THE UNIVERSITY OF DODOMA

COLLEGE OF NATURAL AND MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS
COURSE NAME: PHYSICS PRACTICALS III

COURSE CODE: PH 2106

COURSE INSTRUCTOR: Mr DIDAT KAMAZE

EXPERIMENT NUMBER: 02

TITLE OF EXPERIMENT: EQUILIBRIUM

NATURE OF WORK: INDIVIDUAL LAB REPORT

STUDENT NAME: AMANI R. FUNDI

REGISTRATION NO: T/UDOM / 2020/09088

DEGREE PRO: BSC – EDUCATION

ACADEMIC YEAR: 2022/2023

DATE OF CONDUCT: 22nd November, 2022

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 29th November, 2022

PARTICIPANTS
S/N NAME REGISTRATION NO PROG SEX SIGN

01 STANLEY K MAJANI T/UDOM/2020/04912 BSC- ED M

02 JOSEPH M SAHANI T/UDOM/2020/05020 BSC- ED M

03 DEBORA ARON T/UDOM/2020/10234 BSC- ED F

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 TABLE OF CONTENT
ABSTRACT...........................................................................................................................................3

INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................4

THEORY OF EXPERIMENT................................................................................................................5

METHODOLOGY.................................................................................................................................9

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS..............................................................................................................10

DATA ANALYSIS................................................................................................................................11

DISCUSSION OF RESULTS...............................................................................................................17

CONCLUSION.....................................................................................................................................18

REFERENCES.....................................................................................................................................19

ABSTRACT
The aim of experiment was to determine the mass of loaded metre rule by balancing it on a knife
edge. The experiment was performed systematic and carefully by follow all the procedure in
order to get the required values. from the table 01 shown that when the distance X (cm) increases

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and the value of distance Y (cm) also increases by small factor. By plotting the graph of distance
Y (cm) against the value of distance X (cm) the graph was straight line with passed positive y-
intercept equal to 43.7cm, and slope (m) was determine to be 0.32 , It was possible to determine
the value of Mr. found to be 112.5g .

The value was approximated near by the expected value, since the experiment

was done well but there some sources of errors which cause a little variation, these some of errors
are; zero error, parallax error, and instrumental error.

INTRODUCTION
When all the forces that act upon an object are balanced, then the object is said to be in a state of
equilibrium. The forces are considered to be balanced if the rightward forces are balanced by the
leftward forces and the upward forces are balanced by the downward forces. This however does
not necessarily mean that all the forces are equal to each other.
The study of oblique forces was made by Stevinus with the aid of inclined planes. His most
demonstrative experiment was a very simple one, in which a chain of balls of equal weight was

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hung from a triangle; the triangle being so constructed as to rest on a horizontal base, the oblique
sides bearing the relation to each other of two to one. Stevinus found that his chain of balls just
balanced when four balls were on the longer side and two on the shorter and steeper side. The
balancing of force thus brought about constituted a stable equilibrium, Stevinus being the first to
discriminate between such a condition and the unbalanced condition called unstable equilibrium.
By this simple experiment was laid the foundation of the science of statics. Stevinus had a full
grasp of the principle which his experiment involved, and he applied it to the solution of oblique
forces in all directions. Earlier investigations of Stevinus were published in 1608. His collected
works were published at Leyden in 1634
Stevinus was born in the year 1548, and died in 1620. He was a man of a practical genius, and he
attracted the attention of his non-scientific contemporaries, among other ways, by the
construction of a curious land-craft, which, mounted on wheels, was to be propelled by sails like
a boat. Not only did he write a book on this curious horseless carriage, but he put his idea into
practical application, producing a vehicle which actually traversed the distance between
Scheveningen and Petton, with no fewer than twenty-seven passengers, one of them being Prince
Maurice of Orange. This demonstration was made about the year 1600. It does not appear,
however, that any important use was made of the strange vehicle; but the man who invented it put
his mechanical ingenuity to other use with better effect.
If an object is at equilibrium, then the forces are balanced. Balanced is the key word that is used to
describe equilibrium situations.

