Galileo’s Swinging Strings Force And Motion Science Experiment
In this fun and easy force and motion science experiment for kids, we’re going to explore Galileo’s Swinging Strings.
Materials:
- String
- Clothesline or rope
- Scissors
- Teaspoon
- Paperclips
Instructions:
- Cut two pieces of string into 12 inch lengths.
- Cut five more pieces of string into different sized lengths that are shorter than 12 inches.
- Tie one of the 12 inch strings to a paperclip.
- Tie the other 12 inch string to the teaspoon.
- Tie the remaining five pieces of string to paperclips.
- Tie the clothesline so it is horizontal to the ground and taunt.
- Tie all seven lengths of string to the clothesline with the items hanging down.
- Make a guess of what you think will happen and then swing the teaspoon.
- Observe what happens.
- The paperclips should have started swinging and the paperclip on the twelve inch string should have started swinging the most.
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How it Works:
A pendulum is basically any weight on the end of a string or chain that can swing from side to side. When a pendulum is set in motion, gravity causes a restoring force that will accelerate it toward the center point, resulting in a back and forth swinging motion. In our experiment, the pendulums share an anchor line. With each swing energy is transferred from one pendulum to the other. If the pendulums both have the same length one pendulum comes to a complete stop before alternating motion. This phenomenon illustrates balanced and unbalanced forces, the conservation of energy, and how motion can be used to predict future motion.
Make This A Science Project:
Try different lengths of anchor line. Try pendulums of different weights. Try lines of different lengths.
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