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 Make Sense of Your Ideas
After everyone has entered data into the class table, examine
all the data in the table. Discuss the answers to the next two
questions with your partner. Then record your answers.
- 1. Why do you think different students in the class
obtained different values for their measurement?
- 2. What suggestions do you have for improving
the method used to make the measurements?
- 3. Write down the method the class decides is the best.
 Participate in a class discussion to talk about the
answers to the questions.
The class will decide on the “best” method of
measuring the time for 10 back and forth swings.
Explore Your Ideas Experiment 2: Repeat Experiment 1.
By repeating the experiment, you will have a chance to gather further evidence that will help you answer the key question for this activity.
STEP 1 Repeat the experiment with your partner, using the “best” method.
- Record how long it takes for your pendulum to make 10 complete back and forth swings.
STEP 2 Post your measurement in a new class table.
Make Sense of Your Ideas
Look over the data in the new class table.
Think about the answers to the next questions and discuss them with your partner. Then record your answers on your record sheet.
- 1. Are all the posted values exactly the same, or is there some variation in the values?
- 2. If there is some variation in posted values, do you think it is possible for your class to repeat this experiment so that everyone would measure the exact same value? Why or why not?
- 3. Suppose your class needed to decide on a single best value for the time it takes the pendulum to swing back and forth 10 times. What value should be used? Why do you think so?
- 4. Last year, eight teams of students measured how long it took for a pendulum to swing back and forth 10 times. They all used the same procedure for their measurements. Below is a table listing their values.
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