Oscillations of Mass on Beam: Investigating Results

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The discussion focuses on measuring oscillations of a mass on a beam to validate the relationship T^2 = k l^3, where k is a constant. The initial results align well with the expected line of best fit, but the last two results deviate significantly, particularly at longer beam lengths. Participants suggest that the failure of the simple harmonic motion (SHM) approximation at larger oscillations could explain this discrepancy. The conversation emphasizes the importance of understanding the approximations used in deriving the time period equation. Overall, the findings indicate that longer lengths and larger oscillations may impact the accuracy of the results.
lozzyjay
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ok so, my coursework is to measure the oscillations of a mass on a beam to prove that T^2 = k l^3 when k is a constant of proportionality. And basically when plotting the graph of my results, the first 8 results fit exactly on my line of best fit but the last two are completely off. These results where at the longest lengths of the beam. Would this affect the time period in any way? Would it be because there is a greater mass as there is more of the beam oscillating?
Please help!
 
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The SHM-approximation fails at large oscillations so that's where your model might fail.
 
does anyone know why this is?
 
lozzyjay, can you think of the reason? When you derived the equation for the time period, what approximation did you use?
 

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