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Torsion Pendulum

Authors: Ms. Giselle dos Santos Castro - Federal University of Ceara - UFC
Dr. Nildo Loiola Dias - Federal University of Ceara - UFC

CONTROLS:

- Choose a solid body to oscillate from among 5 possibilities.
- Choose a torsional constant from 3 known and one unknown.
- Choose the material (specific mass) of the solid body from 5 possibilities.
- Choose the initial oscillation angular amplitude, from 5º to 15º.
- Adjust the dimensions of the chosen solid body using the green sliders (available for adjustment).
- Press “Apply” to start the oscillation movement and start the timer simultaneously. Press “Stop Timer” to stop the timer. When pressing “Apply” the sliders are unavailable (in red).
- The “Reset” button allows you to restart the simulation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SIMULATION:

This simulation allows the study of the oscillating motion of a torsion pendulum for various solids (solid cylinder around cylinder axis, solid sphere around diameter, spherical shell around diameter, solid cylinder around a passing axis through the center and perpendicular to the length, rectangular plate around an axis perpendicular to the plane of the plate and passing through the center). It is possible to study the period of oscillation as a function of: the mass, the torsional constant of the wire, the angular amplitude of oscillation and the dimensions of each body. Measuring the period of oscillation, it is possible to determine the moment of inertia of each solid that can be studied as a function of dimensions or as a function of mass. Three known torsional constants can be used. An unknown torsional constant can be obtained “experimentally” by determining the period and knowing the moment of inertia of the body used. A timer in the simulation allows for period measurements.

For an analysis of the data, consult one of the proposed ACTIVITY GUIDE.

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