Curated OER
Swinging Pendulum
Middle schoolers engage in an activity which 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...
Curated OER
Time That Period
Physical science starters play with a pendulum in order to experience periodicity. Detailed procedures and a worksheet are included for day one. For day two, learners will use a graphing calculator to help them plot orbit data from a...
Curated OER
Stars and Slopes
More of a math lesson than physics or space science, high schoolers take a set of data and plot it on a log-log coordinate system. The write-up for day two was never completed, but day one, "Stars and Slopes," is complex and cohesive....
Curated OER
Swing in Time
Students examine the motion of pendulums and come to understand that the longer the string of the pendulum, the fewer the number of swings in a given time interval. They see that changing the weight on the pendulum does not have an...
Purdue University
The Represented World: Recreational STEM
How are forces and motion important to a swing set? Scholars explore the concepts of force and motion using swing sets. In preparation for their own STEM design project, individuals take surveys and data from peers, complete labs on...
Colorado State University
If You Can't Predict the Weather, How Can You Predict the Climate?
Why is the weather man wrong so often? Young climatologists discover how chaos rules both weather and climate through a math-based activity. Using an iterative equation, the class examines how small day-to-day weather events total up to...
Curated OER
Rock-A-Bye Pendulum
Third graders use the scientific process to explore the effects of force on an object in motion. They demonstrate that the greater the force applied to an object, the greater the change in speed or direction of the object. They...
Curated OER
Frequency vs. Size
Students identify and interpret sound as a vibration and what period and frequency are. They also divide the various types of objects so that all objects are explored and the procedures are determined by the students.
Finally, students...
Curated OER
The Robot Artist--Aaron
This is a creative multidisciplinary lesson which will involve learners in art, technology, and psychology. Students learn about Harold Cohen who created a robot programmed to create art. Learners will also enjoy the sand pendulum...
Curated OER
iChat AV and iSight Camera
Students interact with science and math classes around the world by doing the same experiment and communicating their results. They use iChat AV and an iSight camera to share relevant information about their area, decide on the...
Science Museum, London
Science Museum: Online Stuff: Huygens' Clocks
Find out about Christiaan Huygens who built the world's first pendulum clock in 1656. The pendulum clock became the most accurate clock in the world for nearly 300 years.
Science Museum, London
Science Museum: Online Stuff: Big Clocks
Learn about the development of early clocks from the 14th through to the 19th centuries.