Arrange a pendulum so that you can measure the horizontal displacement of its bob. Release the bob from a carefully measured initial position. Measure the time required for the amplitude of the oscillations to decrease to about half of that initial value.
Determine the corresponding angular displacements. Couple that data with information obtained from the damped model (given in class) to determine the damping parameter p. Repeat the experiment several times and average to increase the reliability of your estimate of p.
How much confidence do you have in your estimate of p. What is the primary source of damping in your pendulum?
