---
title: "A student performs an experiment at a high-altitude research station to determine the local acceleration due to gravity, \\(g\\). The student uses a simple pendulum, measuring the period \\(T\\) for several different lengths of string \\(L\\) and several different bob masses \\(m\\). To determine a value for \\(g\\), which of the following quantities should the student plot on the vertical and horizontal axes to produce a linear graph?"
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url: "https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/112819/"
date_modified: "2026-05-01T18:11:52+00:00"
---

# A student performs an experiment at a high-altitude research station to determine the local acceleration due to gravity, \(g\). The student uses a simple pendulum, measuring the period \(T\) for several different lengths of string \(L\) and several different bob masses \(m\). To determine a value for \(g\), which of the following quantities should the student plot on the vertical and horizontal axes to produce a linear graph?

A student performs an experiment at a high-altitude research station to determine the local acceleration due to gravity, \(g\). The student uses a simple pendulum, measuring the period \(T\) for several different lengths of string \(L\) and several different bob masses \(m\). To determine a value for \(g\), which of the following quantities should the student plot on the vertical and horizontal axes to produce a linear graph?

![A simple pendulum system. At the top is a horizontal ceiling. A thin string of length L is attached to the ceiling at a pivot point. At the bottom of the string is a spherical bob of mass m. A dashed vertical line represents the equilibrium position. The pendulum is shown displaced from equilibrium by a small angle theta.](https://nerd-notes.com/wp-content/uploads/ubq-frq-generated/pendulum-setup-1777659112-oHUSLL.jpg)

- **A.** \(T\) on the vertical axis and \(m\) on the horizontal axis
- **B.** \(T\) on the vertical axis and \(L\) on the horizontal axis
- **C.** \(T^2\) on the vertical axis and \(L\) on the horizontal axis
- **D.** \(T\) on the vertical axis and \(L^2\) on the horizontal axis

*The answer key and step-by-step explanation are available to logged-in users at https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/112819/*