Pendulum Lab
Original Sim and Translations |
About
Topics
- Periodic Motion
- Simple Harmonic Motion
- Conservation of Energy
- Period
- Pendulum
Description
Play with one or two pendulums and discover how the period of a simple pendulum depends on the length of the string, the mass of the pendulum bob, the strength of gravity, and the amplitude of the swing. Observe the energy in the system in real-time, and vary the amount of friction. Measure the period using the stopwatch or period timer. Use the pendulum to find the value of g on Planet X. Notice the anharmonic behavior at large amplitude.
Sample Learning Goals
- Design experiments to determine which variables affect the period of a pendulum
- Quantitatively describe how the period of a pendulum depends on these variables
- Explain the small-angle approximation, and define what constitutes a “small” angle
- Determine the gravitational acceleration of Planet X
- Explain the conservation of mechanical energy, using kinetic energy and gravitational potential energy
- Describe the Energy Graph from the position and speed of the pendulum
Keywords
For Teachers
Teacher Tips
Overview of sim controls, model simplifications, and insights into student thinking ( PDF ). |
Teacher-Submitted Activities
Title | Authors | Level | Type | ||
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Pendulum Basics Inquiry | Trish Loeblein | MS | Lab | ||
Pendulum Lab 2: Find g (Inquiry Based) | Trish Loeblein | UG-Intro HS |
HW | ||
Pendulum Lab 1: intro to pendulums (Inquiry Based) | Trish Loeblein | UG-Intro HS |
HW Lab |
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Swinging Physics Using Pendulum Phet | John Lewis and Michi Ishimoto | HS UG-Intro |
Discuss Lab |
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Pendulum investigation for Middle School | Jefferson County Middle School Workshop | MS | Lab | ||
Alignment of PhET sims with NGSS | Trish Loeblein | HS | Other | ||
KE and PE with the pendulum, Student | Don Loving | UG-Intro HS MS |
Guided Lab |
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Pendulum Lab | Bunyamin Purkaya | MS | Lab | ||
PhET Simulations Aligned for AP Physics C | Roberta Tanner | HS | Other | ||
MS and HS TEK to Sim Alignment | Elyse Zimmer | MS HS |
Other | ||
Mecánica desde la metodología del aprendizaje virtual | Patricia Abdel Rahim | UG-Adv | Lab |
Browse more activities.
Translations
Related Simulations
Software Requirements
Windows 7+ | Mac OS 10.7+ | iPad and iPad Mini with iOS | Chromebook with Chrome OS |
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Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer 11, latest version of Firefox, latest version of Chrome.
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Safari 9+, latest version of Firefox, latest version of Chrome.
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Latest version of Safari
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Latest version of Chrome
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Credits
Design Team | Third-party Libraries | Thanks To |
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