Glenbard West Physics
Energy Skate Park
Name:____________
Period:____________
Open the “Thawspace (T:)” directory found by double clicking on “My Compter” Icon. Open the file:
energy-skate-park.jar
Directions:
(a)Create a track for the skater that has at least one loop (you add track by clicking and dragging in
pieces from the top left corner). DO NOT MAKE YOUR TRACK TOO BIG, OR THE
PROGRAM WILL CRASH!!!
(b) Once you track is set up answer the following questions.
(c) Once your track is created DO NOT PRESS THE “RESET” BUTTON!!!! If your skater falls off
the track, press the “Return Skater” button on the top right.
Questions:
1) Start your skater at the top of your track and let your skater do his thing. Draw a picture of your skate ramp
below. Be sure to include where the ground is in relation to your track.
2) Click the “Show Pie Chart” box on the right. Watch your skater move through the track with the pie chart
a few times. Pay attention to how the energy changes between potential and kinetic energy as the skater
moves through the track. Label the following on your picture above:
A) Place an ‘A’ on your track where the potential energy is the greatest. (There may be more than one place!!!)
B) Place a ‘B’ on your track where the kinetic energy is the greatest. (There may be more than one place!!!!)
3) Click the “Energy vs. Time” button on the right. Run your simulation again so your skater completes the
track from start to finish. Make sure you start at the beginning of your track!!! Pause the simulation and
press the ‘Rewind’ button. Then, drag the grey bar across the graph and observe the location of your skater.
When are the kinetic and potential energy of the skater equal? Label these points as “C” your diagram
above.
4) Turn off the pie chart and the close the energy vs. time graph. Now change the location of your skater to
space, the moon, and Jupiter. Be sure to try changing your locations while the skater is moving in different
parts of your track, and try pressing the “Return Skater” button for each location. Explain the changes in
motion you observe when the skater goes to each new location.
Space –
Moon –
Jupiter –
5) Return your skater and course to Earth. At the top-right part of the screen there is a “Choose Skater”
button. Change your skater. (DO NOT CHOOSE THE BUG) By doing this you’ve also changed the
mass of the skater. Click the “Energy vs. Time” button again. Run your simulation again so your skater
completes the track from start to finish. Make sure you start at the beginning of your track!!! Using the pie
graph, observe where the skater is on the track when potential and kinetic energies are equal. Label these
points on your track as “D”.
6) After skating the course with your new skater, did you notice any significant difference between where on
your track the kinetic and potential energies are equal? In other words, compare points “C” and points “D”.
Are they close to the same spot or very different? Explain why.
7) Run your simulation again with the ‘Show Pie Graph’ box checked. While the skater is in motion, change
your skater while watching the pie graph. Does changing the mass of the skater change the total energy in
the skater-ramp system? Explain the relationship.
8) Finally, click the ‘Track Friction’ button on the right. Move the slider to the right. What happens to the
skater? As the skater moves through the track, what type(s) of energy does he possess now?
9) Move the skater around until you find where the skater has only thermal energy. What TWO things have to
happen for the skater to have only thermal energy?