Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom: Pendulum Motion
This tutorial investigates pendulum motion 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 interactive...
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.
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...
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments: Tic, Toc: Pendulum Motion
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.
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.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Energy of Motion
By taking a look at the energy of motion all around us, students learn about the types of energy and their characteristics. They first learn about the two simplest forms of mechanical energy: kinetic and potential energy, as illustrated...
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.
University of Maryland
Thinking Problems in Oscillations and Waves: Pendulum
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.
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.
Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom: Motion of a Mass on a Spring
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...
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...
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.
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: Simple Harmonic Motion
Wikipedia offers great information on simple harmonic motion, including an image, formulas, and hyperlinked terms.
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.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Oscillatory Motion and Waves: Summary
This page provides a summary for each section of Chapter 16: Oscillatory Motion and Waves from the AP Physics online text.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Oscillatory Motion and Waves: Conceptual Questions
This is a list of 18 questions covering the major concepts in Chapter 16: Oscillatory Motion and Waves from the AP Physics online text.
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments: Swing Thing
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.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: The Simple Pendulum
By the end of this section, you will be able determine the period of oscillation of a hanging pendulum.
Concord Consortium
Concord Consortium: Molecular Workbench: Double Inverted Pendulum Oscillating
Adjust frequency, amplitude, and perturbation in this simulation to graph the trajectory of a mass at the end of each pendulum.
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.
American Association of Physics Teachers
Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Two Springs and a Pendulum Model
Swing virtual pendulums and compare the motion of one oscillating weight on a horizontal spring to a second weight on another spring. Then, compare how these motions differ from the motion of a simple pendulum.
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...
Physics Aviary
Physics Aviary: Practice Problems: Energy/momentum Ballistic Pendulum
Students must predict the pre-collision speed of a ball that has been captured by a ballistic pendulum.