Curated OER
Work and Energy
In this work and energy activity, students review energy laws, potential energy, and kinetic energy. This activity has 8 fill in the blank, 7 short answer, and 5 matching questions.
Curated OER
Tick-Tock Goes The Clock
Pupils examine the letter 't'. Through instruction and modeling they explore the sound the letter makes, how to make the sound with their mouths, how the letter is written, etc. They say tongue twisters with the /t/ sound in them. They...
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.
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: 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.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Virtual Pendulum
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.
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...
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...
Pennsylvania State University
Acoustics and Vibration Animations: Demonstrations: The Simple Pendulum
A series of graphics, downloadable animations and text describe and explain the motion of a pendulum. Some sections require an understanding of calculus.
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.
Utah Education Network
Uen: Rock a Bye Pendulum
Activity uses scientific process to explore the effects of force on an object in motion.
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.
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Physics/mechanics (Force and Motion)
A collection of mechanics activities. Many pertain to Newton's laws of motion. Step-by-step directions provided with illustrations. Great for teacher demos or student projects.
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
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...
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...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Bill Nye Demonstration: Newton's Pendulum
Learn about Newton's Pendulum will Bill Nye as you watch this demonstration of some of the most fundamental laws of physics and mechanics. [0:52]
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.