Simple Pendulum: Energy Conversion

A swinging pendulum keeps converting gravitational potential energy into kinetic energy and back. Change the length and the starting angle, and watch the energy bars.

What you will learn

Understand conservation of mechanical energy and how the time period depends on length.

How to use it

1. Press Pause to freeze the bob at any point and read its energies.
2. Increase the starting angle to give the bob more total energy.
3. Change the length and compare the time period T.
4. Notice that PE + KE (the green bar) never changes.