PhET Simulation: Energy Skate Park Basics

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In this HTML5 simulation, students explore how energy is conserved in a system of a skateboarder moving on a track. Bar graph and pie charts are displayed to show changes in kinetic energy and potential energy as the skater moves along the track. Use the pre-set tracks or customize your own skate runs. Click "Friction" and watch as thermal energy is displayed alongside PE and KE graphs. How does friction affect the motion of the skater? Does changing the mass of the skater make a difference in the motion? In the final challenge, students create and test their own track configurations.

See Related Materials for a more complex Java version of this simulation, "Energy Skate Park", which allows users to change the gravitational constant and view graphs of Energy vs. Time and Energy vs. Position for each skate run.

https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/energy-skate-park-basics

Subjects	Levels	Resource Types
Classical Mechanics - Applications of Newton's Laws = Friction - Gravity - Motion in Two Dimensions = Position & Displacement - Work and Energy = Conservation of Energy Education Practices - Active Learning = Modeling	- Middle School - High School - Elementary School	- Instructional Material = Interactive Simulation

Intended Users	Formats	Ratings
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Access Rights:: Free access
License:: This material is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.
Rights Holder:: University of Colorado
Keywords:: energy conversion, energy transfer, energy transformation, friction, kinetic energy, potential energy, thermal energy
Record Cloner:: Metadata instance created December 28, 2017 by Caroline Hall
Record Updated:: October 22, 2018 by Caroline Hall
Last Update when Cataloged:: December 22, 2017
Other Collections:: The Physics Front

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Next Generation Science Standards

Energy (MS-PS3)

Students who demonstrate understanding can: (6-8)

Construct and interpret graphical displays of data to describe the relationships of kinetic energy to the mass of an object and to the speed of an object. (MS-PS3-1)

Disciplinary Core Ideas (K-12)

Forces and Motion (PS2.A)

The motion of an object is determined by the sum of the forces acting on it; if the total force on the object is not zero, its motion will change. The greater the mass of the object, the greater the force needed to achieve the same change in motion. For any given object, a larger force causes a larger change in motion. (6-8)

Types of Interactions (PS2.B)

The gravitational force of Earth acting on an object near Earth's surface pulls that object toward the planet's center. (5)

Definitions of Energy (PS3.A)

Motion energy is properly called kinetic energy; it is proportional to the mass of the moving object and grows with the square of its speed. (6-8)
A system of objects may also contain stored (potential) energy, depending on their relative positions. (6-8)
Energy is a quantitative property of a system that depends on the motion and interactions of matter and radiation within that system. That there is a single quantity called energy is due to the fact that a system's total energy is conserved, even as, within the system, energy is continually transferred from one object to another and between its various possible forms. (9-12)

Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer (PS3.B)

Energy is present whenever there are moving objects, sound, light, or heat. When objects collide, energy can be transferred from one object to another, thereby changing their motion. In such collisions, some energy is typically also transferred to the surrounding air; as a result, the air gets heated and sound is produced. (4)
When the motion energy of an object changes, there is inevitably some other change in energy at the same time. (6-8)
Conservation of energy means that the total change of energy in any system is always equal to the total energy transferred into or out of the system. (9-12)

Crosscutting Concepts (K-12)

Systems and System Models (K-12)

Models can be used to represent systems and their interactions—such as inputs, processes and outputs— and energy, matter, and information flows within systems. (6-8)
When investigating or describing a system, the boundaries and initial conditions of the system need to be defined and their inputs and outputs analyzed and described using models. (9-12)

Energy and Matter (2-12)

The transfer of energy can be tracked as energy flows through a designed or natural system. (6-8)
Within a natural or designed system, the transfer of energy drives the motion and/or cycling of matter. (6-8)
Changes of energy and matter in a system can be described in terms of energy and matter flows into, out of, and within that system. (9-12)
Energy cannot be created or destroyed—it only moves between one place and another place, between objects and/or fields, or between systems. (9-12)

Structure and Function (K-12)

Structures can be designed to serve particular functions. (6-8)

NGSS Science and Engineering Practices (K-12)

Analyzing and Interpreting Data (K-12)

Analyzing data in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses to introducing quantitative approaches to collecting data and conducting multiple trials of qualitative observations. When possible and feasible, digital tools should be used. (3-5)
- Represent data in graphical displays (bar graphs, pictographs and/or pie charts) to reveal patterns that indicate relationships. (5)
Analyzing data in 6–8 builds on K–5 and progresses to extending quantitative analysis to investigations, distinguishing between correlation and causation, and basic statistical techniques of data and error analysis. (6-8)
- Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for phenomena. (6-8)

Developing and Using Models (K-12)

Modeling in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses to building and revising simple models and using models to represent events and design solutions. (3-5)
- Use models to describe phenomena. (5)
Modeling in 6–8 builds on K–5 and progresses to developing, using and revising models to describe, test, and predict more abstract phenomena and design systems. (6-8)
- Develop and use a model to describe phenomena. (6-8)
Modeling in 9–12 builds on K–8 and progresses to using, synthesizing, and developing models to predict and show relationships among variables between systems and their components in the natural and designed worlds. (9-12)
- Use a model to predict the relationships between systems or between components of a system. (9-12)

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Record Link

<a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=14545">PhET. PhET Simulation: Energy Skate Park Basics. Boulder: PhET, December 22, 2017.</a>

AIP Format

(PhET, Boulder, 2017), WWW Document, (https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/energy-skate-park-basics).

AJP/PRST-PER

PhET Simulation: Energy Skate Park Basics (PhET, Boulder, 2017), <https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/energy-skate-park-basics>.

APA Format

PhET Simulation: Energy Skate Park Basics. (2017, December 22). Retrieved April 27, 2024, from PhET: https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/energy-skate-park-basics

Chicago Format

PhET. PhET Simulation: Energy Skate Park Basics. Boulder: PhET, December 22, 2017. https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/energy-skate-park-basics (accessed 27 April 2024).

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PhET Simulation: Energy Skate Park Basics. Boulder: PhET, 2017. 22 Dec. 2017. 27 Apr. 2024 <https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/energy-skate-park-basics>.

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@misc{ Title = {PhET Simulation: Energy Skate Park Basics}, Publisher = {PhET}, Volume = {2024}, Number = {27 April 2024}, Month = {December 22, 2017}, Year = {2017} }

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%T PhET Simulation: Energy Skate Park Basics %D December 22, 2017 %I PhET %C Boulder %U https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/energy-skate-park-basics %O text/html

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%0 Electronic Source %D December 22, 2017 %T PhET Simulation: Energy Skate Park Basics %I PhET %V 2024 %N 27 April 2024 %8 December 22, 2017 %9 text/html %U https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/energy-skate-park-basics

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