The periods of oscillaton were measured down to 0.38s. How could this be done with common laboratory timers?
-a given hint is : are the times exact values?
I don't know how this would work b/c I've never heard of a timer or stopwatch thant can register a time of less than a sec and your hand wouldn't be able to hit the button fast enough anyways so I have no clue not even with the hint b/c if it was not an exact time then the closest on a normal stopwatch would be 1s b/c it goes from 1sec-another sec not a fraction of a sec.
Could you time 100 occilations, then divide by 100?
Hm..I guess you could but what would that prove??
but if the oscillation timed was 1sec 1sec and 1sec then I don't know what difference that would make...you'd get 1sec..right?
Isn't it the problem of the timer??
Yes, if you time 100 oscillations you avoid the timer problem. NOT time 1 oscillation 100 times, but 100 oscillations one time.
Oh..okay thanks Bob =D
In a common laboratory setting, it may be challenging to measure periods of oscillation to such a small time interval of 0.38 seconds. Most stopwatches or timers do not provide the precision required for such measurements.
To overcome this limitation, one possible approach is to use more advanced laboratory equipment, such as a digital oscilloscope or a computer-interfaced timer. These devices can provide higher precision and enable measurements of shorter time intervals.
Alternatively, if precise laboratory equipment is not available, a technique called "averaging" can be employed. In this method, multiple oscillations are timed, and the average period is calculated. This approach improves the accuracy of the measurement, compensating for the lower precision of the timer. While the individual measurements may have some inherent error, the average value can still provide a reasonable estimate of the true period.
It is important to note that in scientific experiments, it is common to express the accuracy of measurements in terms of significant figures or decimal places. The given measurement of "0.38s" suggests that this is likely a rounded value. Therefore, it is also essential to consider the precision of the measuring instrument and indicate the level of uncertainty in the final result.