Skate park – conservation of mechanical energy

PhysicsEnergy & MomentumAges 15–16

A skater rides on a curved track (choose a ramp, a loop or a double well, or draw your own in the Playground). Kinetic and potential energy convert into each other as the skater moves; with friction switched on, part of the mechanical energy becomes thermal energy. Enter the loop too slowly and the skater leaves the track and flies off in free fall. Based on the "Energy Skate Park" simulation by PhET Interactive Simulations, University of Colorado Boulder (CC BY 4.0); rewritten.

Lesson: Conservation of mechanical energy