Non-adjustable Kater Pendulum
Mercer University Physics
A paper similar to the one that was published in The Physics Teacher (Oct 1999).
Experiment Description for the TEL-Atomic Kater Pendulum
With a non-adjustable Kater pendulum in which the periods about the two axes have been made almost equal, one can simply measure the Earth's gravitational field (g) to 1 part in 10 thousand.
Students doing this project will learn a variety of techniques for measuring the acceleration of gravity with greater precision than is possible by conventional means. For example, a Lissajous technique may be employed.--c.f. R. Peters, "Automated Kater Pendulum", Eur. J. Phys. 18, 217-221 (1997).
Last update: 2 Aug. 1999