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Pendulums

Essential Skills & Concepts: Content:

o Understand and apply knowledge of how forces are related to an object’s motion. (S.3-5.PS.5)

Inquiry:o Identify and generate questions that can be answered through scientific

investigations. (3-5)o Plan and conduct scientific investigations. (K-6)o Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, process, and analyze data. (3-5)o Use evidence to develop reasonable explanations. (K-5)o Communicate scientific procedures and explanations (3-5)

21st Century Skills:o Employability Skills: (3-5)

Communicate and work productively with others. Demonstrate initiative, creativity, self-direction, and entrepreneurial thinking. Demonstrate productivity and accountability for producing quality work.

What Students Will be Doing: The Pendulums activity is an authentic assessment activity designed to measure student understanding of the concept of controlling variables (including: independent variable, dependent variable, constants, experiment, fair test, research question, and claim). Students will use their knowledge about controlling variables to develop research questions, form predictions, test and record data findings, and make claims while exploring/experimenting with Pendulums.

Materials: Student Discovery Packets (1/student) Timers/Stopwatch (1/group) Meter Stick (1/group) Washer (5/group) Unsharpened Pencil (1/group) Masking Tape (1/group) String (various lengths) Paperclip (1/group)

Introducing the Activity:

Ask students, “What things do you know that swing?” As students give answers, make a list onthe whiteboard. Students may come up with a variety of examples of things that swing (a swing,grandfather clock, acrobat/trapeze at a circus, etc.). Next, discuss the objects on the board. “Doany of these objects swing faster than the others?” “What do you think makes come swing fasterthan the other objects?” Students may come up with answers like: the weight/mass, where theobjects are released from, and how long the object is (swing chains, trapeze ropes, etc.).

Next, show students a pendulum that is already made (using a pencil, string, paperclip, andwasher) by holding it up to the class. Release the washer and have the students count how manyswings it makes in a designated time period (20 seconds or whatever you choose). Students willcome up with different answers (some will have half as many swings as others). This will leadinto discussing what constitutes a swing. Explain to students that for this experiment/activity, thewasher going across/away and back to the side it was released on will be counted as 1 swing.This is also the time to establish what “displacement” means. Tell students that displacement isthe release point of the pendulum. Now that this has been established, repeat the previousactivity and have students count the swings again. This time, they should get the same number ofswings. (This activity serves the purpose of giving students an idea of how the pendulum can beset up while also establishing what constitutes one swing so that all students are counting thesame, allowing the data to be more cohesive.)

Now, hand out the Student Discovery Packets to the students. Direct their attention to the“General Definitions” section, located on the first page of the packet. Ask students, “Look at thewords on this page. What do you recognize about these words?” Students should notice they areall terms discussed previously. Tell students to take time to fill out the definitions under thissection. After giving them time, have them share/compare their definitions with someone at theirtable/next to them. This will help them review their prior knowledge of these terms and confirmwith a partner (helps to get them thinking about these things for the upcoming experiment). Tellstudents that they will be using these same concepts/ideas during their Pendulum activity.

Next, discuss predictions with students. Students will have prior knowledge of makingpredictions, however it’s important to emphasize the importance of making predictions BEFOREcompleting the experiment. Let students know that it is okay if their prediction ends up not beingtrue, especially because they will get a chance to make a claim after experimenting based on theevidence they discovered. Tell students that they should not go back and change their predictionto fit their data/discovery and that you want to see their initial thoughts (their predictions). Havethe students (in their groups) go ahead and make their prediction for “Pendulum Experiment #1:Displacement (Release Position).” Point out that the research question is already written forthem and that they need to make a prediction based on what the research question is asking and

what they think they know about pendulums. After making their first predictions, studentsshould go to “Pendulum Experiment #2: Mass” and “Pendulum Experiment #3:Length of String”to write a research question (not provided like in experiment #1) and make a prediction for each.Students can do these as a group, which will help foster some initial discussion. (At this point,groups should not have the materials to start their experiment other than their packet. This willhelp students to stay focused on making predictions and not starting their experiment untilinstructed to do so.)

Finally, remind students that their writing/recordings should be legible and easy to read. Also,direct students to experiments #2 and #3, pointing out that they will need to fill in the title andheadings for the data tables in those experiments. After students have written their researchquestions and made their predictions for all three experiments, they can get the requiredmaterials and start working on experiment #1. During their work time, it is important for theteacher to circulate the room to answer any questions and observe students’ experiments.

Teacher Notes: Set Up:

1. Lay the pencil (eraser end out) on a table so that about half of the pencil extends over the edge of the table. Make sure the pencil is secured down with tape.

2. Tie one end of string to the paperclip and the other end of the string to the pencil.3. Place a washer onto the paperclip (bent slightly to allow the washer to slide on and stay

on).4. Use your hand to lift the washer to one side so that it is level with the pencil (or at the

desired height) and the string is straight/tight.5. Have one group member use the timer to time 15 seconds. Release the washer when the

time says “go.”6. Count the number of swings (a swing is one complete back and forth).7. Stop the washer when the time says “stop.”8. Record the number of swings in the data table in the pendulum journal.9. Repeat these steps for the desired number of trials and testing the desired independent

variables (keeping other variables constant).

Student Pages:

Student Discovery Packet

Pendulum Experiment Journal

General Definitions: Write a general definition for each science term listed, so a person will know exactly how each was measured or what it means. Keep it generic - don’t mention pendulums!

Independent Variable:

Dependent Variable:

Constants:

Experiment:

Fair Test:

Research Question:

Claim:

Pendulum Experiment Details and Diagrams:

Draw your pendulum experimental set-up and clearly label all of the parts. Also label how you will measure displacement.

