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.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Open Course Ware: Courses: Physics: Classical Mechanics
College-level online course highlighting the study of classical mechanics. This course focuses on Newtonian mechanics, fluid mechanics, and kinetic gas theory. Course features include a 35 video lecture series by Walter Lewin. Also link...
Rice University
Galileo Project: Galileo Timeline
This site from The Galileo Project of Rice University contains a detailed description of Galileo's life and work on a timeline. Links are provided throughout for additional information on related subjects.
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...
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.
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.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating Calculating the Effect of Mass, Length and Displacement
For this physics lab activity students investigate how mass, length and angular displacement affect the period of a simple pendulum. Students control variables, testing one variable at a time, using manual techniques (stopwatch, human...
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.
SRI International
Performance Assessment Links in Science: Observing Objects
This is a performance task for Grade Four students where they observe two different pendulums and compare the two types of motion. The activity is designed for a lab setting where students work at individual stations. A rubric and...
American Association of Physics Teachers
Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Double Pendulum Poincare Map
A double pendulum model where the angles and angular velocities can be manipulated and the effects observed.
American Association of Physics Teachers
Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Double Pendulum Phase Space Model
Adjust to conditions of a double pendulum model and observe the results in an accompanying graph.
American Association of Physics Teachers
Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Swinging Atwood's Machine Model
Variation on the standard Atwood's Machine model, where one hanging mass swings like a pendulum and the other remains stationary. Manipulate the conditions and observe the results.
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 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...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: 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...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Swinging With Style
Students experientially learn about the characteristics of a simple physics phenomenon - the pendulum - by riding on playground swings. They use pendulum terms and a timer to experiment with swing variables. They extend their knowledge...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: The Science of Swinging
Young scholars learn what a pendulum is and how it works in the context of amusement park rides. While exploring the physics of pendulums, they are also introduced to Newton's first law of motion - about continuous motion and inertia.
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.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Foucault Pendulum
Students learn about the Foucault pendulum, an engineering tool used to demonstrate and measure the Earth's rotation. Student groups then create small experimental versions, each comprised of a pendulum and a video camera mounted on a...
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.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Into the Swing of Things
Young scholars learn the basic properties of periodic and harmonic motion, and how the rearrangement of the simple pendulum equation can be used to solve for gravitational acceleration, pendulum length, and gravity. At lesson end,...
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.
Concord Consortium
Concord Consortium: Molecular Workbench Showcase: Physics, Mechanics
A collection of simulations representing concepts discussed in a mechanics unit of physics.