ENERGY SKATE PARK-LAB
PART I and II
Unit Overview
In this two-part activity
you will investigate the relationships among kinetic, potential, thermal, and
total energy. You will see how these
energies are used and change through measuring a simulated skateboarder on a
half-pipe. Then, you will see what happens to the energy levels of the skater
when friction is an added factor.
Click
on the link: http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/energy-skate-park-basics
You can download the lab to your
desktop. It is wise to house all of the simulations in a folder so you can refer
back to them when needed.
This is a screen shot of the simulation:
When
you see this screen you will then click on “Run Now!”
Download the printable worksheet
below.
Energy
Skate Park Lab Activity Sheet
A Look Ahead
In Unit 15 we will learn what momentum is
and how to calculate it. We will see how mass and velocity determine an objects
momentum and what happens when an object collides with another object. For the
sake of time and this class, we will only explore momentum in one dimension in
this chapter.
Below are additional educational resources and activities for this unit.