A physical pendulum consisting of a circular disk at the end of a thin metal rod is connected to a low-friction rotary motion sensor, so that its angular position and velocity can be accurately measured. The disk can be oriented either perpendicular or parallel to the plane of swing to give significant or negligible air drag,respectively. The motion is analytically modeled in phase space. A quadratic dependence of the damping torque on the angular velocity fits the results. This laboratory experiment is suitable for undergraduate physics majors taking a first or second course in classical mechanics.