Brenna Hunt

  This week in lab , we started by graphing our measurements from last week when we determined how the length of a string impacts how many swings we can get in 10 seconds. Then, we practiced our engineering design process by experimenting with what kind of base would protect an egg dropped from 1 and 2 meters. To finish, we took a deeper look at the forces interacting with a pendulum swing, including air friction and transfer of energy.  In lecture , we took our first exam.  There was no reading this week. 

  This week in lab , we continued our discussion in supporting play that is fun and not dangerous. We talked about swings this week, which centered around pendulums. We read through a scenario about what some students thought might change the swinging speed of a pendulum, would adding more weight cause the speed to stay the same or speed up? My partner and I had the hypothesis that it would speed up because there would be more weight pulling it to each side. Then, we launched our investigation which showed us that the number of swings stayed the same even when we added more weight. Changing the length of the string, however, did change the number of swings we got in 15 seconds.  In lecture , we talked more about our lab investigations and about why rider weight does not change the period of a swing because the more mass, the harder gravity pulls, but also more mass is harder to accelerate so these forces cancel out and the period stays the same. Then, we talked about "the ener...