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Physics Lab 4

Tahsin Rahman conducted a physics lab experiment on centripetal motion. The goal was to verify the relationship between centripetal force (Fc), mass (m), velocity (v), and radius (r) of circular motion. Tahsin measured the time it took the bob to make rotations, calculated its velocity, and determined the centripetal force equals the spring tension. Comparing the calculated Fc to that measured by the maximum mass supported, Tahsin confirmed the relationship within experimental error. In conclusion, the lab helped gain an understanding of circular motion and centripetal force.

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Tahsin Rahmann
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38 views

Physics Lab 4

Tahsin Rahman conducted a physics lab experiment on centripetal motion. The goal was to verify the relationship between centripetal force (Fc), mass (m), velocity (v), and radius (r) of circular motion. Tahsin measured the time it took the bob to make rotations, calculated its velocity, and determined the centripetal force equals the spring tension. Comparing the calculated Fc to that measured by the maximum mass supported, Tahsin confirmed the relationship within experimental error. In conclusion, the lab helped gain an understanding of circular motion and centripetal force.

Uploaded by

Tahsin Rahmann
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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TAHSIN RAHMAN

ID 24090415

Instructor Sudheesh Srivastava

PHYSICS 20700 GH

PHYSICS LAB 4: Centripetal Motion

Introduction: For a mass to move in a circular motion, there must be a force acting on the mass
that is always pointing towards the center of the motion. In the case of the ball on a string going
around in a circle, this force was the tension of the spring. For a planet in orbit around the sun,
this force is the gravitational force. We were able to relate the center-directed force to the speed
and radius of the motion, by considering the centripetal acceleration,
2
v
aC=
r
m v2
F=maC =
r

The goal of the lab will be to experimentally verify this relationship. We will design an
experiment using the apparatus that shows that for an object rotating in uniform circular motion,
mv2
the centripetal force applied is equal to .
r
Procedure: First, I and my lab partner checked all the instruments for the lab including cross
arm, counterweight, bob, viewing background, spring, mass/pan, etc. After that I set up the
system and hanged the bob from the cross-arm with a string. Then I put the counterweight on the
other end of the arm to balance the bob. We record the weight of the mass/pan and the
counterweight. We try to balance that weight so that it should be equal to the force of the spring.
That is the centripetal force. Then we rotated rod and bob and tried to let the bob back to the
balanced point, which can pass above pointer. We record the time and number of rounds it went.
After that we get the period T and finally, we compare the result to the given equation.
Data: In this experiment we performed two tests (timed the rotations of the bob) for each of the
three different rotations: 10, 20, and 30. Then we averaged the values of T, which we got to be as
0.601. My lab partner and I then plugged into the equation,
ω = 2π/T=2 π* 10/6=10.45s-1
r=0.18m
v=10.45*0.18
v=1.881m/s
Finally, we plug in the values we have gotten so far into the equation
2
mv
F=
r
M=0.45kg
F=0.45*(1.881)2/0.18
=8.845N
In order to achieve the goal of the experiment we need to verify the relationship of the centripetal
force to the speed and radius of the motion by considering the centripetal acceleration, we look
to find the centripetal force. When we tested the maximum mass, we can put in a pan for the bob
to remain in equilibrium, which we get as 0.9 kg. We plugged this value into the equation F =
ma, knowing g = 9.8 m/s^2, we get the centripetal force to be 8.82 N. Therefore, we prove the
relationship because the forces we calculated are nearly the same.
Questions
Questions 1: What is the centripetal force pulling the bob towards the center?
Answer: The force of the spring pulling the bob towards the center.
Question 2: How will you measure the Fc?
Answer: Fc is the weight of the counter mass and pan.
Question 3: Where is the center of the circle that the bob is traveling around?
Answer: The bob is traveling around the rod.
Question 4: How will you measure r?
Answer: r is the distance from the rod to the pointer.
Question 5: How will you measure v?
Answer: We record the time and how many rounds it went, then we get speed.
Question 6: Can making multiple measurements help?
Answer: Yes, we can change the position of the pointer and then we changed the radius.
Conclusion: I and my lab partner tried to do the work as much perfect as we can. We got the
value for circular motion force is 8.845 which is almost nearer to the f=ma=8.82. Moreover,
there could be some sources of error in our experiment, we could have timed the rotations of the
bob incorrectly. Also, we could have incorrectly measured the maximum mass for the force to
remain in equilibrium. Nevertheless, I believe that I have gained an understanding of circular
motion and centripetal force at the conclusion of this experiment.

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