Description
CONSERVATION of MECHNICAL ENERGY
NAME:__________________________________
DATE: __________________________________
Access the University of Colorado’s PhET Energy Skate Park simulation at
Use the default skate track configuration and the bar and energy vs. time/position graphs to answer
the following questions. Place the reference potential energy blue dashed-line directly at the
bottom of the track.
1.) Sketch the track and label the following positions.
a) The skater is at his maximum speed
b) The skater is stopped
c) The skater is going his average speed
d) The skater is going slow
e) The skater is going fast
2.) What will the speed of the 75kg Skater be at 2 seconds?
3.) At what height is the 60kg Skater at 2 seconds?
4.) What is the kinetic, potential, and total mechanical energy at 10 seconds?
5.) Repeat questions 1 to 4 for the moon, and then for Jupiter. Explain why the results differ
between the Earth, moon, and Jupiter.
6.) Reference this skate track configuration, then
sketch this track and label where the 5 positions could be.
a) The skater is at his maximum speed
b) The skater is stopped
c) The skater is going his average speed
d) The skater is going slow
e) The skater is going fast
7.) Sketch this energy-position graph
and label where you think the
same 5 positions in the prior
questions are.
8.) Add an amount of track friction to the original skate track configuration.
a) What is the kinetic, potential, thermal, and total mechanical energy after 2 seconds?
b.) Explain the transfer of mechanical energy throughout the simulation when the skater finally
comes to rest.
c.) Label each energy source as conservative or non-conservative. Explain each case.
9.) Place the skater and skate track in space. How can this scenario validate Newton’s Laws of
motion?
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