Week 4 Lab

1. Big Question: What affects how long it takes a swing to go back and forth?

During lab, we investigated two factors that may influence this question. My group investigated the weight of the rider and other groups investigated the length of the swing. My group found that the period was the same regardless of the weight of the rider. Other groups saw differences in the period depending on the length of the swing. The longer the swing, the longer the period.

2. During lecture, we learned about why the weight of the rider did not affect the period. We also learned about why the length of the swing affects the period. Gravity pulls harder on more massive objects. According to Newton's Second Law, larger masses are harder to accelerate. These factors cancel resulting in the period staying constant. The length of the swing matters because the longer swing has more to travel, resulting in a longer period.

3. Textbook reading

1. I learned about how the the longer the swing, the slower it will go. The shorter the swing, the faster it will go. I also learned about how the Earth's rotation influences the direction of the pendulum.
2. The most helpful were the videos about the different pendulums moving at different speeds.
3. I need more information on why they move at different speeds. Is it friction with the air?
4. Does the length of the rope affect how much it collides with the air particles?