Special Issue - 2015 International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)

ISSN: 2278-0181
NCETRASECT-2015 Conference Proceedings

Measurement of Time Period of A Simple

Pendulum using an Electronic Circuit
Bhuvnesh, Phurailatpam Hemantakumar
Department of Physics, Hindu College, University of Delhi

Abstract:- This project was taken up in the hope of building an movement, as well as count the time interval between
electronic circuit which enables us to measure the time period oscillations. In this project an attempt is made to detect the
of a simple pendulum accurately, taking into account the pendulum using a laser detector with which a circuit
parallax, human reflex and random errors. consisting of timers and counters is employed to measure the
Measuring the time period of a simple pendulum by counting number of oscillations and time of the journey simultaneously.
the number of oscillations and noting down the time using a The required result is allowed to display using 7447 IC and
stop watch is one of the simplest experiments one can perform SSD (seven segment display).
to find the value of ‘g’, i.e. acceleration due to gravity. This The concepts involved in designing this project is well
experiment has restricted accuracy due the above mentioned familiar with and read by any college student pursuing Bsc.
errors. But the problem can be overcome to certain extent by Physics Hons.
employing an electronic circuit which reads the pendulum’s

DESCRIPTION OF THE COMPONENTS

LASER DETECTOR

LDR (light depending resistor) is an electrical component which changes its

resistance according to how much light intensity falls on it.
A laser from a source is allow to fall on it continuously which keep the
resistance of the LDR low. As the oscillating pendulum cuts the laser, the
resistance of LDR goes high. This change in the LDR resistance is read
with a circuit using two transistor. The transistor on the right is used as a
switch and the output is derived from its collector terminal.

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Special Issue - 2015 International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
ISSN: 2278-0181
NCETRASECT-2015 Conference Proceedings

555 TIMER (AS MONOSTABLE MULTIVIBRATOR AND ASTABLE MULTIVIBRATOR)

+Vcc
Monostable multivibrator:
R 4 8

7 3
It has a stable and a quasistable state. A pulse at the trigger switches the
output to quasistable state and stay for predetermined length of time.
Then it switches back to the stable state and wait for the next pulse.
555 TIMER 5 It is used to get a digital output wave with sharp edges.
6

O.01uF
C 1
2

TRIGGER Figure 1: Monostable Multivibrator

+Vcc
Astable multivibrator:
R1 4 8

7 3 Neither the digital state is stable. Therefore the output switches back
and forth between the two unstable state and it is periodic, rectangular
555 TIMER
R2 waveform.
5

6 This is used for timing the journey of the oscillating pendulum.

O.01uF
1
2

Figure 2: Astable Multivibrator

+5 +5
VDC VDC
Seven segment display (common anode):
A a a
b b Digital output from counter is received by 7447 IC and is
c c
B converted to numerical form needed by SSD. The SSD
7447 d d display the numerical output corresponding to the digital
e e output given by the counter.
C f f
g g
D

Figure 3: Seven Segment Display with 7447 IC

ICs (74160 and 74373):

74160 is a decade counter which can make digital count from 0000 to 1001, and repeats itself after each cycle. Every
count is triggered through the clock pin.
74373 is an IC with 20 pins. It is internally D-flip flops which can be control with the enable pin provided. It also acts as a
buffer to derive SSD display.

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Special Issue - 2015 International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
ISSN: 2278-0181
NCETRASECT-2015 Conference Proceedings

LASER DETECTOR 555 TIMER

MONOSTABLE

555 TIMER DECADE

ASTABLE CARRY OUTPUT COUNTER
+Vcc
74160

CLOCK CARRY CLOCK CARRY CLOCK CARRY CLOCK

DECADE DECADE DECADE DECADE

COUNTER COUNTER COUNTER COUNTER
74160 74160 74160 74160

OUTPUT OUTPUT OUTPUT OUTPUT

74373 D-flip flop

LATCH

7447 IC 7447 IC 7447 IC 7447 IC

SSD SSD SSD SSD

Figure 4: Schematic diagram of the circuit used

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Special Issue - 2015 International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
ISSN: 2278-0181
NCETRASECT-2015 Conference Proceedings

