In: Physics
What does it mean for the pendulum to have a small angle? How far does the period (T) of the pendulum differ from the linear model that we used to describe the pendulum as a function of initial angle? Note that for this one you will need to measure the period of a single swing of the pendulum. How can you / did you do this?
It means that if the angle is small, then
is a valid approximation.
So the equation of motion , which is
can be approximated as
which is a now a simple harmonic oscillation equation.
First use the equation to find the time period, T1. (This equation is described in the question as "that used to describe the pendulum...", and is not given in the question. Assuming you have it from earlier exercise.)
Then using a stopwatch, note down the time taken for one swing. Repeat and take average=T2.
Now compare T1 and T2.