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PhET Online Simulation: Energy Skate Park

Go to the following website:

Click the green “Run Now!” button

Once your simulator begins running you should see a skater going back and forth.

Do not make any changes, yet.

Click the option to “Show Pie Chart” on the right side of the page.

1. What color on the pie chart represents kinetic energy? ____________________

2. What color on the pie chart represents potential energy? __________________

Watch the pie chart as the skater goes back and forth.

3. On the diagram below, write PE at the point(s) where potential energy is the highest.

4. On the diagram below, write KE at the point(s) where kinetic energy is the highest.

Use the Pause (ll) button to stop the skater at his highest position on the left side of the track.

5. Click on the Measuring Tape to measure the height.

Height: ___________

Press play then Pause again to stop him at his highest

position on the right side of the track.

6. Measure the highest point the skater reaches on the right side of the track.

Height: ___________

7. How does the left height compare to the right? _____________________________________________

While paused, click on Potential Energy Reference .

Use the mouse to move the blue Potential Energy Reference line up to the lowest point on the ramp.

Click Bar Graph and move the graph to the far left of your screen.

Press play and watch the bar graph as the skater goes back and forth.

8. The graph shows that as PE goes down KE goes _______, and the TOTAL ENERGY is _________________.

9. When are KE and PE equal? _______________________________________________________________

10. Explain the law of conservation of energy using the graph? ___________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Click on Energy vs. Position to see a line graph of the skater’s motion.

11. What is the dependent variable on this graph? _________________________

12. What is the independent variable on this graph? ________________________

13. What units are used to measure energy? ___________________

14. What is the total amount of energy in this system? ______________________

15. At what positions are PE and KE equal? ___________ and ______________

Add Friction

Close the Energy vs. Position graph.

Pause and click on Track Friction.

On the Coefficient of Friction control change it from NONE to the next mark (0.1) by clicking the mouse to the right of the blue slider button.

Click Return Skater and Resume. Watch the bar graph .

11. Is the Total Energy still constant ? ____________

12. What is different about the energy this time? ________________________________________________

Click Pause . Click Clear Heat. Click Return Skater and then Resume.

Watch the bar graph while counting each time the skater passes the low point.

Pause when the skater gets to the low point for the 10th time.

13. How much energy has the skate lost? Approximately _________%

14. According to the Law of Conservation of Energy the energy could not have been “lost”. What has it been changed to? _________________________________

Now use the controls on the side to make some modifications. You can change the skater, change the mass of the skater, and even change the shape of the track. Record the changes you notice about the motion of the skater.

|Modification description |Noted changes |

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