Energy Skate Park: Basics

Explore the conservation of energy with a skater! Build your own ramps and tracks while learning how kinetic and potential energy affect the skater's motion.

  • In Energy Skate Park: Basics, discover the principles of mechanical energy conservation as you guide a skater through different tracks. Learn how kinetic energy (KE) and gravitational potential energy (PE) change as the skater moves, and explore how mass and friction affect energy levels. Use energy bar and pie charts to predict the skater's speed or position, and calculate energy values at different points on the track. Design your own skate park, complete with ramps and jumps, and see energy conservation in action!

  • PhET Interactive Simulations, University of Colorado Boulder