Put the skater at the very top of the parabolic track on the left on top of the blue ball (make sure the little red dot under the skater is inside the ball and on the track).
1. the total energy is entirely made up of energy.
put the skater at the very bottom of the track -- on the blue ball.
2. why isn't the potential energy zero?
look for the blue-dashed line on the ground. move it up to the skater so the red dot under the skater and the line are aligned. click play.
3. why doesn't the skater go anywhere?
put the skater at the very top of the parabolic track on the left on top of the blue ball.
4. what is the height relative to the blue-dashed line (that goes through the bottom blue ball) in meters?
5. what is the total potential energy in joules -- you need to calculate it?
6. what is the total energy in joules?
with the skater still at the very top of the parabolic track on the left on top of the blue ball. click play (adjust the sim speed to your liking).
7. where is the kinetic energy the maximum? (to step through the lab click on pause and then click on the step button)
8. approximately at what point are the potential and kinetic energies the same?
9. what is the approximate speed of the skater at the point where the kinetic and potential energies are the same?
10.what is the approximate speed of the skater when at the very bottom of the track?
total energy
11.has the total energy ever changed?
12.why?