Skate Park Lab Questions:
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Based on the information given in the table, the skateboarder has the greatest potential energy at point A. Explain why.
- The skateboarder has the greatest potential energy at point A (6 meters) because potential energy is directly related to height. The formula for gravitational potential energy is \( PE = mgh \), where \( m \) is the mass, \( g \) is the acceleration due to gravity, and \( h \) is the height. At point A, the height is at its maximum at 6 meters, resulting in the highest potential energy of 4,704 Joules.
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At which point in the image would the skateboarder have the greatest Kinetic Energy & Why?
- The skateboarder would have the greatest Kinetic Energy at point C (0 meters). At this point, the skateboarder is at the lowest height, and all the potential energy has been converted into kinetic energy as the skateboarder accelerates down the ramp. The kinetic energy at this point is 4,704 Joules, which is the maximum possible because all the potential energy has been transformed into kinetic energy.
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Increase the Mass of the skater to Large by using the slider in the gray box for mass. How does the mass of the skater change the total amount of energy?
- Increasing the mass of the skateboarder will increase the total amount of gravitational potential energy when at height because potential energy depends on mass. Therefore, if the mass is increased, it will result in a higher potential energy at any given height. However, the total energy in the system (the sum of potential and kinetic energy) remains constant due to the principle of conservation of energy, as long as no energy is added or taken out of the system.
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If we could increase the height of the ramp to start at 12 meters. How would this affect the overall Kinetic & Potential Energy of the investigation? Explain why.
- Increasing the height of the ramp to 12 meters would increase the potential energy at the starting point because it is directly proportional to height. Using the formula \( PE = mgh \), the potential energy at this new height would be greater than it was at 6 meters. Consequently, as the skateboarder descends the ramp and approaches the bottom, their kinetic energy would also be higher than before, as more potential energy would convert into kinetic energy, resulting in a greater total energy in the system.
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Now place your skateboarder at the 6 meters mark and let the investigation play out. What happened and why?
- When the skateboarder is placed at the 6 meters mark and allowed to descend the ramp, we observe that the skateboarder accelerates as they go down due to the conversion of potential energy to kinetic energy. Initially, at 6 meters, the skateboarder has maximum potential energy and no kinetic energy. As they move down to lower heights, the potential energy decreases, while the kinetic energy increases, causing the skateboarder to speed up until they reach the bottom of the ramp (0 meters), where they have maximum kinetic energy and zero potential energy. This illustrates the conservation of mechanical energy principle, where energy transitions from one form to another while the total energy remains constant.