Experiment Description

Experiment

Experiment A04    Study of Simple Harmonic Oscillators

Objectives
  • Show that the motion of a simple pendulum is simple harmonic
  • Show that the motion of a mass-spring system is simple harmonic
  • Demonstrate that the motion of a simple harmonic oscillator is sinusoidal
  • Show that the motion of a simple harmonic oscillator is independent of amplitude
Description
In this activity, you will use a ticker-timer to record the motion of an oscillator moving from one extreme to another in half period.

In Experiment 1, the motion of a Simple Pendulum will be recorded and analyzed.

In Experiment 2, the motion of a Vertical Mass-spring System will be recorded and analyzed.
Apparatus
ringed mass 0.5 kg [1]
string [1]
stand-and-clamp [1]
ticker-timer [1]
ticker-tape [1 roll]
12 V low voltage power supply [1]
spiral spring [1]
slotted mass with hanger [1 set]
Experiment