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Cavendish Gravity Experiment: How to Build the Torsion Balance

Cavendish gravity experiment torsion balance
YouTube Screenshot (https://youtu.be/qqyxKSsXX7A)

By Andrew Bennett

In order to replicate the Cavendish gravity experiment and experimentally determine a value for the universal gravitation constant, I built a torsion balance. This revised design is longer than anything I've used before. It also gives me the flexibility to adjust the positions of the attachment points for the wire and the weights.

What Materials Are Included?

PVC pipe is used as the base for the brackets. I heated it with a heat gun, then molded it to the aluminum bar. The weights are currently dumbbell weights with a bottle cap turned into an adapter between the dumbbell mounting holes and the small bolts.

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What's Next in the Cavendish Gravity Demo Series?

In the next video, I'll be using the torsion balance as a torsion pendulum to evaluate the torsion constant of the different string and wire options for the Cavendish experiment.  Please be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and this blog, so you don't miss the remaining videos about this physics experiment.

Miss a Previous Post?

Part 1: Recreating the Cavendish Gravity Experiment: My First 2 Attempts
Part 2: Get to Know the Math Behind the Cavendish Gravity Experiment
Part 3: Cavendish Gravity Experiment: How to Evaluate and Choose the Materials

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