Conservation of Energy: Active Learning Approach to Online Practical work for teachers

The components of a pendulum

1. Use the pendulum as an example

2. Summarize its main components

3. Show the following link

Newton's Cradle

Change to 1 pendulums (1)

Tick “show energy” (2)

Ask the students to describe what is happening to the (i) Potential energy and (ii) kinetic (transitional) energy (3)

What is their relationship?

Ask the students to describe what is happening to the total energy (3)

Answer: some fluctuation around a mean

Change gravity (4) to a low value

What happens now?

Answer: less fluctuation

•How do they explain that?

•Answer: less gravity means less atmosphere, which means less air resistance

•Energy is conserved …under ideal conditions (i.e., no air resistance, massless string/rod, string/rod not bending …)