• Westbury High School

• SCIENCE 101

PhET Energy Skate Park
Name:
For this lab activity, you will be using PhET’s Energy Skatepark Simulation found here:
https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/energy-skate-park-basics

A half-pipe course is being constructed at a local park in your town. You have been asked
to analyze the types of energy used by skaters on the half-pipe and to recommend how
they can achieve the greatest velocity while skating the course.
The law of conservation of energy states that energy can be converted from one form to
another. This lab will explore the law of conservation of energy via the gravitational potential
energy and kinetic energy of skaters on a half-pipe.
Gravitational Potential Energy (PEG)
1. Open the simulation in Intro mode, and select both Grid and Bar Graph. What happens to
the PEG of your skater as you click and drag her vertically? What affects how much the PEG
changes?
 

2. Increase the mass of your skater and repeat step one. Does this change her gravitational
potential energy?
 

3. Knowing that the acceleration due to gravity (g) on earth affects an object’s gravitational
potential energy, and taking into account your observations from steps one and two, write
an equation for PEG.
 

4. Set the skater’s mass back to the middle, and drag her to some height above the ground.
Click the play button. What happens to her kinetic energy as she skates downhill? When
does she have maximum kinetic energy?
 

5. Increase the skater’s mass and repeat step four. What happens to her maximum amount of
kinetic energy?
 

6. Place the skater on the half-pipe, and click play.
a.Explain what happens to her kinetic energy and gravitational potential energy as
she skates.
 

7. Based on your observations of the simulated skater and the relationship between her
gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy, what can you conclude mathematically
about the amount of energy present at the top of the half-pipe versus at the bottom?
 

1. If the skater has a mass of 60 kg, what is her gravitational potential energy at the top of
the
4 m high half-pipe?