CommonLit
Common Lit: The Pit and the Pendulum
A learning module that begins with "The Pit and the Pendulum" by Edgar Allan Poe, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Trig and Forces: The Pendulum
Using Newton's Laws of motion to calculate the acceleration of a pendulum as well as to compute and draw its position along the swing and move about the screen in a computationally based graphic system.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Reading/analysis of the Works of Poe
An in-depth analysis of the works of Edgar Allan Poe, including "The Raven," "The Masque of the Red Death," "The Fall of the House of Usher," and more! Excellent and detailed lesson plans!
Concord Consortium
Concord Consortium: Stem Resources: Pendulum
An interactive tool where students can explore how a pendulum works, and how length, mass, angle, and friction affect its motion or period. As the pendulum moves, its motion is shown in an angle-time graph.
Concord Consortium
Concord Consortium: Stem Resources: Pendulum and Spring
An interactive tool where students can explore how a pendulum behaves when attached to a spring, which means the length of the attachment is always changing. As the pendulum moves, its motion is shown on two graphs.
Story Behind the Science
Story Behind the Science: Pendulum Motion [Pdf]
The history of the pendulum and its importance both in timekeeping, and in how timekeeping was used to solve other problems, such as determining longitude on a map.
University of Colorado
University of Colorado: Ph Et Interactive Simulations: Pendulum Lab
Manipulate the mass of a weight and the length of string in this interactive pendulum simulation. Change the speed, friction, and gravity to make the pendulum swing change as measurements are displayed on the screen. Younger students can...
University of Colorado
University of Colorado: Ph Et Interactive Simulations: Pendulum Lab
An interactive simulation that teaches about periodic motion, simple harmonic motion, and conservation of energy. Observe one or two pendulums to determine how the swing is influenced by the length of the string, the mass of the pendulum...
Blackdog Media
Classic Reader: "The Pit and the Pendulum" by Edgar Allan Poe
Text of the short story "The Pit and the Pendulum" by Edgar Allan Poe. (Free site registration offers some additional features, e.g., the ability to insert annotations.)
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 lesson will allow young scholars 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...
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.