In this activity, you will use a simulation to understand the relationship between friction and energy. Go through the simulation, and then answer the questions that follow. Begin by opening the skate park simulation. Note the three boxes, Intro, Friction, and Playground. You will run all three of these sections.

Intro

Click the Intro box.
To start the simulation, grab the skateboarder and place him on the ramp.
Click the Bar Graph and Speed boxes and observe how both change as the skater moves to different points on the ramp.
Friction

Click the Friction box at the bottom of the simulation.
To start the simulation, grab the skateboarder and place him on the ramp.
Friction is the resistance an object has when it moves over a surface. For example, there’s less friction when a toy car rolls over a hardwood floor versus carpet.
Click the Bar graph and Speed boxes, and use the friction slider control to observe how friction changes the energy balance.
Observe the changes in the graphs and speed as the skater moves on a low-friction ramp versus a high-friction ramp.
Playground

Click the Playground box at the bottom of the simulation.
To start the simulation, grab the skateboarder and place him on the ramp.
In the playground, build your own ramp. Add as many pieces to the ramp as you’d like by dragging sections of the red and gray track from the bottom of the screen. If the skateboarder can’t complete the track you built, adjust the track until it’s successful.
Run the simulations a few times, and then answer the following questions.

Part A
How do the potential energy and the kinetic energy change when the skateboarder is at the top or the bottom of the hill? Why do you think this change occurs?