Swing Time Lab

Potential energy and kinetic energy were big factors in this lab. The formula used to find kinetic energy was K.E=1/2(m x v2). Kinetic energy is energy of motion, it's how much work an object is currently doing. The formula we used to figure out the potential energy of different heights and books was P.E=Mass x G x Height. Potential energy is the energy of position. The materials needed for this lab were 5 large metal washers, 5 small metal washers, 16" length of string, unsharpened pencil, masking tape, jumbo paper clip, and a stopwatch. We tested different size of washers within 3 trials to see how many swings it did in 10 seconds to get the results and calculations we got.

I had some trouble understanding this lab but since we partnered up with one other classmate my friend Hannah helped me alot in this lab and made me understand what we were doing and how we were supposed to be accomplishing it. This lab demonstrated the law of conservation because wind was a huge part in this lab. In this lab I learned that the faster an object moves, the more kinetic energy it has. On the other hand the higher an object is off of the ground, the more potential energy it contains. I learned a few new things in this lab.