Question

Students in a physics lab are observing the swings of a pendulum. They are studying the variable that affects how long the pendulum will take to complete 10 swings. Select the variable that will most likely NOT affect the time to complete 10 swings.

A) Length of the pendulum
B) Temperature of the room
C) Mass of the pendulum
D) Angle of initiation of the swing

Answer 1

The mass of the pendulum bob does not affect the time it takes for the pendulum to complete swings; the period is determined by the length of the pendulum and the acceleration due to gravity.

Step-by-step explanation:

The variable most likely NOT to affect the time it takes for a pendulum to complete 10 swings is C) Mass of the pendulum. In the study of pendulum motion, the period—that is, the time to complete one full swing back and forth—is not influenced by the mass of the pendulum bob. Instead, the period is determined by the length of the pendulum and the acceleration due to gravity. It is worth noting that while the angle of initiation (amplitude) can affect the period, the impact is negligible for small angles, specifically those less than about 15°, making length and gravity the primary factors of concern for studying pendulum behavior.