Teachers' Domain: Virtual Pendulum

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This interactive Shockwave simulation, produced by PBS Zoom, lets students explore pendulum motion in a unique game-like format. Swing it back and forth from different heights and change the length of the string. But now it gets more complicated: jump to another planet to see how changing gravity affects the motion of the pendulum. Students can also explore why the pendulum traces out a flower-shaped pattern rather than a straight line. (This occurs because of the Earth's rotation -- making it seem as though the pendulum is turning when, actually, the earth is turning.) The simulation lets students change the rate of planetary rotation to show what the pattern would look like on a fast or slow-spinning planet. The game ends by putting all four variables together.

Don't miss the supplementary background information and warm-up questions provided by Teachers' Domain to accompany this activity.

Please note that this resource requires Shockwave.

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/phy03.sci.phys.mfw.zpendulu...

Subjects	Levels	Resource Types
Astronomy - Fundamentals = Gravity Education Practices - Active Learning = Inquiry Learning Oscillations & Waves - Oscillations = Pendula	- Middle School - High School - Informal Education	- Instructional Material = Activity = Game = Interactive Simulation

Appropriate Courses	Categories	Ratings
- Physical Science - Physics First - Conceptual Physics - Algebra-based Physics - AP Physics	- Activity - New teachers	Currently 0.0/5 Want to rate this material? Login here!

Intended Users:: Learner
General Public
Formats:: application/shockwave
text/html
Access Rights:: Limited free access; Users are allowed only one free download per single computer and may not upload or reproduce this material.
Restriction:: © 2004 WGBH Educational Foundation, http://pbskids.org/zoom/help/copyright/index.html
Keywords:: Hooke's Law, PBS simulation, gravitational acceleration, middle school simulation, pendulum animation, pendulum simulation, periodic motion
Record Creator:: Metadata instance created October 12, 2010 by Caroline Hall
Record Updated:: October 12, 2010 by Caroline Hall
Last Update when Cataloged:: September 30, 2010

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AAAS Benchmark Alignments (2008 Version)

4. The Physical Setting

4B. The Earth

6-8: 4B/M3. Everything on or anywhere near the earth is pulled toward the earth's center by gravitational force.

4G. Forces of Nature

3-5: 4G/E1. The earth's gravity pulls any object on or near the earth toward it without touching it.
6-8: 4G/M1. Every object exerts gravitational force on every other object. The force depends on how much mass the objects have and on how far apart they are. The force is hard to detect unless at least one of the objects has a lot of mass.

This resource is part of a Physics Front Topical Unit.

Topic: Periodic and Simple Harmonic Motion
Unit Title: Simple Harmonic Motion

The amount of time it takes a pendulum to swing back and forth stays the same when you change its weight. But what if you took the pendulum to another planet? This animation lets students interactively explore pendulum length, the force of gravity, and rotation of the planet to see how they affect the motion of the pendulum.

Link to Unit:

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<a href="http://www.compadre.org/precollege/items/detail.cfm?ID=10409">WGBH Educational Foundation. Teachers' Domain: Virtual Pendulum. Boston: WGBH Educational Foundation, September 30, 2010.</a>

AIP Format

Teachers' Domain: Virtual Pendulum (WGBH Educational Foundation, Boston, 2004), WWW Document, (http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/phy03.sci.phys.mfw.zpendulumint/).

AJP/PRST-PER

Teachers' Domain: Virtual Pendulum (WGBH Educational Foundation, Boston, 2004), <http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/phy03.sci.phys.mfw.zpendulumint/>.

APA Format

Teachers' Domain: Virtual Pendulum. (2010, September 30). Retrieved May 24, 2013, from WGBH Educational Foundation: http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/phy03.sci.phys.mfw.zpendulumint/

Chicago Format

WGBH Educational Foundation. Teachers' Domain: Virtual Pendulum. Boston: WGBH Educational Foundation, September 30, 2010. http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/phy03.sci.phys.mfw.zpendulumint/ (accessed 24 May 2013).

MLA Format

Teachers' Domain: Virtual Pendulum. Boston: WGBH Educational Foundation, 2004. 30 Sep. 2010. 24 May 2013 <http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/phy03.sci.phys.mfw.zpendulumint/>.

BibTeX Export Format

@misc{ Title = {Teachers' Domain: Virtual Pendulum}, Publisher = {WGBH Educational Foundation}, Volume = {2013}, Number = {24 May 2013}, Month = {September 30, 2010}, Year = {2004} }

Refer Export Format

%T Teachers' Domain: Virtual Pendulum
%D September 30, 2010
%I WGBH Educational Foundation
%C Boston
%U http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/phy03.sci.phys.mfw.zpendulumint/
%O application/shockwave

EndNote Export Format

%0 Electronic Source
%D September 30, 2010
%T Teachers' Domain: Virtual Pendulum
%I WGBH Educational Foundation
%V 2013
%N 24 May 2013
%8 September 30, 2010
%9 application/shockwave
%U http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/phy03.sci.phys.mfw.zpendulumint/

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