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Re: physical pendulums



I am using a set of physical science lab materials on the pendulum. One of
the activities asks the students to get a washer, a bolt and a long wooden
dowel to swing with the same frequency. It says that if the center of
masses line up, then the pendulums will have the same frequency. Is this
true?

No, it is not. If it were true, what would it demonstrate?
It is mindless school activities like this that cause the
natural interest in Nature that all children have to wither
and die. Fortunately this one can't come close to working.
The educationalist who wrote the exercise never tried it.

You are to be commended for junking the activity. Let your
students in on it. It will help them hang on until they get
over early education. The best thing you can do for them is
to nurture their inate cynicism.

Leigh

(It goes without saying that the second paragraph here is
only my opinion, but I may not be wrong.)