Swing That Pendulum
Source Institutions
-
Twin Cities Public Television
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In this full inquiry activity (located on page 3 of the PDF under GPS: Kinetic Sculpture Challenge Activity), groups of learners will make predictions about which feature of a pendulum (mass, length, or both) has any effect on its rate of swinging. Then, learners conduct repeated testing of a simple string and weight pendulum, varying its length and mass, and finally analyzing the recorded results. Relates to linked video, DragonflyTV GPS: Kinetic Sculpture Challenge.
- Under 5 minutes
- 1 to 2 hours
- 1 cent - $1 per group of students
- Ages 8 - 14
- Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity
- English
Quick Guide
Materials List (per group of students)
- a spool of string
- 9 washers, 1 inch diameter
- a metric ruler
- masking tape
- a stopwatch
- scissors
Subjects
- Engineering and Technology
- Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Engineering
- Mathematics
- Data Analysis and Probability
- Data Analysis
- Data Collection
- Data Representation
- Probability
- Measurement
- Rate
- Number and Operations
- Representation
- Data Analysis and Probability
- Physical Sciences
- Energy
- Work and Machines
- Motion and Forces
- Machines
- Gravity
- Momentum and Velocity
- Newton's Laws
- Structure and Properties of Matter
- Mass and Weight
- Energy
- The Nature of Science
- The Scientific Process
- About Inquiry
- Conducting Investigations
- Gathering Data
- Communicating Results
- The Scientific Process
Audience
To use this activity, learners need to:
- see
- read
- touch
Learning styles supported:
- Involves teamwork and communication skills
- Involves hands-on or lab activities
Other
Components that are part of this resource:
This resource is part of:
Access Rights:
- Free access
By:
Source Collection:
- DragonflyTV
Rights:
- All Rights Reserved, Twin Cities Public Television, Inc., ©2007
Funding Source:
- National Science Foundation, 610429
