ASD Students Explore Simple Harmonic Motion Through Hands-On Experiment

Students at American School Dhahran had the opportunity to dive deeper into the principles of physics as they explored simple harmonic motion in this week’s class. Through a hands-on experiment with a simple pendulum, students tested how varying the length of the string across 12 different trials impacted the pendulum’s oscillations.

By timing the pendulum’s movement and calculating the period of oscillation, students used their findings to determine the acceleration due to gravity. They then compared their experimental results with the theoretical value of 9.81 m/s², gaining a deeper understanding of both the science behind the experiment and the process of scientific inquiry.

Most students achieved results that were impressively close to the actual value, while others critically analyzed possible sources of error when their results deviated. This experiment not only reinforced core physics concepts but also provided a practical, real-world application, allowing students to engage with the material in a hands-on, dynamic way that encouraged problem-solving and critical thinking.