Pendulum Lab

During this experiment I needed to answer the question of which pendulum would swing for a longer amount of time, a lighter or heavier pendulum.  I set up two pendulums with the same lenght string but different sized washers on the end.  I then tied them to the same chair and let them loose from the same height at the same time.  At first they kept running into eachother so then I put one on one chair and one on the other.  When I completed the experiment three times each time the heavier pendulum lasted longer.  I then tested my idea again using a virtual pendulum lab to make sure there were no human errors in my findings.

I like the way the experiment went and felt that it was a good inquiry experience for my students.  I would like to try this with my students but maybe take it a step further and change it into a competition.  First I would like them to test what would last longer, heavier or lighter pendulums, then have them change the length of the string, and the height that they release them from.  Then using their findings I would ask them to create a pendulum that would last longer than any other student's in the class.  So they would need to use their findings to create a longer lasting pendulum.  6th graders are often competitive and I think they would enjoy using their new found knowledge to compete with their classmates.