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 and using the equations for PE and KE. The equations are justified as students experimentally measure the speed of the pendulum and compare theory with reality.

Concepts

engineering, kinetic energy, potential energy, stem

Show More Show Less

Additional Tags

conservation of energy, integrated teaching and learning program and laboratory, teachengineering, pendulum, amusement park physics

Show More Show Less

Classroom Considerations

• Knovation Readability Score: 4 (1 low difficulty, 5 high difficulty)