Pendulum Swing — Reading Comprehension

Have you ever been on a swing at a playground? Or seen a grandfather clock with a weight swinging back and forth? What you're seeing is a pendulum in action! A pendulum is simply a weight, or an object, hanging from a string or rod that can swing freely. But a pendulum is more than just a toy; it's a great example of how energy works.

Scientists know that energy can't be created or destroyed. Instead, it changes from one form to another. This idea is called the Conservation of Energy. In a pendulum, we can see this happen with two special kinds of energy: potential energyand kinetic energy.

Imagine you're pushing a swing. When you pull the swing back as high as it will go, you are giving it potential energy. Think of potential energy as "stored energy" or "energy of position." The higher you lift the swing, the more potential energy it has. At its highest point, just before you let it go, the swing has the most potential energy it can have.

Now, what happens when you let the swing go? It starts to move! As the swing moves downward, the stored potential energy turns into kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. The faster the swing moves, the more kinetic energy it has. When the swing reaches the very bottom of its path, it's moving the fastest. At this point, it has the most kinetic energy and the least potential energy.

Then, the swing starts to go up on the other side. As it climbs higher, it slows down. This is the kinetic energy turning back into potential energy. When it gets to its highest point on the other side, it stops for a moment, and all the kinetic energy has been converted back into potential energy. The swing then repeats the cycle, going back and forth, with its energy constantly changing between potential and kinetic.

In a perfect world, a pendulum would swing forever, with its energy perfectly swapping between potential and kinetic. But on Earth, a real pendulum eventually stops. Why? Because some of its energy is lost to things like air resistance and friction. This energy doesn't disappear; it just changes into other forms, like a little bit of heat or sound.

Fun Fact: The time it takes for a pendulum to complete one full swing (back and forth) is always the same, no matter how high it swings! This is why pendulums are used to keep time in clocks.

What kind of energy is stored because of an object's position?

Where does a pendulum have the most potential energy?

What happens to a pendulum's kinetic energy as it swings upward?

A child pushes a swing higher. What does this do to its energy?

Based on the passage, what would a pendulum do without friction?

If a pendulum is at its lowest point, what is happening to its energy?

A clockmaker wants a pendulum to swing for a long time. What should they do?

When a pendulum finally stops, what happened to its energy?