Materials Required:
l Coffee can with plastic lid
l Hammer
l Small nail
l String
l Sand
l Large sheet of paper
The help of one of your parents
Procedure:
- Ask one of your parents to punch a hole in the bottom of the coffee can with a hammer and a small nail, then make 3 equally spaced holes around the top edge of the can.
- Tie a piece of string, approximately 6 inches long, through each hole, and knot the ends together at the top. Tie a long piece of string to this knot and hang the can from a low tree branch. The bottom of the can should be an inch or two above the ground.
- Cover the bottom of the can with the plastic lid and fill the can with clean, dry sand.
- Spread a large sheet of paper on the ground. Remove the plastic lid and give the can a push. You will see a unique sand pattern form in front of you.
This Is What Happens:
You have just made a pendulum. Its action is traced by the escaping sand. The two parts of the swinging motion—vertical and horizontal—are combined into the pattern that you see on the paper.
