Completion requirements
2. Click on the tab labelled energy.
3. Lift the pendulum to the right and let it go.
4. Observe the bars on the graph on the left as the pendulum swings. Do you notice that as the potential energy decreases the kinetic energy increases?
5. Stop the pendulum. Using the slider on the right, increase the friction and allow the pendulum to swing again.
6. As the pendulum swings, observe the graph. Do you notice that how the amount of thermal energy increases? Do you also notice how the pendulum slows down more quickly than when there is no friction?
Activity 1
Pendulum Lab
1. Click on the link below.
https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/pendulum-lab2. Click on the tab labelled energy.
3. Lift the pendulum to the right and let it go.
4. Observe the bars on the graph on the left as the pendulum swings. Do you notice that as the potential energy decreases the kinetic energy increases?
5. Stop the pendulum. Using the slider on the right, increase the friction and allow the pendulum to swing again.
6. As the pendulum swings, observe the graph. Do you notice that how the amount of thermal energy increases? Do you also notice how the pendulum slows down more quickly than when there is no friction?
Conclusion
As the pendulum swings, with no friction, the gravitational potential energy in the pendulum is converted into kinetic energy. At the highest point of the swing, the gravitational potential energy is at its highest and kinetic energy is at its lowest.
As the pendulum swings down the gravitational energy is transformed into kinetic energy.
When the amount of friction acting on the system is increased, some of the kinetic energy is converted into thermal energy. The air particles around the pendulum heat up. This energy is lost to the system and is the reason why the pendulum slows more quickly than when there is no friction in the system.
Click on Pendulum Lab to open the resource.