PhET Activity for MS-PS3-2: Energy Skate Park

DIRECTIONS:
1. Click on the 'Intro' image on the main menu to begin.
Take 2-3 minutes to explore. Drag the skater to different starting heights on the ramp and release them. Observe their motion. Try pausing the simulation and using the slow-motion feature. Do not change any settings in the control panels yet.

QUESTION: Are you acquainted with the tools in this simulation?

DIRECTIONS:
1. Click the orange 'Restart' button at the bottom right to return the simulation to the default settings.
2. In the top-right panel, check the box for 'Pie Chart'.

3. 3. Check the box for 'Grid' in the bottom left box.
   3. Drag the skater up to the 6-meter mark on the left side of the ramp and release them.
   4. Observe the pie chart as the skater moves.
   
   QUESTION: When the skater is at the highest point of their motion on the ramp, which statement about their energy is true?

DIRECTIONS:
1. In the top-right panel, check the box for 'Speed' to display the speedometer.
2. Let the skater continue moving back and forth on the ramp.

QUESTION: As the skater moves down the ramp toward the bottom, their height ___ and their speed ___, causing potential energy to be converted into ___ energy.

(a)  

DIRECTIONS:
1. On the left side of the screen, click the plus button to expand the 'Energy' bar graph.
2. If the skater has stopped, drag them to the top of the ramp and release them again.

QUESTION: In the absence of friction, the Total Energy of the system (a)   .

DIRECTIONS:
1. Pause the simulation when the skater is at the very top of the ramp and make note of the potential energy in the bar chart.
3. Restart the skater by pressing the 'Restart Skater' button, then release them from a lower height (e.g., 4 meters) and observe again.

QUESTION: If you release the skater from a height of 2 meters instead of 6 meters, the initial potential energy stored in the system will be:

DIRECTIONS:
1. Click the 'Restart Skater' button.
2. Drag the skater to the 6-meter mark on the left and release them.
3. In the right panel, move the 'Friction' slider to the middle position.
4. Observe the energy bar graph.

QUESTION: What happens to the total mechanical energy (Kinetic + Potential) when friction is introduced?

DIRECTIONS:
1. With friction still turned on from the previous slide, let the simulation run until the skater comes to a complete stop.

QUESTION: When the skater finally stops at the bottom of the ramp, all the initial potential energy has been transformed. Where did this energy go? Explain your reasoning using the energy bar graph.

DIRECTIONS:
1. In the right panel, move the 'Friction' slider back to 'None'.
2. In the track selector in the right panel, click the third icon to choose the track with a loop.
3. Drag the skater to the top of the ramp (6m) and release them.

QUESTION: Arrange the points on the track in order from where the skater has the MOST potential energy to the LEAST potential energy.

DIRECTIONS:
1. Click the 'Restart Skater' button repeatedly and release the skater from different heights on the starting ramp.
2. Make sure the 'Stick to Track' checkbox in the top-right panel is UNCHECKED.

QUESTION: Why must the skater start from a significant height to complete the loop?

DIRECTIONS:
1. Select the U-shaped track.
2. Set the friction to 'None'.
3. Release the skater from the top of the track and observe the maximum height they reach on the other side.
4. Click the 'Restart Skater' button.
5. In the right panel, use the 'Mass' slider to set the mass to different values.
6. Release the skater from the same height and observe again.

QUESTION: In the absence of friction, changing the skater's mass (a)   affect the maximum height the skater reaches on the other side of the ramp.