Mechanically driven pendula for instructional laboratories

<p>I present a new, low-cost approach to observing driven resonance with simple and physical pendula. I mount a pendulum on a dynamics cart that is made to oscillate along a horizontal line by a stepper motor and micro-controller. The pendulum pivot therefore has a position that varies sinusoidally with time with a constant, adjustable frequency. I designed and constructed the experiment to be easily implemented into any physics lab. I tested the apparatus and observed driven resonance for both types of pendula. All of the measured resonant frequencies I determined using the apparatus had percent uncertainties under 4% and all of the predicted resonant frequencies of the pendula fell within the experimental frequency uncertainty ranges. None of the leading vendors of apparatus for instructional physics labs have pendulum attachments for dynamics carts, making this a new experimental approach for undergraduate or graduate physics students to observe a driven resonator. The cost of all the equipment, excluding dynamics carts and tracks, under $200.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Physics and Astronomy

Year dc:date.available

2018

Author dc:creator

• Pacheco, R. M.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Ernest Behringer, Ph.D.
• Marshall Thomsen, Ph.D.
• Dave Pawlowski, Ph.D.

• Driven
• Pendulum
• Resonance
• Physics

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.emich.edu/theses/931

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.emich.edu:theses-2317