Semester 1 Topic 3 Level J

Task Name : Proportional Pendulums Task Level : J (Year 9)
Semester : 1 Topic : Directed Numbers VC Strand : Real Numbers
Web Address : http://maths.crusoecollege.vic.edu.au/rnJ
Equipment Needed : string, small heavy object (such as a bunch
of keys), hook, stopwatch (or mobile phone), tape measure, graph paper or graphing
program (such as a graphing calculator or Excel).
Victorian Curriculum outcome :ย Solve problems involving direct proportion. Explore the relationship between graphs and equations corresponding to simple rate problems
Task description : The task is to determine whether there is a proportional
relationship between the length of a pendulum and the time it takes to complete one swing. Students make a pendulum with a length of string and a small heavy weight. They will need somewhere to suspend your pendulum so that it can swing freely. They then work with a partner to investigate whether the length of a pendulum affects its swing. They will need to try different lengths for the pendulum, work out the average time of swing for each length and graph the results.

Students should write a report of their investigation explaining the aim, methodology,
results (including graphs) and conclusions. The report should include a discussion of how they could extend or refine the investigation.
Assessment options :
Teacher notes : A new task, first run scheduled for 2016. From Nelson Mathematics 9.
Downloads : NJM9CD_chapter13