THEORY OF EXPERIMENT
To plan and carry out experiments to verify the Principle of Moments using a suspended metre
rule and attached weights. If an object is at equilibrium, then the forces are balanced. Balanced is
the key word that is used to describe equilibrium situations. Thus, the net force is zero and the
acceleration is 0 m/s. Objects at equilibrium must have an acceleration of 0 m/s
The Principle of Moments states that when a body is balanced, the total clockwise moment about a
point equals the total anticlockwise moment about the same point

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Moment of a force is the product of the force applied and the perpendicular distance from a fixed
point or pivot
Moment =force (F) x perpendicular distance from the pivot (d).

Moment (
Moment of a force is the turning effect of the force about a point

Figure 1

NB:
 The point where the object rotates after turning force is called pivot or fulcrum, and the
turning effect is called moment of a force.
 Moment of force is applied in different activities such as opening bottle caps, door opening
and tightening nuts etc.The moment of a force depend on the following on the
Size of a force and Perpendicular distance
Example, s We Experience on Turning Effect We can prove the turning effect as the following
reasons
• It is easier to open nut with a long spanner opener than with short spanner fingers due to the
high moment as a result of perpendicular distance arise from the long spanner
• It is easier to open the cap of the bottle with a bottle opener than with your fingers due to the
addition perpendicular distance arise from the opener

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 • Knob on a door is placed as far as possible from the hinges due to the addition perpendicular
distance arise from the hinges to the knob
The centre of gravity of a body is a point through which the weight of the body acts or appears to
act. A metre rule has a unform shape and a constant density and so the centre of gravity will be a
point exactly in the middle of the rule. The principle of moment is stated as follow
The principle of moment states that
“an object is in equilibrium if the sum of all anticlockwise moment about the pivot is equal to the
sum of all clockwise moments about the same pivot. If a metre rule is balance horizontally at any
point, this mean that the clockwise moments and the anticlockwise moments must be equal or can
be state as „‟When a system is in equilibrium the total sum of the anti-clockwise moments is
equal to the total sum of the clockwise moments”
The arrangement for the experiment is shown in some figures below

figure; b

figure; c

Mathematically; anticlockwise moment =

clockwise moment =

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 anticlockwise moment = clockwise moment

From the experiment was

From the figure above

From the principle of moment;
The sum of clockwise moment = the sum of anti- clockwise moment
Ma X+ Mr X = Ma Y + Mr Y+ Ma Y
X (Ma + Mr) = Y (Ma + Mr + Ma )
= Y ( 2Ma + Mr )

Divide by (2 Ma + Mr ) on both sides , gives

Ma X MrX
Y= + , comparing with equation of straight line
2 Ma+ Mr 2 Ma+ Mr
Y = MX + C
But C = k = constant which is y- intercept

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 MrX
K=
2 Ma+ Mr
Ma X
Y= +K
2 Ma+ Mr
Where
Ma; is the mass of the loaded mass
Mr; is the mass of metre rule
K; is the constant value
X; is the distance from zero to loaded mass
Y; is the distance from zero to the knife edge

METHODOLOGY

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APPARATUS USED
a. Metre rule;
is used to measure the different length of the thread
b. Knife edge;
Is the small edge in which the pendulum bar is inserting
c. Slotted masses of 100g;
d. Cotton thread;
thread is used to hold the mass of a loaded

EXPERIMENT SET UP
The following pictures shown the arrangements of apparatus during experiment process

Figure 2

PROCEDURE

a) Cotton thread was used to fix 100g brass weight underneath of the 80cm mark of a metre ruler
,then flat base of the weight which was in contact with the ruler taken as Mr.
b) A small loop of thread with second 100g weight (Ma) suspended at a distance X from the zero
end of the ruler on another side, by varying the value of X from 5cm, 10cm, 15cm, 20cm,
25cm, 30cm, 35cm, 40cm, 45cm, 50cm, 55cm and 60cm also the corresponding value of Y
was obtained by balanced the ruler from the zero end of the ruler on the knife edge.

