Thrice Measured Demonstration

 

This demonstration is about precision in measurement. It shows students that the length of an object may be measured with different instruments and yield a different precision result

LoggerProPendulum

Used in Lab:

This demonstration is used in lab in PHYS 115

Equipment:

  • Pendulum Bob                                                            Location: Demo Rm Shelf U
  • String                                                                          Location: Demo Rm Shelf V
  • Lab stand with two joints and one arm                       Location: Demo Rm Hallway across from Shelf N
  • Stopwatch                                                                   Location: Demo Rm Shelf W
  • LoggerPro box, usb connector and power cable        Location: Demo Rm Shelf W
  • LoggerPro motion sensor and cable                          Location: Demo Rm Shelf W
  • LoggerPro photogate and sensor                               Location: Demo Rm Shelf W

Setup Instructions:

  • Set up pendulum on lab stand
  • Plug in the LoggerPro box, cables, motion sensor and photogate
  • If sensors do not automatically appear on LoggerPro screen, try restarting the computer
  • Measure the pendulum's period over ten swings
  • Compare results from all three measurements of the period

Apparatus Notes:

The larger pendulum bob is slightly too big to fit centered in the photogate. You can still make it work, but there will be additional uncertainty in the diameter measured by the photogate.


Safety Information: None.

JHA