Student Exploration: Pendulum Clock

Name: ______________________________________ Date: ________________________
Student Exploration: Pendulum Clock
Vocabulary: bob, calibrate, controlled experiment, gravity, mass, pendulum, period, variable
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
1. A pendulum is a bob, or weight, hung from a fixed point so that it can swing back and forth.
What are some objects that swing like a pendulum? (List as many as you can.)
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2. The period of a pendulum is the amount of time that it takes a pendulum to complete one
full back-and-forth swing. How do you think you could make the period longer or shorter?
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_________________________________________________________________________
Gizmo Warm-up: Tick, Tock, Click
1. On the Pendulum Clock Gizmo, a pendulum swings back

and forth. The second hand of the clock moves forward
one tick every time the pendulum swings across.
 Open the Tools palette. Drag an arrow next to the
pendulum bob as shown in the image at right.
 Click Play ( ) and watch as the bob swings away
from the arrow then back to it.
 Click Mark time every time the bob touches the
arrow. The numbers tell you how many seconds
are between each click, the period of the pendulum.
2. Estimate the period of this pendulum. _________________
3. Something is wrong with this clock! To keep the proper time, the pendulum period should be
exactly 2 seconds. Will this clock run too fast or too slow?
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2019
Activity A: Get the Gizmo ready:
Length  Click Reset ( ).
Question: How does the length of a pendulum affect its period?
1. Observe: Drag the pendulum bob to change the length of the pendulum. Click Play and
observe. Try several different lengths.
2. Form hypothesis: How do you think the pendulum’s length affects its period? ____________
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3. Experiment: Set up a controlled experiment to test your hypothesis. Everything but the
Length should be kept the same in all tests. (The factor that changes is the variable you
are testing.)
Choose 5 lengths to test, and measure the pendulum period for each length.
Test Length (cm) Starting angle Mass (kg) Pendulum period (seconds)
1
2
3
4
5
4. Draw conclusions: What did you discover? _______________________________________
Was your hypothesis correct? _________________________________________________
5. Extend your thinking: Measure the pendulum period for the following pairs of lengths:
Length 50 cm 200 cm 60 cm 240 cm

Pendulum period
6. Find a pattern: Compare the 50 cm and 200 cm pendulums. Then compare the 60 cm and
240 cm pendulums. Complete the sentence:
If you multiply the length by __________, the pendulum period is multiplied by __________.
2019
Activity B:
Get the Gizmo ready:
Mass, angle, and
 Click Reset.
gravity
Question: How do mass, angle, and gravity affect the period of a pendulum?
1. Observe: Experiment with the different variables available in the Gizmo.

 Drag a new bob to the pendulum to change its mass. (Mass is the amount of matter
in an object.)
 Drag the rod of the pendulum left or right to change the starting angle.
 Change the Location to Jupiter to increase the gravity, or force, on the pendulum.
2. Form hypotheses: How will each factor affect the period of the pendulum?
A. Mass: ______________________________________________________________
B. Starting angle: _______________________________________________________
C. Gravity: ____________________________________________________________
3. Experiment: Use the Gizmo to find the effect of each variable on the pendulum. Make sure
that each experiment is controlled—only the variable you are testing should be changed. If
the variable is mass, then the length and starting angle should be the same in each test.
Record all results on separate sheets of paper or in your science notebook.
4. Summarize: Describe your results below. How does each variable affect the period?
A. Mass: ______________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
B. Starting angle: _______________________________________________________
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C. Gravity: ____________________________________________________________
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5. Draw conclusions: Which factor had the biggest effect on the pendulum period? Explain.
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2019
Activity C: Get the Gizmo ready:
Calibrate the  Click Reset.
clock!  Under Location, select Earth.
Goal: Build a clock that will keep accurate time.
1. Calibrate: To calibrate a clock means to make changes until the clock is accurate. Using
what you have learned so far, calibrate the clock so that its period is 2 seconds.
What settings are you using for your clock?
Mass: ___________ Starting angle: ___________ Length: ___________
2. Test: Click Reset, and then click Play. The Actual time and the Pendulum clock time are
displayed in the upper left corner. Wait for about five minutes, and then click Pause ( ).
What is the Actual time? ___________ What is the Pendulum clock time? ___________
3. Revise and repeat: Based on your test, make further adjustments to your clock. What are
your settings now?
4. Test: (Optional.) If possible, leave your clock running for an hour or two, and then click
Pause. How accurate is your clock now? ________________________________________
5. Predict: What settings do you think will result in an accurate clock on Jupiter?
6. Calibrate: Follow the same steps as above to calibrate the clock on Jupiter. What were the
settings when your clock was calibrated?
7. Extend your thinking: If possible, compare the settings you used to those of other students.
Is there more than one way to create an accurate clock? Explain.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2019

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Name: ______________________________________ Date: ________________________

Student Exploration: Pendulum Clock

Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)

Gizmo Warm-up: Tick, Tock, Click

1. On the Pendulum Clock Gizmo, a pendulum swings back

2. Estimate the period of this pendulum. _________________

Question: How does the length of a pendulum affect its period?

4. Draw conclusions: What did you discover? _______________________________________

Was your hypothesis correct? _________________________________________________

Length 50 cm 200 cm 60 cm 240 cm

1. Observe: Experiment with the different variables available in the Gizmo.

B. Starting angle: _______________________________________________________

Record all results on separate sheets of paper or in your science notebook.

B. Starting angle: _______________________________________________________

Goal: Build a clock that will keep accurate time.

What settings are you using for your clock?

Mass: ___________ Starting angle: ___________ Length: ___________

Mass: ___________ Starting angle: ___________ Length: ___________

Pause. How accurate is your clock now? ________________________________________

Mass: ___________ Starting angle: ___________ Length: ___________

Mass: ___________ Starting angle: ___________ Length: ___________

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Name: ______________ Date:

Mass: _____ Starting angle: _ Length: _______

Mass: _____ Starting angle: _ Length: _______

Mass: _____ Starting angle: _ Length: _______

Mass: _____ Starting angle: _ Length: _______