EXPERIMENT (monostable). This counter counts from 0000 to 1001

and then starts from 0000 with a high carry output. As
The pendulum is allowed to oscillate between the laser long as it is high, it enables the 74373 ICs and the output
source and the detector. When at rest the laser, the bob of the series counters is made available to be displayed
of the pendulum and the LDR are made collinear. As the by SSDs. When the former counter changes 0000 to
pendulum oscillates it cuts the laser which makes the 1000, its carry output goes low, thus disenabling the
detector to send a pulse and trigger the 555 timer 74373 ICs. As a consequence the output display in SSD
(monostable). The timer output’s time period is set to be is latch till 74373 ICs are enable again.
higher than the time the detector is obstructed while
crossing the laser and lower than the time it takes to Numbers displayed on SSDs are noted after every five
return to the mean position, i.e. when the timer is oscillations for a particular pendulum length. Such ten
triggered again. The timer is then connected to a decade readings are taken for nine different pendulum lengths
counter (74160 IC), which increase its count as the laser and graph is plotted for each set, between the SSDs
is cut, i.e. for every half oscillation. The carry output of readings and number of oscillation. A line is drawn that
74160 IC goes to each enable pin of 74373 ICs which fits the data points and the slope of this line will give the
later will help in latching the output of the series number of count made by the astable 555 timer per
counters. oscillation. The required time period of the pendulum
can be obtained by multiplying the value of the slope
The 555 timer (astable) is made to oscillate with a with the least count of the astable 555 timer.
known frequency, by adjusting the value of capacitor
and resistor used (87.5878Hz, for this experiment). It is Comparison between the experimental results and
then interface with a series of decade counters. These theoretical values are made by plotting a graph between
counters start counting as soon as there is an output from ‘time period (T)’ and ‘length of the pendulum (l)’.
the 555 timer (astable) and the process continues. But Further comparison can be achieved by plotting graph
the experiment dictates the requirement of time interval between ‘l ‘ and ‘T2’.
in certain number of oscillations. In order to achieve this
74373 ICs are employed to latch the counters’ output. The formula T=2𝜋√𝑙/𝑔 is used to find the value of ‘g’.

Each 74373 IC is control through enable pin by the carry

output from the counter connected to 555 timer

OBSERVATIONS
Least count of the astable 555 timer = 0.011417 s
Theoretical value of ‘g’= 981cm/s2 g =acceleration due to gravity

T= 2𝜋√𝑙/𝑔 l = (g/4𝜋2)T2 l = length of the pendulum

T = time period of the pendulum

Following are the graphs and tables to find the time period of the given length:

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Special Issue - 2015 International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
ISSN: 2278-0181
NCETRASECT-2015 Conference Proceedings

1. Pendulum length= 100 cm

Graph 1 Table 1

NO. OF
OSCILLATIONS SSDs READINGS
5 9568
10 10357
15 11227
20 12095
25 12965
30 13839
35 14715
40 15588
45 16464
50 17339
Slope=173.608
Time period= 1.982 s
g=1000.49 m/s2

2. Pendulum length= 90 cm

Graph 2 Table 2

NO. OF SSDs
Slope= OSCILLATIONS READINGS
166.696 5 3544
10 4375
Time 15 5206
period= 20 6040
1.903 s 25 6874
30 7706
g=981.12 35 8540
cm/s2 40 9375
45 10209
50 11045

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Special Issue - 2015 International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
ISSN: 2278-0181
NCETRASECT-2015 Conference Proceedings

3. Pendulum length = 80 cm

Graph 3 Table 3

NO. OF SSDs
OSCILLATIONS READINGS
5 5840
10 6615
15 7390
20 8166
25 8943
30 9722
35 10503
40 11283
45 12065
50 12847
Slope=155.719
Time period= 1.778
g=999.04 cm/s2

4. Pendulum length= 70 cm

Graph 4 Table 4
Slope= NO. OF
OSCILLATIONS SSDs READINGS
5 5941
10 6675
15 7410
20 8145
25 8882
30 9623
35 10296
40 11035
45 11771
50 12504
145.525
Time period= 1.661 s
g=1001.65 cm/s2

