Equipment provided for the session
Light gate and the pendulum
Measured the acceleration of gravity in the lab
Determined the gravitational constant, G
Had practice minimising errors and propagating them through equations
This practical aims to determine the acceleration of gravity in the level 1 labs as accurately as you can manage with the equipment provided. The demonstration of a highly sensitive Cavendish balance also features in this practical. This piece of equipment is largely similar in design to that used in 1798 by Henry Cavendish in the first precision measurement of the gravitational constant, G, and to the Cavendish balances which have been used for this purpose ever since. Unfortunately, as the conditions in the level 1 labs are far from ideal, only a rough estimate of G will be possible from the data produced during the session.
Fig. 1: Schematic of the Cavendish balance
The script for this experiment can be found in the lab script book or on DUO.
