Purpose: When Tony Hawk wants to launch himself as high as possible off the half-pipe, how does he achieve this? The skate park is an excellent example of the conservation of energy. The law of conservation of energy tells us that we can never create or destroy energy, but we can change its form.

In this lab, you will analyze energy transfer between gravitational potential energy, kinetic energy, and energy lost due to collisions or friction (thermal energy) as a skate boarder rides along a track.

Go to PHET Colorado simulation website and choose energy skate park basics simulation

 
 

 

 

 

 

Take some time to play with the simulation. Turn on the Bar Graph, Grid, and Speed options on the right side of the screen. Become familiar with the Resef buttons on the right and how to change the speed of the simulation with the buttons on the bottom. DETAILED DIRECTIONS: (Turn on the Bar Graph, Grid,' and "Speed' options.) Set the skater 2 meters above the ground on the ramp and release him. 1. What type of energy does the skater have at the 2 meter mark? 2. How high does the skater get on the other end of the ramp? 3. Explain, in terms of the conservation of energy, why the skater will never go higher than your answer to question 2 at this point. Hit the Reset All' button. 4. If you were to place the skater at the 5 meter mark, how high will the skater go on the other side of the track? Try it to confirm your prediction. 5. How does the skater's kinetic energy change as he moves down the ramp?