• Advanced students may point out that it is impossible to spin the mass in a horizontal circle above one's head. This should lead into a good discussion of force diagrams and the centripetal force. In this experiment, the centripetal force is the horizontal component of the tension.


• Make sure that the area around the students is clear of obstacles.


• It is absolutely imperative that all individuals in the lab wear safety goggles.


• This experiment may take several days. It may be wise to do one part per day.


• While this lab can be done with just one person, it will yield the best results with 3 students; one student running the GLX, another student spinning, and the third student watching the radius.


• The teacher will probably have to help "introductory" physics students with question #4.


• In determining the period, greater accuracy can be achieved by recording as many revolutions as possible.

Download:

• To download the "Centripetal Force with the GLX" DataStudio files with sample data for this experiment,
  click on Windows (Zip file) or Macintosh (Stuffit file).