PhET Activity for MS-PS3-2: Energy Skate Park_Basics

DIRECTIONS:
1. Click on the 'Intro' thumbnail on the left side of the screen to begin.
Spend 2-3 minutes exploring the simulation. Click and drag the skater to different starting heights on the U-shaped ramp and release them. Observe their motion. Do not change any settings in the panel on the right yet.

QUESTION: Are you acquainted with the tools in this simulation?

DIRECTIONS:
1. In the control panel on the right, click the 'Pie Chart' checkbox.
2. In the same panel, click the 'Bar Graph' checkbox and the 'Grid' checkbox.
3. If the skater is not moving, drag them to the top of the ramp (about 6 meters high) and release them.
4. Observe the changing colors in the Pie Chart and the bars in the Bar Graph as the skater moves.

QUESTION: Based on the Bar Graph, what types of energy does the blue bar and the green bar represent?

DIRECTIONS:
1. Press the 'Pause' button at the bottom of the screen.
3. Drag the skater and place them so their center is exactly on the 2-meter line on the ramp. Observe the 'Potential' energy bar.
4. Now, drag the skater to the 4-meter line and observe the 'Potential' energy bar.
5. Finally, drag the skater to the 6-meter line and observe the 'Potential' energy bar.

QUESTION: As the skater's height (arrangement relative to the Earth) increases, the stored ___ energy in the system ___.

(a)  

DIRECTIONS:
1. In the control panel on the right, click the 'Speed' checkbox to display the speedometer.
2. Press the 'Play' button to resume the simulation.
3. If the skater has stopped, drag them to the top of the ramp (6m) and release.

QUESTION: The skater's kinetic energy is at its maximum when their speed is (a)   .

DIRECTIONS:
1. At the bottom of the screen, click the 'Slow Motion' button.
2. Watch the skater move up and down the ramp.

QUESTION: Starting from the skater being motionless at the highest point of the ramp, arrange the energy states in the correct order as they skate down to the bottom.

DIRECTIONS:
1. At the bottom of the screen, click the 'Normal' button to return to normal speed.
2. Let the skater move back and forth on the ramp.

QUESTION: In the 'Intro' mode (no friction), what happens to the 'Total Energy' of the skater system as the skater moves?

DIRECTIONS:
1. Press the 'Pause' button.
2. Drag the skater to the 4-meter mark on the ramp.
3. In the right panel, set the 'Mass' slider to 'Small'. Note the level of the 'Total Energy' bar.
4. Now, move the 'Mass' slider to 'Large'. Observe the change in the 'Total Energy' bar.

QUESTION: At a fixed height, increasing the skater's mass ___ the amount of stored potential energy and thus ___ the total energy of the system.

(a)  

DIRECTIONS:
1. Ensure all visuals ('Pie Chart', 'Bar Graph', 'Grid', 'Speed') are still checked.
3. Set the 'Mass' slider to 'Small'.
4. Drag the skater to the 6-meter mark and release them. Press play, and observe the maximum height they reach on the opposite side.
5. Set the 'Mass' slider to 'Large'.
6. Press 'Restart Skater' button.
7. Again, observe the maximum height they reach.

QUESTION: Does changing the skater's mass affect the maximum height they return to on the opposite side of the ramp (in the absence of friction)? Explain your observation.

DIRECTIONS:
1. In the right panel, click the bottom track thumbnail (the double-dip shape).
2. Drag the skater and release them from the 4-meter mark on the left side of the track.

QUESTION: On the double-dip track, if you release the skater from a height of exactly 4 meters, will they make it over the middle hump which is less than 4 meters high?

DIRECTIONS:
1. At the bottom of the screen, click the 'Friction' tab.
2. The track will reset to the U-shape. In the right panel, re-check the boxes for 'Pie Chart', 'Bar Graph', 'Grid', and 'Speed'.
3. Release the skater from the top of the ramp and observe how the energy bar charts change.

QUESTION: When friction is introduced, Potential and Kinetic energies can be converted into ___ energy, which is represented by the ___ bar in the graph.

(a)