2 Pre-Lab Questions

Please complete the following questions before coming to the lab, and bring your answers with you to the lab:

1.     When measuring the period of a pendulum , would it be better to use 10 swings or 2 swings? Why?

2.   If the value of is seconds, what is the absolute uncertainty in ?  Please show your calculations in your answer.

3.     In the theory for a simple pendulum, what is the mass of the string?

4.     In this lab, you will be taking measurements with a stopwatch. How does human reaction time affect the measurement? What is human reaction time using a stopwatch (quote and cite a value)?

5.     Describe three differences between a simple pendulum and a physical pendulum.

6.     For a physical pendulum:

a.     When the pendulum is pivoting about one end, do you expect that the period is longer or shorter than if it is pivoting about a point slightly offset from that end, towards the centre of mass?

b.    When the pendulum is pivoting about the center of mass, what will the period be?

7.     Describe the difference between random and systematic uncertainty and use two examples for each.