Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Swing Low: Investigate the Motion of a Pendulum

For Students 3rd - 5th
Kids love to ride the swings at the playground. The back-and-forth motion of a swing demonstrates the physics of a pendulum. In this experiment, you will investigate the factors that affect the speed and duration of a pendulum's swing.
Handout
Science Museum, London

Science Museum: Online Stuff: Huygens' Clocks

For Students 9th - 10th
Find out about Christiaan Huygens who built the world's first pendulum clock in 1656. The pendulum clock became the most accurate clock in the world for nearly 300 years.
Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: The Science of Swinging

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students learn what a pendulum is and how it works in the context of amusement park rides. While exploring the physics of pendulums, they are also introduced to Newton's first law of motion - about continuous motion and inertia.
Activity
Exploratorium

Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Resonant Pendulum

For Students 9th - 10th
An experiment in resonance that demonstrates how to make a pendulum swing widely by exerting only a small force.
Activity
Exploratorium

Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Strange Attractor

For Students 9th - 10th
Explore the chaotic motion of a pendulum that is swinging above several magnets that are fixed in place and see what patterns you can find.
Activity
Other

Arbor Scientific: Haunted Laboratory: Halloween Physics

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This resource presents a collection of experiments for the science classroom that focuses on physics concepts for Halloween. Activities include mirror ghost with a concave mirror, apple oscillators with pendulums, and a pumpkin pendulum....