Source: Extra Practice
In a simple pendulum experiment to determine the acceleration due to gravity , the length of the pendulum is measured as cm with a meter scale of least count mm. The time for oscillations is s measured with a stopwatch of least count s. What is the maximum percentage error in the value of ?
Options
Option A
0.1%
Option B
2.1%
Option C is correct
1.1%
Option D
0.6%
Explanation
The formula for the time period of a simple pendulum is , which gives . The relative error in is . Given: cm, mm = cm. Total time s for oscillations, so and . Here s. Substituting: . Expressed as a percentage: . Option 0.1% only considers length, and 2.1% or 0.6% result from incorrect application of the power rule for or arithmetic errors.