orbital velocity of the bob can be increased by increasing the mass at the end of the string.