PENDULUM CLOCKS

Objectives

One of the very first projects that each student in this cluster was tasked with was to make their very own pendulum clock. Throughout the process of creating the clock, students developed valuable skills that would become useful in later projects but also beyond this summer program. Students learned how to utilize different softwares such as AutoCAD, Fusion 360 and Working Model 2D (WM2D). Furthermore, students were also lectured on the mathematics and physics behind everything that they were doing and/or learning about. Most of the applied mathematics and physics they learned were in regards to analytical predictions of dynamic oscillation motion via point-mass analysis, inertial analysis and numbers found in their WM2D simulation(s). Students learned how to calculate their pendulum clock’s oscillation time and frequency using the formulas and methods they learned during daily lectures. The pendulum clock project opened up a new, or sometimes familiar, world of shop fabrication, rapid prototyping, quick problem-solving, applied mathematics and physics, and plenty more skills.