Oscillations of a Pendulum

    A simple pendulum can be studied in several different ways depending on the sensor you have got. If you have an angle encoder the angular displacement of the pendulum can be measured as a function of time. It can be done by using a small DC motor with the pendulum attached to its shaft. When the pendulum oscillates a small time varying voltage is induced across the terminal of the motor. This voltage is amplified and plotted as a function of time. The angular velocity can be obtained by fitting the curve with the equation of a damped sinusoid. You can use the GUI shown below or this program to capture the waveform and plot the data using Xmgrace.