PENDULUM PAINTING
Tom Shannon - The painter and the Pendulum
How to build a Sand Pendulum
How to Create a Pendulum Painting with MontMarteArt
Marble Machine in Sand
Chaos of the Pinball
NASA - A Study in the Spirograph
BIG IDEA: Create a painting using the science of a pendulum.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
KEY KNOWLEDGE and UNDERSTANDING:
DESIGN PROCESS: Video Instructions
EXTENSION LESSON:
REAL WORLD CONNECTIONS:
In 1851, Jean Bernard Leon Foucault used a long pendulum to make the first conclusive demonstration of the earth's rotation. The pendulum was free to swing in any direction with respect to its support and had a bob that traced a line in loose sand on each swing. After the pendulum was set in motion, the tracings showed that the plane of the pendulum's swing seemed to turn slowly in a clockwise direction. Since the vertical plane in which a pendulum swings does not change once the pendulum is set in motion, the tracings indicated that the earth must be turning. Pendulums that demonstrate the rotation of the earth are known as Foucault pendulums; they are exhibited in many museums.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
- How might a pendulum work?
- How can one relate art and science?
- Natural and creative force - Are they in equilibrium?
- What do you gain to learn from creating your own painting machine?
- What scientific and artistic observations can you make from creating a pendulum painting?
KEY KNOWLEDGE and UNDERSTANDING:
- Learn how to create a painting pendulum using re-purposed materials while discovering line and pattern.
- Discover contemporary artists such as disabled artist Tom Shannon and artistic partners Tina Schweiger and Bill Hyche.
- Intro to Physics - Gravity, momentum, friction and chance. A pendulum works with the transfer of kinetic to potential energy via gravity. The motion of a pendulum is a classic example of mechanical energy conservation.
- Because of the uniformity of its period, a pendulum can be used in keeping time. Pendulums can also be used to determine gravitational acceleration at a particular location.
DESIGN PROCESS: Video Instructions
EXTENSION LESSON:
- How might you make your own pendulum painting machine and improve the design?
- Could you use different materials to make the “paint brush”? What new theories might you develop from this lesson?
REAL WORLD CONNECTIONS:
In 1851, Jean Bernard Leon Foucault used a long pendulum to make the first conclusive demonstration of the earth's rotation. The pendulum was free to swing in any direction with respect to its support and had a bob that traced a line in loose sand on each swing. After the pendulum was set in motion, the tracings showed that the plane of the pendulum's swing seemed to turn slowly in a clockwise direction. Since the vertical plane in which a pendulum swings does not change once the pendulum is set in motion, the tracings indicated that the earth must be turning. Pendulums that demonstrate the rotation of the earth are known as Foucault pendulums; they are exhibited in many museums.