Unit 9: Periodic Motion:  Springs, pendulums, mechanical waves & sound

Reading
BJU book: Ch. 12 "Periodic Motion"
AP students additional reading: Princeton Review "Oscillations" and "Waves" - read the applicable sections

Topics
  • Mechanical waves & sound
  • Pendulums
  • Spring-Mass systems
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Labs
  • ​Spring-Mass lab
  • Pendulum lab
Below: Various ways of depicting periodic motion
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Periodic Motion.... Spring & Mass
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Sine Waves
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Periodic Motion.... Reciprocating machinery
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Mechanical Waves - Liquid

Periodic Motion Lab Report
Clean-up and summarize your lab results from the Pendulum and Spring-Mass experiments. An Instructor Example is provided below for guidance, but you must use your own measurements and sketches! 

Required for your pendulum experiment:
  1. ​Labeled sketches and raw data from your pendulum experiment, showing the mass of the pendulum, length of the pendulum arm, the measured period 'T' of your pendulum (taken from your stopwatch measurements). 
  2. Your calculations showing the 'theoretical' period 'T' in seconds of your pendulum, using the pendulum formula T = 2 x pi (l/g)^1/2. 
  3. A comparison of your 'measured' T-value (from stopwatch) to your 'theoretical' T-value, and a calculation of your % error. 
Required for your spring-mass experiment: 
  1. ​Labeled sketches and raw data from your spring-mass experiment, showing the mass of the plumb-bob, and the measured period 'T' of your spring-mass system (taken from your stopwatch measurements). 
  2. A graph of the restoring force in N (y-axis) versus the spring displacement in m (x-axis) for your spring. 
  3. A computation of the 'slope' of the line in the above graph, which represents 'k', the spring constant, in the formula F = k(delta-x). Remember slope is defined as 'rise over run', or delta-y/delta-x. 
  4. Your calculations showing the 'theoretical' period 'T' in seconds of your spring-mass system, using the formula T = 2 x pi (m/k)^1/2. 
  5. A comparison of your 'measured' T-value (from stopwatch) to your 'theoretical' T-value, and a calculation of your % error. 
periodic_motion_lab_report_INSTRUCTOR EXAMPLE
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You can use this engineering_graph_paper_10_per_inch.docx
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This video goes over the lab: 
Homework
9.__periodic_motion_homework__problems_rev._2021.docx
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