How high can you swing on a flying trapeze?

How high can you swing on a flying trapeze?
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
Scroll for prep
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DISCUSS:
How are these two things SIMILAR? How are they DIFFERENT?
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DISCUSS:

How did you know where the swing was going to swing next?

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DISCUSS:

How can you figure out how a trapeze artist will swing in different situations, without practicing on a real trapeze?

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Step
01/21
You’ll work with a partner.
Decide who will be Acrobat and who will be Performer.
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Step
02/21
Get your supplies.
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03/21
Acrobat: Lay the ruler on your desk.
Performer: Place a pencil at each end of the ruler with the erasers
facing toward you.
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Step
04/21
Acrobat: Pull one pencil so that it is hanging off the desk a bit.
Performer: Add one sticker to the end of the pencil. Add another
sticker near the edge of the desk. Add a heavy book.
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Step
05/21
Both: Get one piece of string and one of the binder clips. Push the
string through the loops of the binder clip. Hold it up so it looks like a
swing.
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06/21
Acrobat: Drape the string ends over one of the pencils, leaving space
between the two string ends. Performer: Get another binder clip
and clip it over the string and the pencil.
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Step
07/21
Both: Add one penny to the binder clip at the bottom of each
trapeze.
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Step
08/21
Take a seat on the floor so that you can observe your model trapeze
more clearly. Check to make sure your trapeze model looks just like
ours.
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Step
09/21
Both: Practice gently releasing your model trapeze.
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10/21
Experiment #1: Height. Try releasing the trapeze from different
heights. Try at least one high release and one low release. What do
you notice about how high it reaches on the other side?
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Step
11a/21
Discuss.
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Step
11b/21
Here’s what we noticed.
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Step
12/21
Experiment #2: Length of String. Does the length of the string
change how the trapeze moves? Work with your partner to make the
string of one trapeze about half the length of the other trapeze.
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13a/21
Both: Make observations of your two trapezes. Watch carefully for
any differences or similarities in how they move.
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13b/21
Let’s try using a timer to help us count and measure how fast each
trapeze is moving. When I say “Start,” count the number of swings
that you see in this animation until I say “Stop.”
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14/21
Count how many times the trapeze with the long string swings
in 10 seconds. Record that number on your worksheet.
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15/21
Count how many times the trapeze with the short string swings
in 10 seconds. Record that number on your worksheet.
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Step
16a/21
Discuss and make a prediction with your partner.
Answer Question #3 on your worksheet.
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16b/21
Here’s what we noticed.
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17/21
Experiment #3: Number of People (or Pennies). Does the number of
pennies change how the trapeze moves? Decide with your partner
two numbers of pennies that you will compare to one another.
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Step
18/21
Add the number of pennies that you decided to test first to your
binder clip. Count the number of swings that you see in 10 seconds.
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19/21
Adjust the number of pennies in the binder clip of your trapeze.
Count the number of swings that you see in 10 seconds.
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Step
20a/21
Discuss and make a prediction with your partner.
Answer Question #6 on your worksheet.
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20b/21
Here’s what we noticed.
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Step
21/21
Work with your partner to clean up. Then, go ahead and take a seat.
Discuss.
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DISCUSS:

What force do you think made your tiny trapeze start swinging when you let go?

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DISCUSS:
What do you think could be making this swing slow down and stop?
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push


1 of 9

to move an object away from you
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pull


2 of 9

to move an object toward you
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force


3 of 9

a push or a pull
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motion


4 of 9

a change in the position of an object
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gravity


5 of 9

an invisible force that pulls any object down, toward the Earth
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friction


6 of 9

an invisible force that resists the motion of an object
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predict


7 of 9

to guess what will happen based on things you know
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pattern


8 of 9

something that happens again and again and again in a way that can be predicted
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model


9 of 9

a pretend version of something that scientists use when the real thing is too big, small, or complicated to work with
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Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Activity Prep

Print Prep
This lesson was revised on June 1, 2023. Here is a link to the previous version.
In this lesson, students investigate the patterns of motion exhibited by a trapeze. In the activity, Trapeze Tester, students build a model trapeze. They make observations and take measurements of the motion of that model and use that data to predict the motion of a real trapeze.
Preview activity
Number of students:

I have a Mystery Pack

Trapeze Training worksheet 1 per student
Trapeze Training Answer Key teacher-only resource 1 per class
Hardcover Books
Any relatively heavy book will work.
Details
2 books per pair
Rulers
1 ruler per pair
File Folder Labels (Stickers)
Masking tape will also work.
Details
4 stickers per pair
Pencils w/ Erasers
2 pencils per pair
Small Binder Clips (3/4")
4 clips per pair
String
String must be thin.
Details
4 feet per pair
Pennies
Any heavy coins or metal washers will work, but they must all be the same size and weight.
Details
5 pennies per pair
Prep Instructions

We suggest students work in pairs.

Plan Your Space

The trapeze model will need to hang from the side of a desk or table. We suggest that students move their chairs and sit or kneel on the floor to be able to more closely observe the movement of the model.

Prepare Your String

Cut the string so that each piece is about 2 feet (~61 cm) long. Each pair of students will need two pieces of string.

Build a Test Trapeze

We suggest building one of the trapeze models prior to student testing to ensure that your materials work together. If the string is too thick, the suggested binder clip size won’t be able to hold these in place. You may need to adjust the type of string you use or you can try using larger binder clips.

Exploration

10 mins

Hands-On Activity

35 mins

Wrap-Up

15 mins

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Vocabulary

Unit Readings

Transcripts

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