Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How to Speed Up a Slow Grandfather- The Pendulum

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students explore the concept of periodic motion in relation to its function in a Grandfather type clock. In this periodic motion lesson, students use problem-solving skills and understanding of periodic motion to participate in a group...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Physics: Eigenvalues

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Pupils solve problems by discovering the eigenvalues that satisfy design questions. They explain how relaxing a small angle approximation can change the solution. Students apply the numerical model of pendulumm motion to solve the...
Interactive
Concord Consortium

Concord Consortium: Stem Resources: Pendulum

For Students 9th - 10th
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.
Interactive
Concord Consortium

Concord Consortium: Stem Resources: Pendulum and Spring

For Students 9th - 10th
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.
Article
Story Behind the Science

Story Behind the Science: Pendulum Motion, Time, and Shape of Earth [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
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...
Article
Story Behind the Science

Story Behind the Science: Pendulum Motion [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
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.
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Investigating Calculating the Effect of Mass, Length and Displacement

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this physics lab activity young scholars 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,...
Interactive
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Pendulum Energy Model

For Students 6th - 8th
A simulation exploring the energy produced by a simple pendulum, written for middle school. Includes a lesson plan with accompanying worksheets.
Website
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Virtual Pendulum

For Students 3rd - 8th
This interactive activity from ZOOM offers a chance to experiment with a virtual pendulum and to see how it can be influenced by a variety of factors.
Website
Pennsylvania State University

Acoustics and Vibration Animations: Demonstrations: The Simple Pendulum

For Students 9th - 10th
A series of graphics, downloadable animations and text describe and explain the motion of a pendulum. Some sections require an understanding of calculus.
Activity
Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments: Swing Thing

For Teachers 6th - 8th
In this activity, students will construct a pendulum and create a motion plot for a swinging pendulum. They will also identify characteristics that affect a pendulum's motion.
Activity
Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments: Tic, Toc: Pendulum Motion

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this activity, students' will use a motion detector to plot the position versus time graph for a swinging pendulum. They will determine the period of the motion and model the position data using a cosine function.
Activity
University of Maryland

Thinking Problems in Oscillations and Waves: Pendulum

For Students 9th - 10th
A series of thought-intensive, multichoice questions concerning pendulums and provided for by the University of Maryland. A downloadable software program on pendulums is also included.
eBook
Physics Classroom

The Physics Classroom: Work, Energy, and Power: Mechanical Energy Is Conserved

For Students 9th - 10th
In this interactive exercise, explore the quantitative relationship between work and mechanical energy in situations in which there are no external forces doing work.
Unit Plan
Physics Classroom

The Physics Classroom: Motion of a Mass on a Spring

For Students 9th - 10th
This tutorial investigates the motion of a mass on a spring and how a variety of quantities change over the course of time. Such quantities will include forces, position, velocity and energy - both kinetic and potential energy. Take the...