27-Feb- 2017: (Lab 1) Finding a relationship between mass and period for an inertial balance

(Finding a relationship between mass and period) 

Jesus Gonzalez 

Partners: 

Date: February-27-2017 

Statement/ Purpose: the purpose of this lab is to measure the period of oscillation of different masses. Also we use that data in order to calculate the relationship between period and added masses. we also apply this model to determine the masses of other objects.

Intro: the tray we used oscillated back and forth. the more mass that the object had the less it oscillated and the less mass the objects had the least it oscillated. this object was used to measure mass and period of oscillation. They are both related to each other by the formula: T=A(m+mtray)^n. In this formula the T=Perios, A=a constant, M= mass, mtray= the mass of the tray used. we make this equation in to a linear equation (y=mx+b) by using the natural logarithm (LnT=nLn(m+mtray)+LnA.

We used different masses, a tray (the inertial balance) to hold the masses, and a motion detector (photagate)for this lab. 

Data: 

We recorded the period of no mass in the tray and then we calculated it with more and more mass (100g-800g) (as shown in the work above) 

we then made a T v.s. Ln(m+mtray) graph Lis graph gave us a straight line as shown in the picture above. 

After that we calculated the mass of unknown objects 

Conclusion: the model we used was made to calculate the mass of an object. Even though this lab helped with finding the mass of an object. we came to the conclusion that there was in fact multiple uncertainties in this experiment. One example of uncertainty was that not all the objects were placed in the same position as the other, also it is not possible that the masses could have been calculated at the same time as the others creating uncertainty.