Torsional Pendulum Experiment

Torsional Pendulum Experiment

The period of a Torsional Pendulum is measured and compared to the theoretical value. The torsional pendulum consists of a torsion wire attached to a Rotary Motion Sensor with an object (a disk, a ring or a rod with point masses) mounted on top of it. The period of oscillation is measured from a plot of the angular displacement versus time. To calculate theoretical period, the rotational inertia is determined by measuring the dimensions of the object. The torsional spring constant is determined from the slope of a plot of force versus angular displacement.

The dependence of the period on the torsional constant and the rotational inertia is explored by using different diameter wires and different shaped objects.

PASCO Advantage:
To determine the torsional spring constant, the force versus angular displacement graph is quickly and easily obtained by pulling with a Force Sensor on a string wrapped around the Rotary Motion Sensor pulley.

This experiment is available for download at no additional cost.

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