How will you measure displacement in your pendulum experiment?

How will the mass of the pendulum bob be measured in your experiment?

How will you count one pendulum swing in your experiment?

Pendulum Experiment #1: Displacement (Release Position)

Research question (What we want to discover): What is the effect of displacement (release position) on the number of swings in 15 seconds?

Prediction:

What is the independent (manipulated) variable? ___________________

What is the dependent (responding) variable? ______________________

Record the data for the constant variables in data table. Do the experiment then record the results in the data table.

Data Table 1: Release Position and Number of Swings

Number of Swings in 15 sec

Displacement

(Release Position)

Length of String

Mass Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average

Write a claim about what you discovered in this experiment.

Pendulum Experiment #2: Mass

Research question:

Prediction:



Correctly label all columns and rows in the data table and add a title.

Record the data for the constant variables in data table. Carry out the experiment then record the results in the data table.

Data Table 2: ____________________________________


Pendulum Experiment #3: Length of String

Research question:

Prediction:



Correctly label all columns and rows in the data table and add a title.Record the data for the constant variables in data table.Carry out the experiment and record the results in the data table.

Data Table 3: ____________________________________


Write an overall claim about the variables that do and do not affect the rate of a pendulum’s swinging.

Sample Student Answers:

SAMPLE Student Discovery Packet

Pendulum Experiment Journal

General Definitions: Write a general definition for each science term listed, so a person will know exactly how each was measured or what it means. Keep it generic - don’t mention pendulums!

Independent Variable: The variable that you change on purpose.

Dependent Variable: The variable that changes as a result of a change in the independent variable.

Constants: Variables that are kept the same/unchanged.

Experiment: Procedures to test the research question.

Fair Test: Includes one independent variable, one dependent variable, and everything else should be kept constant (the same). Allows for testing of how the independent variable affects the dependent variable.

Research Question: What is being tested – must mention both the dependent variable and independent variable.

Claim: The answer to the research question.

Pendulum Experiment Details and Diagrams:

Draw your pendulum experimental set-up and clearly label all of the parts. Also label how you will measure displacement.

How will you measure displacement in your pendulum experiment?

Displacement (release position) is measured by the distance of the displacement from the floor in centimeters (74cm, 31cm, or 14 cm).

How will the mass of the pendulum bob be measured in your experiment?

The mass will be measured by the number of washers used (1 washer, 3 washers, or 5 washers).

How will you count one pendulum swing in your experiment?

One complete swing will be measured by the washer going over/away and back to its starting point/side.

Pendulum Experiment #1: Displacement (Release Position)

Research question (What we want to discover): What is the effect of displacement (release position) on the number of swings in 15 seconds?

Prediction: A larger displacement will result in a greated number of swings in 15 seconds.

What is the independent (manipulated) variable? Displacement

What is the dependent (responding) variable? Number of Swings (in 15 sec.)

Record the data for the constant variables in data table. Do the experiment then record the results in the data table.

Data Table 1: Release Position and Number of Swings

Number of Swings in 15 sec

Displacement

(Release Position)

Length of String

Mass

(# of washers)

Trial 1

(swings)

Trial 2

(swings)

Trial 3

(swings)

Average

(swings)

74 cm 59 cm 1 99 9 9

31 cm 59 cm 1 99 9 9

14 cm 59 cm 1 9.59 9.5 9.5


The displacement does not affect the number of swings in 15 seconds.

Pendulum Experiment #2: Mass

Research question: What is the effect of mass on the number of swings in 15 seconds?

Prediction: The greater the mass, the greater number of swings in 15 seconds.

What is the independent (manipulated) variable? Mass (number of washers)

What is the dependent (responding) variable? Number of swings (in 15 sec.)

Correctly label all columns and rows in the data table and add a title.

Record the data for the constant variables in data table. Carry out the experiment then record the results in the data table.

Data Table 2: Mass and Number of Swings (in 15 seconds)

Number of swings in 15 sec.

Mass Length of Displacement Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average

(# of washers)

String(Release Position) (swings) (swings)

(swings)

(swings)

1 59 cm 74 cm 9 9 9 9

3 59 cm 74 cm 9 8 9 9

5 59 cm 74 cm 8 9 9 9


The mass does not affect the number of swings in 15 seconds.

Pendulum Experiment #3: Length of String

Research question: What is the effect of length of string on the number of swings in 15 seconds?

Prediction: The shorter the length of the string, the greater number of swings in 15 seconds.

What is the independent (manipulated) variable? Length of string

What is the dependent (responding) variable? Number of swings (in 15 sec.)

Correctly label all columns and rows in the data table and add a title.Record the data for the constant variables in data table.Carry out the experiment and record the results in the data table.

Data Table 3: Length of String and Number of swings (in 15 seconds)

Number of swings in 15 sec.

Length of String

Mass

(# of washers)

Displacement

(Release Position)

Trial 1

(swings)

Trial 2

(swings)

Trial 3

(swings)

Average

(swings)

61 cm 1 74 cm 9 9 9 9

41 cm 1 74 cm 10 10 10 10

17 cm 1 74 cm 15 15 15 15


The length of the string affects the number of swings in 15 seconds (the shorter length of the string, the greater number of swings in 15 seconds).

Write an overall claim about the variables that do and do not affect the rate of a pendulum’s swinging.

Mass and displacement do not affect the number of swings in 15 seconds, but the length of the string does affect the number of swings in 15 seconds.

Documents

jessmesserli.weebly.com · Web viewshould go to “Pendulum Experiment #2: Mass” and “Pendulum Experiment #3:Length of String” to write a research question (not provided like