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Special Issue - 2015 International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
ISSN: 2278-0181
NCETRASECT-2015 Conference Proceedings

5. Pendulum length= 60 cm

Graph 5 Table 5

NO. OF
OSCILLATIONS SSDs READINGS
5 1955
10 2623
15 3292
20 3961
25 4629
30 5298
35 5966
40 6635
45 7303
50 7971

Slope=133.701
Time period=1.526 s
g=1017.18 cm/s2
6. Pendulum length= 50 cm

Graph 6 Table 6

NO. OF
Slope= OSCILLATIONS SSDs READINGS
125.771 5 4310
10 4943
Time
15 5577
period=
1.436 s 20 6211
25 6841
30 7468
35 8094
40 8720
45 9346
50 9971

g=957.24 cm/s2

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Special Issue - 2015 International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
ISSN: 2278-0181
NCETRASECT-2015 Conference Proceedings

7. Pendulum length= 40 cm
Graph 7 Table 7

NO. OF
OSCILLATIONS SSDs READINGS
5 5443
10 6003
15 6563
20 7123
25 7682
30 8242
35 8803
40 9311
45 9870
50 10431
Slope= 110.668
Time period= 1.263 s
g=989.94 cm/s2
8. Pendulum length= 30 cm
Graph 8 Table 8

NO. OF
Slope= OSCILLATIONS SSDs READINGS
97.0436
5 9364
Time 10 9848
period= 15 10334
1.108 s
20 10819
g=964.72 25 11305
cm/s2
30 11790
35 12275
40 12761
45 13245
50 13730

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Special Issue - 2015 International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
ISSN: 2278-0181
NCETRASECT-2015 Conference Proceedings

9. Pendulum length= 20 cm

Graph 9 Table 9

Slope= NO. OF SSDs

OSCILLATIONS READINGS
5 5848
10 6242
15 6635
20 7028
25 7422
30 7815
35 8208
40 8602
45 8996
50 9390
78.6958
Time period= 0.896 s
g=983.49 cm/s

COMPARISON BETWEEN THE EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS AND THEORETICAL VALUE

Table 10: Time period of the pendulum in a particular length

X-AXIS Y-AXIS
l (cm) T (s)
20 0.898
30 1.108
40 1.263
50 1.436
60 1.526
70 1.661
80 1.778
90 1.903
100 1.982

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Special Issue - 2015 International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
ISSN: 2278-0181
NCETRASECT-2015 Conference Proceedings

Graph 10: Time Period VS Pendulum Length

Table 11: Relation between (time period)2 and length of the pendulum

X-AXIS Y-AXIS
T2 (s2) l (cm)

0.8064 20

1.2277 30

1.5952 40

2.0621 50

2.3287 60

2.7589 70

3.1613 80

3.6214 90

3.9283 100

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Special Issue - 2015 International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
ISSN: 2278-0181
NCETRASECT-2015 Conference Proceedings

Graph 11: Pendulum Length VS (Time Period)2

CONCLUSION
RESULT This project provides a platform where students learned to
integrate various topics studied in digital electronics and
It can be seen from the graph that the experimental data classical physics. It also give exposure to troubleshooting,
and the experimental curve are fairly close enough to the datasheets, design parameters and experimentation.
theoretical curve which are drawn with the assumption that
‘g’ is 981cm/s2. Besides this project, the method involved can be made to
use in various other fields, like measuring rpm of a wheel
etc.
PRECAUTIONS
1. Least count of the astable 555 timer should be ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
found accurately using a CRO, or a multimeter.
2. The counting done by the decade counter which is Special thanks to Ma’am Adarsh Singh for supervising the
connected to monostable 555 timer is monitored project.
with caution using LEDs at its output terminals, so
that is doesn’t skip its count.
3. Light condition of the room should not change as REFERENCES
it may interfere with the desire detector output.
1. Digital principles and applications By Donald P. Leach & Albert
Paul Malvino, (Glencoe, 1995).
2. Microprocessor Architecture, Programming, and Applications
with the 8085 By Ramesh S. Gaonkar, (Prentice Hall, 2002).

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Special Issue - 2015 International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
ISSN: 2278-0181
NCETRASECT-2015 Conference Proceedings

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