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12.2 - PhET Lab - Conservation of Total Energy Skatepark

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173 views6 pages

12.2 - PhET Lab - Conservation of Total Energy Skatepark

Uploaded by

mwu
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Name: ________________________________

Turn in at the end of class today

Conservation in Science of the Environment

What does it mean to “conserve the environment”?

Conservation of Total Energy at the Skate Park

The Purpose: To discover the meaning of “conservation of total energy” through the use of an interactive skate park simulation.

PhET Energy Skate Park Simulation Link: http://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/energy-skate-park-basics/latest/energy-skate-park-basics_en.html (copy/paste link from Blackbaud or find hyperlink

on pdf)

1. Click “Intro” and Drop the skater on the track. Click all the boxes in the top right corner. Describe what the bar graph and pie chart represent. Draw the setup of the track and a

description of how the pie chart and bar graph relate to your setup.

System description

Drawing of Shape of the Ramp/Halfpipe What is happening to the kinetic and potential energy? Describe what you observe for each item in the pie chart. When is the
potential energy at a maximum? When is the kinetic energy at a maximum? When is the speed at a maximum? What happens
in between? Take your time and use the “pause” button in the simulation to help.

2. Investigate the meaning of “total energy”. Using the pie chart or bar graph, describe what is happening to the total energy as the skater moves.

3. Find a way to increase the “total energy”. What did you do to increase the total energy? There are two different ways, find at least one.

Bonus Question: What energy equation from class shows this?


4. Does changing the total energy change the maximum potential and max kinetic energy? Why or why not?

5. Click the “speed” gauge. Does the maximum or minimum speed change when you increase the total energy? Why or why not?

6. If something is conserved, this means that it does not change. What form of energy is conserved?

Go to the “Friction” section by clicking it on the bottom of the page. Click all boxes in the right corner.

7. What changes once you add friction to the simulation? How does it change what happens to the energy over time? What type of energy is friction related to?
8. Write a “rule” or “equation” for the total energy of a system. Include the words “total energy,” “kinetic energy,” “potential energy,” and “thermal energy.” Include a bar chart if this helps your

explanation.

9. The skater is at rest at the top of the ramp and has a potential energy of 100 Joules (J)
a. While the skater is at rest on the top of the hill, what is their total energy? Answer below

b. The skater goes to the bottom of the hill and uses up all their potential energy. When they reach the bottom, the thermal energy is 10 Joules (J). What is the kinetic energy at the bottom of
the hill?

10. The skater is halfway down the halfpipe. They have a potential energy of 50 Joules (J) and a kinetic energy of 50 Joules (J). There is no friction, so there is no thermal energy.
a. What is the total energy of the skater when they are halfway down the halfpipe?

b. What is the total energy of the skater when they are at the top of the halfpipe?

c. What is their potential energy when they are at the top of the halfpipe?

d. What is their kinetic energy at the top of the half pipe?

e. What is their speed at the top of the halfpipe?

11. The skater has a total energy of 100 Joules (J). Neglect thermal energy for this problem.
a. If the skater has a mass of 50 kilograms (kg), how high can the skater go in the halfpipe? Hint: What form of energy will they have when they are at the top of the halfpipe?
b. If the skater has a mass of 50 kilograms (kg), how fast are they moving when they reach the bottom of the halfpipe. Hint: What form of energy will they have when they are at the bottom of
the halfpipe?

Directions: Go the “Playground” section of the park and try to build the image below. It DOES NOT NEED TO BE PERFECT. All you need is a loop and the skater must make it to the end.
12. Use your experience with the skater system to complete the table below:

Skater’s Position Describe skater’s speed (increasing, decreasing, constant) Describe energy forms. Be sure to include all forms of energy listed in bar charts.
Draw the bar chart if it helps assist your description

CONSERVATION OF ENERGY!!!

Directions: Write your solutions / show your work on a separate sheet


Must show work
Create your own challenge problem!

Attempt to write the most challenging problem that you can on the topic of Conservation of Energy. You must not only write the problem but also provide a solution. Share your problem with Mr.

Murtaugh for a chance to have to incorporated into a future lesson!

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