TryEngineering
Try Engineering: Pendulum Time
Working in teams, students build their own pendulum clock using everyday materials. They conduct research, design, build, test it, and share observations with the class, while learning how pendulums operate and have been used to measure...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Period of a Pendulum Investigation
Using a simulation, students will determine that the pendulum period is affected by the length of the pendulum and gravity but not mass in this activity.
Rice University
Rice University: Galileo's Pendulum Experiments
This site from The Galileo Project of the Rice University provides a great look into the pendulum experimens of Galileo. Contains first-hand writings and examples of experiments along with links to additional information.
Science and Mathematics Initiative for Learning Enhancement (SMILE)
Smile: Periodic Motion, the Pendulum
The Illinois Institute of Technology offers this lesson plan to teach high school students the concept of periodic motion and relate it to the movement of a pendulum.
Blackdog Media
Classic Reader: Author: Edgar Allan Poe
This site focuses on Edgar Allan Poe's life and his short stories. It includes a link to a Poe biography and links to the full text of 53 of his short stories including the following: "The Black Cat," "The Tale Tell Heart," "The Fall of...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Swing Low: Investigate the Motion of a Pendulum
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.
Concord Consortium
Concord Consortium: Energy of a Pendulum
In this interactive, drag a pendulum to set its initial height and observe how height is related to potential energy. Then release the pendulum and observe the change from potential energy to kinetic energy, and ultimately to thermal...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Swinging Pendulum
This activity demonstrates how potential energy (PE) can be converted to kinetic energy (KE) and back again. Given a pendulum height, students calculate and predict how fast the pendulum will swing by understanding conservation of energy...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Swinging Pendulum
This activity shows students the engineering importance of understanding the laws of mechanical energy. More specifically, it demonstrates how potential energy can be converted to kinetic energy and back again. Given a pendulum height,...
Physics Aviary
Physics Aviary: Pendulum Lab
This lab is designed to have students investigate the factors that affect the rate at which a pendulum oscillates. Students can change the length of the pendulum, the angle of release, and the heavenly body on which the pendulum is...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Pendulums Swing Into Motion
This activity will allow students in groups to describe the relationship between energy, work, and force through the use of pendulums. The results will be reported through a graphing activity as well as a paragraph written and printed on...
The Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute: Clocks Teaching Time
This site from The Franklin Institute presents a number of activities, games, exhibits, scavenger hunts, resources, links related to clocks and telling time.
American Association of Physics Teachers
Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Pendulum Energy Model
A simulation exploring the energy produced by a simple pendulum, written for middle school. Includes a lesson plan with accompanying worksheets.
American Association of Physics Teachers
Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Double Pendulum Poincare Map
A double pendulum model where the angles and angular velocities can be manipulated and the effects observed.
American Association of Physics Teachers
Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Double Pendulum Phase Space Model
Adjust to conditions of a double pendulum model and observe the results in an accompanying graph.
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Simple Pendulum
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Students understand the mechanics of a simple pendulum, and solve problems involving a simple pendulum.
Story Behind the Science
Story Behind the Science: Pendulum Motion, Time, and Shape of Earth [Pdf]
Article outlining the scientific history behind the evolution of theories about measuring time based on the movement of a pendulum, and about how gravity would impact a pendulum's movement depending on one's proximity to the Earth's...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Foucault Pendulum
Students learn about the Foucault pendulum, an engineering tool used to demonstrate and measure the Earth's rotation. Student groups then create small experimental versions, each comprised of a pendulum and a video camera mounted on a...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Android Pendulums
Students investigate the motion of a simple pendulum through direct observation and data collection using Android devices and the AccelDataCapture app.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Into the Swing of Things
Students learn the basic properties of periodic and harmonic motion, and how the rearrangement of the simple pendulum equation can be used to solve for gravitational acceleration, pendulum length, and gravity. At lesson end, students are...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating Calculating the Effect of Mass, Length and Displacement
In this physics lab activity students investigate how mass, length and angular displacement affect the period of a simple pendulum. Students control variables, testing one variable at a time, using manual techniques (stopwatch, human...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: The Science of Swinging
Young scholars 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.
Utah Education Network
Uen: Rock a Bye Pendulum
Activity uses scientific process to explore the effects of force on an object in motion.