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 c) The value of X and Y was recorded in a tabular form

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
The following results obtained during experiments are shown on the table below
X 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
(cm)
Y 45.30 46.70 48.20 49.90 51.40 53.00 54.60 56.10 57.2 59.30 60.80 62.50
(cm)

DATA ANALYSIS

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The main aim of the experiment was to determine the mass of loaded metre rule by balancing it
on knife edge. So the relationships of the data are shown by plotting the graph of Y against X
Also the equation below provide the relationship of Y (cm) and X (cm) as follows

THE GRAPH OF Y (cm)AGANIST X (cm)

70
Y (cm) Scale: Vertical Scale 1cm = 2cm
Horizontal Sacle; 1cm = 10cm

60

50

40

30

20

10

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0 X (cm)
d) The gradient of the graph and its intercept on the Y axis
From the graph the point was obtained as P (15cm, 48.2cm) and Q (50cm, 59.4cm)
∆Y
Slope =
∆X
(59.4−48.2 ) cm
=
( 50−15 ) cm
= 0.32
Therefore the slope of the graph is 0.32

From the graph

The Y intercept is 43.7cm
e) To deduce the value of Mr given that the equation of the graph below

But slope = 0.32

Then
Ma
Mr = -2 Ma
0.32
100 g
Mr = -2x 100g
0.32
Mr = 112.5g
The value of Mr = 112.5g

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f) .Draw a well labeled diagram to represent the this experiment
The diagram to represent the experiment as shown below

g) .Mention all possible source of error and precaution involved in this experiment.
The following are sources of errors involved in this experiment and its
precautions
a) parallax error
- precaution; to read a pointer when stand perpendicular to pointer
b) zero error
- precaution; to make sure that all reading are start zero before taking reading.
c) error due to calculation during the choose of scale
- precaution: to be careful when involve mathematics calculation in choose
scale

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h) consider the diagram below,

From the figure above

From the principle of moment;
The sum of clockwise moment = the sum of anti- clockwise moment
Ma X+ Mr X = Ma Y + Mr Y+ Ma Y
X (Ma + Mr) = Y (Ma + Mr + Ma )
= Y ( 2Ma + Mr )

Divide by (2 Ma + Mr ) on both sides , gives

Ma X MrX
Y= + , comparing with equation of straight line
2 Ma+ Mr 2 Ma+ Mr
Y = MX + C
But C = k = constant which is y- intercept

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 MrX
K=
2 Ma+ Mr
Ma X
Y= +K
2 Ma+ Mr

Where
Ma; is the mass of the loaded mass
Mr; is the mass of metre rule
K; is the constant value
X; is the distance from zero to loaded mass
Y; is the distance from zero to the knife edge

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 DISCUSSION OF RESULTS
The aim of this experiment was to determine the mass of loaded metre rule by balancing it
on a knife edge. The theory predicted that when the distance x varies also the value of distance y
varies, Also from the results obtained shows that when the distance X (cm) increases and the
value of distance Y (cm) also increases by small factor
By plotting the graph of distance Y (cm) against the value of distance X (cm) the graph was
straight line with passed positive y- intercept equal to 43.7cm,
From the experiment the mass of the ruler found to be 112.5g which is nearly to the theoretical
value. This difference was probably due to some error occur during collected data.

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 CONCLUSION
Although the experiment was done well but there some source of errors which led a little
variation of value of mass of metre rule to be 112.5g compared to theoretically value. Some of
those errors that were arise during experimental were zero error, error due to setting of
equipment, random error, parallax error, and instrument error.
Hence, in order to obtain the more correctly results the experimenter should be carefully with the
source of errors and how to minimize it during conducting of the experiment, also to repeat some
reading or experimental values in order to get more correct results.

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 REFERENCES
Department of physics (2022/2023), physics laboratory manual, Dodoma, pp16-22

Schetz, Joseph A.; Allen E. Fuhs (1999-02-05). Fundamentals of fluid mechanics. Wiley, John &
Sons, Incorporated.

Halliday & Resnick. (2001). Fundamental of physics (9ed). AC circuits. New York. Oxford press

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