+
ward
'
s
science
Page 3
Build Yourself a Pendulum! Lab (student handout continued)
In this lab, you will see what has an effect on the period of a pendulum. The period is the amount of time that it takes the
pendulum to start at a point (A), swing to a point (B), and then back to point (A) – in other words, how long it takes the pendulum
to make one full cycle.
Materials:
• A piece of paper
• String
• Tape
• A pencil
• 2 batteries (or 2 masses of roughly equal weight…basically anything will do)
• You will also need a stopwatch (such as your cell phone).
While this lab can be completed by yourself, it would really be helpful if you had someone else to assist you
(at a proper social distance, of course).
Introduction
1. 1. Sketch a picture of a pendulum here. Use arrows to indicate a full period.
2. Write the equation for the period of a pendulum here: