Chelsea Zhang

P4 11/7/17
Centripetal Force Lab

I. Objective: To verify the relationship between centripetal force, mass, and velocity in a
whirling object.
II. Hypothesis: Through the results of this experiment, we will be able to algebraically determine
and see the relationship between centripetal force, mass, and velocity.
III. Materials:
o glass tube (15 cm long, 1 cm wide, wrapped in masking tape)
o nylon cord (1.5 m)
o several 2-hole rubber stoppers in diff. sizes
o 100 g mass
o 200 g mass (2)
o stopwatch
o meter stick
o paper clip
IV. Procedure:
1. Tie one end of the nylon cord to the rubber stopper
2. Pull the other end through the glass tube and attach a 100 g mass
3. Adjust so the length between the rubber stopper and the tube is 0.75 m
4. Attach a paper clip to the cord below the tube
5. Spin the stopper in a circular motion and slowly release/adjust the speed so that
the paperclip stays below the tube
6. Repeat until comfortable
7. Measure the time required for 20 revolutions
8. Place the apparatus on the lab table and measure the distance from the center of
the tube to the center of the rubber stopper
9. Record the distance and mass
10. Repeat for trials 2-4 with increasing mass
11. Repeat for trials 5-8 with different radiuses (0.5-1.0 m)
12. Repeat for trials 9-12 with a 1.0 radius and 200g, but different rubber stopper
sizes
13. Record centripetal mass, time for 20 revolutions, and mass of the stopper
V. Data/Data Tables

Trial Hanging mass (kg) Mass of Stopper (kg) Total Time (s) Radius (m)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

Calculations:

Trial Centripetal Force (N) Period (s) Circumference(m) Velocity (m/s)

10

11

12