Skateboard=80Kg

Question

Energy of Skateboarder
II. Skate Park Lab Questions:

Height
Speed
Potential Energy
Kinetic Energy
Total Energy
6m
0 m/s²
4,704 Joules
0 Joules
4,704 Joules
3m
5.4 m/s²
2,352 Joules
2,352 Joules
4,704 Joules
0m
10.8 m/s²
0 Joules
4,704 Joules
4,704 Joules

1. Based on the information given in the table, the skateboarder has the greatest potential energy at point A. Explain why.
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2. At which point in the image, would the skateboarder have the greatest Kinetic Energy & Why?
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3. 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?
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4. 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.
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5. Now place your skateboarder at the 6 meters mark and let the investigation play out. You can play it at Normal Speed. What happened and why?
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Answer 1

1. 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 high) because potential energy is directly proportional to height. The formula for potential energy (PE) is PE = mgh, where m is the mass, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h is the height above ground. At 6 meters, the height is maximum, resulting in maximum potential energy.

2. At which point in the image, would the skateboarder have the greatest Kinetic Energy & Why?

   • The skateboarder would have the greatest Kinetic Energy at the lowest point (0 meters height). At this position, all the potential energy has been converted into kinetic energy as the skateboarder descends from the ramp. Therefore, the speed is highest at this point, maximizing kinetic energy, which is calculated using the formula KE = ½ mv².

3. 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 increases the total amount of potential and kinetic energy in the system. Since both potential energy (PE = mgh) and kinetic energy (KE = ½ mv²) depend on mass, a larger mass means higher energy values at any given height or speed. However, the total mechanical energy (sum of potential and kinetic energy) remains constant if no external forces do work on the system, as it follows the principle of conservation of energy.

4. 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 total potential energy at the starting point because potential energy is directly proportional to height. Specifically, the potential energy would be higher (PE = mgh, where h is now 12 meters). As the skateboarder descends the ramp, this higher potential energy would be converted into kinetic energy, resulting in a greater maximum kinetic energy at the lowest point. Overall, both potential and kinetic energy values would increase due to the increase in height.

5. Now place your skateboarder at the 6 meters mark and let the investigation play out. What happened and why?

   • When the skateboarder starts at the 6 meters mark and the investigation is played out, the skateboarder descends the ramp, converting potential energy into kinetic energy as they move downward. Initially, at 6 meters, the skateboarder has maximum potential energy and zero kinetic energy. As they move down to lower heights (3m to 0m), we observe an increase in kinetic energy while the potential energy decreases correspondingly. This conversion of energy illustrates the principle of conservation of energy, where the total energy remains constant throughout the motion.