The Science of it: Pendulum Swings – Physics Month at the Orlando Science Center
The Science of it: Pendulum Swings – Physics Month at the Orlando Science Center
MAY IS PHYSICS MONTH AT THE ORLANDO SCIENCE CENTER, AND THIS WEEK WE’RE COMBINING SCIENCE WITH ART. GOOD STUFF. AND AS WESH 2’S MARQUISE MEDA SHOWS US, YOU DON’T NEED A STEADY HAND TO PAINT SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL. YOU JUST NEED A FEW SIMPLE TOOLS. WHAT’S HAPPENING YOU GUYS? AND HAPPY MONDAY. WELCOME BACK TO THE ORLANDO SCIENCE CENTER THIS MONTH AT OSC, WE’RE HIGHLIGHTING PHYSICS MONTH. AND WHAT BETTER TO LEARN A LESSON ABOUT PHYSICS IN REGARDS TO PAINTS AND PENDULUM SWINGS, RIGHT? YES, EXACTLY. WE’RE GOING TO DO A LITTLE BIT OF SOME MESSY SCIENCE. THIS IS OUR PAINT PENDULUM. NORMALLY IT WOULD HAVE A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT PAINTINGS ON THE GROUND AND MAKE A LARGE TAPESTRY. TODAY WE’RE GOING TO DO SOME PLEXI GLASS PAINTING, LEARNING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PHYSICS. WE’RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND START OUR ACTIVITY IN THREE, TWO, ONE. SO OUR PENDULUM AS IT SWINGS IS GOING TO START FORMING THIS GEOMETRIC PATTERN, THIS PATTERN THAT YOU SEE HERE ON OUR CANVAS AND ON OUR PLEXI GLASS, IS KNOWN AS A LISSAJOUS CURVE. THIS IS LISSAJOUS CURVE IS MEASURING THE SWING OF THIS PENDULUM. ON A 2D PLANE. YOU CAN SEE RIGHT THERE AS IT’S STARTING TO FORM. HOWEVER, WE ARE LOSING MASS. WE ARE LOSING PAINT, AND AS WE LOSE THAT PAINT, WE ARE ACTUALLY DESCENDING. YOU CAN SEE THIS CURVE IS SHRINKING INWARDS. THE REASON IT’S SHRINKING INWARDS IS BECAUSE OF THAT LOSS OF MASS. IT IS LOSING INERTIA AND MOMENTUM. IT’S ALSO DUE TO THE FRICTION AS THIS PENDULUM IS SWINGING THROUGH THE AIR, IT IS PUSHING AGAINST THOSE MOLECULES, AND THOSE MOLECULES ARE PUSHING BACK AGAINST IT. SO WE’RE GOING TO GET THIS DESCENDING LISSAJOUS CURVE. THIS IS PERFECT GEOMETRY IN PHYSICS IN MOTION, AND IT CREATES A PRETTY COOL PRODUCT ALONG THE WAY. SO WE’RE GOING TO SEE IT FILL OUT OUR PAINT PENDULUM ON THE PLEXIGLASS. AND WE’RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO LET THIS DRY AND HAVE A COOL, CLEAR 3D PAINTING. YEAH. WHO KNEW MATH COULD BE SO BEAUTIFUL. EXACTLY RIGHT. SO IT’S A PERFECT WAY TO GET GEOMETRY INVOLVED IN ART. YOU SEE, ARTISTS DO THIS ALL THE TIME ON THE INTERNET, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THE OVAL OF THE PENDULUM IS ACTUALLY ROTATING AROUND THIS CENTER AXIS. THAT’S BECAUSE THIS IS A 1 TO 1 PENDULUM. THE FULL LENGTH OF THE PENDULUM IS THE SAME LENGTH ON THE X AXIS AS IT IS THE Y AXIS. LET’S SAY AT THE HALFWAY POINT OF THIS PENDULUM, I HAD IT SPLIT IN TWO. THAT MEANS ONE AXIS WOULD ACTUALLY BE LONGER THAN THE OTHER, AND IT WOULD ACTUALLY CREATE A FULLY DIFFERENT PATTERN. BUT THIS IS YOUR MOST SIMPLE DESCENDING LISSAJOUS CURVE. YOU CAN ALSO SEE A POINT WHERE IT’S ACTUALLY GETTING A LOT TIGHTER, WHERE THE BOUNDS, THE RINGS ESSENTIALLY ARE GETTING A LOT CLOSER. THAT IS THE LAGRANGE POINT OF THIS IS THE POINT WHERE THOSE OVALS X AND Y AXIS ARE ROTATING AROUND. THAT’S THE FOCAL POINT OF THIS PAINTING. IT’S COOL TO NOTICE THAT NOT ONLY IS THE THE BOTTLE OF PAINT ITSELF REVOLVING AROUND AN AXIS, ITSELF. YEAH, EXACTLY. THAT’S BECAUSE OUR ROPE HERE IS A TYPICAL SPUN ROPE. AND SO IT’S GOING TO HAVE SOME TWIST TO IT ALL. THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF MAY. WE’RE HIGHLIGHTING PHYSICS MONTH AND I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE ALL OF YOU GUYS FACES RIGHT HERE. IT’S BEAUTIFUL. I NEED TO SEE THE FINISHED PRODUCT. RIGHT. OKAY. WE’RE GONNA HAVE TO GET A FOLLOW UP THERE. YOU CAN CHE
The Science of it: Pendulum Swings – Physics Month at the Orlando Science Center
The Science of it: Pendulum Swings – Physics Month at the Orlando Science Center
Updated: 4:49 PM EDT May 13, 2026
The Science of it: Pendulum SwingsPhysics Month Continues at the Orlando Science CenterThis week get ready to team up with First Warning Meteorologist Marquise Meda and Zack to unravel the science behind pendulum swings, wall while making some beautiful art. Isaac Newton’s Laws of Motion and the Conservation of Energy are both in display as the pair crafts a beautiful painting.
The Science of it: Pendulum Swings
Physics Month Continues at the Orlando Science Center
This week get ready to team up with First Warning Meteorologist Marquise Meda and Zack to unravel the science behind pendulum swings, wall while making some beautiful art.
Isaac Newton’s Laws of Motion and the Conservation of Energy are both in display as the pair crafts a beautiful painting.