Energy Activity Sheet 7 Name:_______
Energy Skate Park
Start the simulation: http://phet.colorado.edu/new/simulations/sims.php?sim=Energy_Skate_Park (PhET, 2010)
Click on Run Now (Green button)
As the skate park opens on your screen, observe the movements of the skater in the half pipe.
b) the highest amount of potential energy
c) the lowest amount of kinetic energy
d) the lowest amount of potential energy
Energy Skate Park
Start the simulation: http://phet.colorado.edu/new/simulations/sims.php?sim=Energy_Skate_Park (PhET, 2010)
Click on Run Now (Green button)
As the skate park opens on your screen, observe the movements of the skater in the half pipe.
- Does the skater hit the same height on the opposite sides of the track? (Use the “pause” button and the measuring tape to help you determine this!)
Now, turn on the energy Pie Chart, Energy vs. Position Graph, and Bar Graph. (You may need to move things around a little to see everything.) - On all three visual aids, what colour represents potential energy and which is kinetic energy?
- Draw a picture of the half pipe and show when the skater has
b) the highest amount of potential energy
c) the lowest amount of kinetic energy
d) the lowest amount of potential energy
- Explain which visual aid (the pie, energy vs. position, or bar graph) helps you understand conservation of energy better, and why.
PART B: CREATING A SKATE PARK
Thanks to your great skateboarding skills, city officials have asked you to add your expertise with designing a new skate park. Experiment with the different tracks that are available under the tracks icon at the top of the page and build your idea of the perfect track. Draw your track below. If your first track did not work (skater got stuck or fell off), design another track and explain why your first idea didn’t work. How can you use what you know about kinetic and potential energy to help you with your designs?
CONCLUSION
From your experience and observations with the skate park simulator what do you think affects the relationship between potential and kinetic energy?
If you finish early - See if you can have the skater do two loops. Draw your track.
- See if you can have the skater go airborne, but land on another track.
- See if you can have the skater say cow-a-bunga.
Credits
Activity Sheet 7 modified with materials from PhET (Bowling, 2008).
| energy_activity_sheet_7.doc |
