Meet Huygens
Is the energy of a pendulum conserved (video analysis)?
Level :
High School
Author:
FizziQ
The 17th century physicist Huygens is the first to characterize the motion of a simple pendulum. In the proposed activity, from a video recording of the movement of a pendulum available on the FizziQ.org site, we propose a kinematics analysis of a pendulum. Analyse kinetic energy, potential energy and mechanical energy of a pendulum. Teachers and students can also create their own video to study.
➡️ Find this activity in the Activities Catalogue of the FizziQ app
(Activities > ➕ > Activities catalog)
Learn more
1. In the Kinematics module of the Tools tab, tap on the FizziQ map, copy the link of the pendulum video, then tap on the copy icon in the Internet map
2. Adjust the scale by positioning the ruler and giving its dimension
3. Study the downward movement of the ball by recording its positions
4. Add to your notebook the kinetic energy and potential energy
5. Comparing when the ball is highest and lowest, compare the potential and kinetic energies of the ball
6. Is there conservation of the energy of the system?
7. Is this true at all times? You can use a formula to compute the mechanical energy in the table
8. Write your hypotheses and conclusions in the experiment notebook, add graphs and a photo of the movement, then share your notebook