Quick Answer: The Pendulum of Varying Length Apparatus STEM Lab has a 1000 mm chrome-plated steel pillar with a millimetre scale, an adjustable suspension clamp and spherical bobs of brass, steel, wood and aluminium. Students change the string length and time the swings.
Last updated: October 2026
Key Features
1000 mm chrome-plated steel support pillar with vertical millimetre scale
Adjustable suspension clamp with dual-knob locking
Protractor at the suspension hub for keeping swings under 10°
Spherical bobs in brass, steel, wood and aluminium
Heavy cast iron base with levelling screws
Braided cord and fine-adjustment cord guide
Technical Specifications
Specification
Value
Support pillar
1000 mm, chrome-plated steel
Scale
Vertical millimetre scale on pillar
Clamp
Adjustable, dual-knob locking
Bobs
Spherical: brass, steel, wood, aluminium
Base
Cast iron with levelling screws
About This Product
Students set the length from the pivot to the centre of the bob, starting at 40 cm, pull it aside by less than 10° and time 20 complete oscillations to find one period. Repeating at 60 cm, 80 cm and 100 cm, and plotting period against length, shows how the period of a simple pendulum depends on length and gives a value for the acceleration due to gravity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the swing kept under 10° on the Pendulum of Varying Length Apparatus STEM Lab?
Small swings keep the motion close to simple harmonic, so the measured period fits the simple pendulum relationship; the protractor at the hub helps set the angle.
