Pendulum science!

Science Report: 

Pendulum Predicament 

By: Jakob, Thomas & Zak

Aim/Hypothesis: 

See how mass really affects the period of the pendulum. We could find no evidence of this online but it goes against common sense so we decided to test it. Our hypothesis is that it wouldn’t affect it at all. (Thomas thought that it would)

Method:

1: String up two containers to a solid bar or similar object (we did it to the monkey bars) Make sure they are the same length from the bar (you may need to do a control test with no water to make sure you have got it right.

2: Fill one of them with some water (we put in 200ml). The first container weighed 84g (without water) and the second weighed 284g

3: draw them both up to the same height and release at the same time.

4: record results.

Results: 

First of all we did it with two glass beakers on the end of the strings but then the one one with the water in it smashed after the string snapped. So then we got to plastic containers and some stronger strings. When we tested it they didn’t swing backward and forward at the same time like the control test. We thought that the period of the pendulum had changed because they weren't even any more and that google must have been wrong, but we were wrong and after extensive research and small scale testing we found that the period hadn’t changed but the more massive one kept its momentum better due to its mass and therefore swung for longer and faster. But they both crossed the middle at the same time. We were tricked by our eyes.

Us testing if weight affects the period of swing on a pendulum

Zak putting up our pendulum for an outside test

Conclusion:

Our hypothesis was correct and the weight didn’t affect it. We also concluded that we should dive deeper into the meaning of something while researching.

Pendulum art science report

Aim: We are trying to create art using a pendulum, do do this you would normally fill with paint or flour or something.

Hypothesis: We hoped and thought we would go three different patterns (because we created a special pendulum) that would be based off each other.

Method:

1. First we found a sturdy stick (around half a metre in length) and attached a string to it’s centre of gravity.
2. Then we got a cardboard cup and attached it directly under the stick (were the string is).
3. Next we get two more pieces of string one short one long and we attached them to either side of the stick
4. Then we got to more cups and attached them to the ends of the string.
5. Lastly we poked holes in the bottoms of the cups and strung the top string to a high place (we used a tree)

Conclusion:

First we tried it with paint. We discovered that the holes in the cups were not big enough and so mid test we enlarged them but the surface tension of the watered down paint only allowed it to drip. Next we tried it with flour but the wind blew it everywhere. After that the contraption broke. If we were to continue we should replace the cups with funnels to allow the substance to flow better.