When creating a computational model of energy changes experienced by an object in free fall using a spreadsheet application, the student can follow these steps:
1. Define the variables: Determine the initial height (h), mass (m), gravitational acceleration (g), and any other relevant quantities needed for the model.
2. Set up time intervals: Determine the time intervals you want to simulate the object's free fall. For example, you can set intervals of 0.1 seconds.
3. Calculate position: Use the formula for calculating the position of the object at each time interval in free fall. In this case, the formula is h = h0 - 0.5 * g * t^2, where h0 is the initial height and t is the time interval.
4. Calculate velocity: Use the formula for calculating the velocity of the object at each time interval in free fall. In this case, the formula is v = -g * t, where g is the gravitational acceleration and t is the time interval.
5. Calculate kinetic energy: Use the formula for calculating the kinetic energy of the object at each time interval in free fall. In this case, the formula is KE = 0.5 * m * v^2, where m is the mass of the object and v is the velocity.
6. Calculate potential energy: Use the formula for calculating the potential energy of the object at each time interval in free fall. In this case, the formula is PE = m * g * h, where m is the mass of the object, g is the gravitational acceleration, and h is the height.
7. Calculate total mechanical energy: Sum up the kinetic energy and potential energy at each time interval to get the total mechanical energy of the object.
8. Create a table: Use the spreadsheet application to create a table with columns for time, position, velocity, kinetic energy, potential energy, and total mechanical energy.
9. Fill in the table: Input the values calculated from steps 3 to 7 into the corresponding columns of the table for each time interval.
10. Graph the data: Use the spreadsheet application to plot a graph of time on the x-axis and each energy (position, velocity, kinetic energy, potential energy, total mechanical energy) on the y-axis.
11. Analyze the results: Interpret the graph and the data in the table to understand how the energy changes as the object falls.
By following these steps, the student will be able to create a computational model of energy changes experienced by an object in free fall using a spreadsheet application.
A student uses a spreadsheet application to create a computational model of energy changes experienced by an object in free fall
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