Pendulums

The experiment I chose was to test if a pendulum with a lighter washer would come to rest sooner than a pendulum with a heaver washer.  I found that the pendulum with the lighter washer did return to a rest position quicker than a pendulum with a heavier washer.  These results were consistent with my hypothesis, because I thought that the lighter washer would stop faster due to it being lighter in mass and therefore having less momentum when it was swinging.  What I thought went well with this experiment was that it made me think critically about pendulum and how such a devise is related to force and motion.  What did not work so well was truly getting the pendulum to go back to rest. In fact it returned to rest when I tested the pendulum with a shorter string list; I found the longer the string, the longer it took for the pendulum to stop moving.

My experience with scientific inquiry has shown that in order for it to go smoothly my classroom must be structured and some classes even need handouts to guide their thinking throughout the process.  I have also found out that everyone's results may be a bit different due to how they conduct the experiment, therefore, unless a students results are way off I mainly look for their results being consisten overall. We then talk about what variables may have resulted in them not getting specific results. The modifications I would make with this experiment is to not have the students hold the string, but to set up an apparatus that the pendulum could be tied to and swung on. 

I might set up this experiment as an extension piece to my lesson on inertia.  I would make this experiment more interesting and relevant to their lives by having students explore the website I found entitled http://www.calacademy.org/products/pendulum/index.html.  This website gives the history behind the pendulum and how it was used to show that the earth rotates. 

I mainly would want students to learn more about Newton's first law of inertia and that there is a way to see that the world rotates event though we do not notice.  I think this will be the desired effect and am interested to see how my students will engage in this activity or one like it.