Teaching Pendulum Motion at the Playground

Harry and Henry Heiberger

Goals for Lesson

• Goals:
• Introduce the concepts of period and frequency
• Provide intuition about the physics of pendulum motion and the factors that affect it
• Enable students to make calculations regarding pendulum motion
• Target Audience
• Middle School Physical Science Students

Preparation

• Materials Needed:
• Playground Swing-Set
• Pendulum (Ex: Yo-Yo)
• Stopwatches
• Tape Measure
• Set-up Needed:
• Gather materials
• Set swing-set at different heights

Lesson Structure: Introduce

• Show Yo-Yo
• Ask if others have seen it before
• Demonstrate typical use
• Introduce term "pendulum"
• What is it?
• Demonstrate pendulum motion

Lesson Structure: Play

• Structure
• Have students play on swings
• Remind them to be thinking about what they just saw
• Keep track of observations and discoveries
• Play Time
• Split into groups of 2-3
• 5 minutes of “play” time
• Provide guidance and comments as needed

Lesson Structure: Discuss

• Ask for observations
• What did you notice?
• What was surprising?
• Explore pendulums in more depth
• Introduce concepts of period and frequency
• Collectively draw force diagram for pendulum
• Raise the question about what factors affect� pendulum motion

Lesson Structure: Experiment

• Introduce Guiding Questions
• How does a pendulum function?
• What factors affect the pendulum's period?
• How are the pendulum swings different?
• Introduce Guidelines
• Must gather data by using the swing �and stopwatches
• Try both sitting and not sitting in swing
• Track how the pendulum’s period changes �as you change factors
• Experiment Time
• Split into groups
• 10 - 15 minutes
• Provide guidance as needed

Lesson Structure: Experiment Cont.

Long Pendulum, Slow Speed

Short Pendulum, Fast Speed

Lesson Structure: Experiment Cont.

Long Pendulum, Slow Speed

Lesson Structure: Conclusion

• Ask for observations
• What trends were observed?
• What factors affect pendulum motion?
• Conclusion
• Discuss pendulum motion equation
• �
• Examine how results relate to equation
• Discussion Questions
• Why does the pendulum period depend only on length?
• What are some of the things that could have caused the swing to behave differently from what the pendulum formula predicted?
• Not an ideal pendulum

Final Thoughts: Intuition

Classical Mechanics

Music/Acoustics

Natural Sciences

Humanities

Other Lessons

1. Moment of Inertia and Playground Slides

Subject:�Physical Science

Targeted Age Range:�8th-10th Grade

Description:

Students roll objects of various shapes down the playground slide and record their velocity and completion time

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Goal:

Gain intuition on the effects of rotational inertia and explore the moment of inertia equation for different shapes�

2. Friction and Playground Slides

Subject:�Physical Science

Targeted Age Range:�6th-8th Grade

Description:

Students slide down the slide while riding on different materials and record their sliding time each time

​

Goal:

Gain intuition on the effects of friction force and the factors that influence it. Better understand the static and kinetic friction equations�

3. Newton’s Second Law and Playground Slides

Subject:�Physical Science

Targeted Age Range:�9th-11th Grade

Description:

Students use force gauges and wooden blocks to experiment with Newton’s Second Law and physically explore the free body diagrams produced by it

​

Goal:

Gain intuition on Newton’s Second Law and be able to complete force problems involving blocks on inclined planes.

4. Torque and Seesaws

Subject:�Physical Science

Targeted Age Range:�6th-8th Grade

Description:�Students attempt to balance the seesaw by positioning different numbers and weights on different places on the seesaw

Goal:�Gain intuition on the effects of torque and the factors that influence it. Better understand how to make calculations using torque

5. Circular Motion and Spinner

Subject:�Physical Science

Targeted Age Range:�8th-10th Grade

Description:�Students explore how positioning themselves on different places on the spinner and spinning at different speeds affect the forces they are experiencing.

Goal:�Gain intuition on the effects of circular motion and the many factors involved with it. Be able to perform force calculations in circular motion.

6. Zipline and Newton’s First Law

Subject:�Physical Science

Targeted Age Range:�9th-11th Grade

Description:�Students hang from the zipline and try to move themself while being able unable to touch and able to touch external objects

Goal:�Gain an understanding of Newton's First Law and how it can be applied to physical problems. Be able to explain how objects move through physics.�

7. Sound Waves and Playground Speaker

Subject:�Physical Science

Targeted Age Range:�7th-8th Grade

Description:�Students experiment with producing and listening to sounds from the playground speakers

Goal:�Gain intuition on sound creation and how it travels through an environment. Be able to explain the factors that affect sound.�

8. Music and Playground Instruments

Subject:�Music

Targeted Age Range:�7th-8th Grade

Description:�Students experiment with producing and listening to both individual notes and chords from the playground xylophone.

Goal:�Gain an understanding of how sound translates into musical notes and the factors that affect note creation. Be able to predict how the sound of two bars should differ.�

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9. Playgrounds and Ecology

Subject:�Natural Science

Targeted Age Range:�4th-6th Grade

Description:�Students study the local ecology by recording the various plant and animal life they find at their local playground. Students can then discuss the relationships between these various organisms and how they affect the ecosystem as a whole

Goal:�Gain a better understanding of the functions of an ecosystem and especially how it applies within their local community�

10. Leadership, Communication, and Playgrounds

Subject:�Communication

Targeted Age Range:�6th-12th Grade

Description:�Students split into groups and take turns leading each other through a series of follow-the-leader and team-building activities on the playground. After each activity, students discuss what traits make successful teams and leader

Goal:�Better understand the key components of leadership and be more confident and skillful as a leader and teammate. �