PENDULUM

Newton's First Law: 

The 1st Law states that an object in motion or at rest stays in motion or at rest unless acted upon by an external force. This has to do with our capstone project because the pendulum would continue to swing if the force of gravity and friction were not acting upon it.

Newton's Second Law:

The 2nd Law states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force of the object. This has to do with our experiment because the force required to move the pendulum is equal to the mass times the acceleration.

Newton's Third Law:

The 3rd Law says that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, this is directly related to our project because the pendulum does not just stop when it is dropped and it reaches its equilibrium point, it rises to about the same height as it was dropped.

Potential Energy:

When the bob is held at a certain height or in the moment when the bob stops at the peak all of the energy is Potential. Because potential energy is pent up energy, where the object has the potential to use energy. This can be shown by the equation for Potential Energy, PE = mass x gravity x height. This shows that all the energy is being stored up because of the height, mass, and gravity.

Kinetic Energy: 

Kinetic Energy is greatest at the point of equilibrium because there is no potential energy because it is at its lowest point so no energy is pent up it is all in motion. PE = 1/2 mass x velocity^2, all of the energy is Potential because it has no height and no energy stored, it is all being used. 

This experiment is so relevant because pendulum's have been an important part of our history. It was discovered in  1602 by Galileo Galilei. The regular motion of pendulums was used for timekeeping, and was the world's most accurate timekeeping technology until the 1930s. Pendulums are used to regulate pendulum clocks, and are used in scientific instruments such as accelerometers and seismometers. Historically they were used as gravimeters to measure the acceleration of gravity in geophysical surveys, and even as a standard of length.