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Determination of Gravitational Acceleration Using Smartphone Ambient Light

This document describes an experiment to determine gravitational acceleration using a smartphone light sensor and simple pendulum. Materials included a pendulum with a spherical bob, string, light source, and smartphone app. The procedure measured the pendulum period from the light intensity over time. Analysis found the experimental gravitational acceleration to have 0.68% error from theory. Recommendations to improve accuracy included using longer pendulum lengths and reducing environmental light interference.

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Elaikah Keith Dato-on
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27 views

Determination of Gravitational Acceleration Using Smartphone Ambient Light

This document describes an experiment to determine gravitational acceleration using a smartphone light sensor and simple pendulum. Materials included a pendulum with a spherical bob, string, light source, and smartphone app. The procedure measured the pendulum period from the light intensity over time. Analysis found the experimental gravitational acceleration to have 0.68% error from theory. Recommendations to improve accuracy included using longer pendulum lengths and reducing environmental light interference.

Uploaded by

Elaikah Keith Dato-on
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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West Visayas State University

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
GRADUATE SCHOOL
La Paz, Iloilo City

Determination of
Gravitational Acceleration
using Smartphone Light
Sensor

Prepared by:
Justine Faye S. Layog, MAEd Physics
Outline:
 Objective of the Experiment
 Materials
 Procedure
 Resultsand Discussions
 Conclusion
 Recommendations
Objective of the Experiment

Determine the experimental value of the


acceleration constant of gravity using
the light sensor integrated in the
smartphone
Materials
Light source String
Spherical bob Protractor
Meter Stick Iron Stand
Iron clamp
Smartphone Light Sensor
Figure 1. Materials of the Experiment
Procedure
 Preparation of the experimental set-up
Set-up the simple
pendulum and measure
the length of the string.

Figure 2. Simple Pendulum


 Configure the smartphone to function as a
light sensor using the Physics Toolbox
application.

Figure 3. Smartphone Light Sensor


 Place the sensor under the shadow cast by
the sphere. Press the record button to start
capturing the differences in light intensity.

Figure 4. Experimental Set-up


 To produce variations in the register, the
sphere is taken at rest and elongated at .
Results

Figure 5. Graph of perceived light intensity vs time


   
1.180 s 0.59 
 1.180 s  0.59
1.184 s
   0.25
 1.190 s  0.25
1.178 s  0.76
1.183 s  0.34
1.180 s  0.59
 1.183 s  0.34
1.192 s
   0.42
1.178 s  0.76

Table 1. Table summarizing the experimental periods obtained


from 10 oscillations and the percentage error in comparison
with the theoretical period.
In solving for the theoretical period (,

L=0.35m
g=9.806
Using the value and the measured value of
L, we can obtain the experimental value for
gravitational acceleration (
L= 0.35 m
= 1.183 s

m/
Conclusion
In this experiment, the experimental value of
gravitational acceleration using smartphone light-
sensor and simple pendulum was determined. The
materials used were simple pendulum, smartphone
sensor, protractor, light source and meter stick.

The experimenter conducted two trials. The


experimental period were calculated using the time
difference of two consecutive peak. Using this data,
experimental value of gravitational acceleration was
calculated and compared to its theoretical value.
Conclusion
When comparing the value of with the
theoretical value , the percentage error is
0.68%. Therefore, the experimental value
obtained for the calculation of the
acceleration of gravity fits well as an
approximate value to the theoretical value.
Recommendation
The following are suggested based on the results
of the experiments:
1. Do not use very short lengths as this will lead
to large percentage errors.
2. Keep angle of swing less than 10° or motion
will not be simple harmonic motion and the
formula will not work.
3. Make sure the room is dim and the only source
of light is from the lamp shade to reduce errors in
the sensor.
4. The experiment could be made better by
increasing the number of trials and oscillations.

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