Laboratory Energy And Friction Goals Show How Energy Is Cons ✓ Solved

10laboratory Energy And Friction Goals Show How Energy Is Conserve

1.0 Laboratory: ENERGY AND FRICTION Goals: Show how energy is conserved -- potential and kinetic energy always add up to the same total energy of the system. Requirements: Please read the section(s) in your text concerning conservation of energy. Background: Energy is an abstract concept and difficult to explain in one particular state. It is more convenient to describe energy as it behaves -- how it transforms. We can better understand the processes and changes that occur in nature if we analyze them in terms of transformations of energy from one form into another or of transfers from one place to another.

In this laboratory exercise, we study the transformations of potential and kinetic energy. From this we can understand the principles of other energy transformations, for example, mechanical to electrical. The study of various forms of energy and their transformations from one form into another has led to one of the greatest generalizations in physics -- the law of conservation of energy. Energy cannot be created or destroyed; it may be transformed from one form into another, but the total amount of energy never changes. Click here to bring up the lab in another window. If the above link does not work, please copy the following URL into a browser: Please become familiar with the components of the lab -- that is, play with the buttons to see how it works....

1.0 Exercises: 1. Setup: Click on Friction (middle button at the bottom) and ensure all indicators are checked: a. Pie Chart, b. Bar Graph, c. Grid, d. Speed. Set the Friction to "None." Then, click Pause and position the person at the very top of the curve on the right.

1. Click the Play button. a. What do you notice about the relationship between the kinetic and potential energies as the person skates along the path?

2. Using the slow motion controls: a. At what height are the potential energy and kinetic energy equal? b. What is the speed (meters/second) of the skater when the kinetic energy equals potential energy? c. What is the skater's speed at the bottom of the curve? d. What is the potential energy when the skater is at the bottom of the curve? e. When the skater is at the bottom of the curve, what is the kinetic energy equal to?

3. Click Pause (so the person is at the upper right) and then click Restart Skater. Set the Friction to "Lots." Observe what happens: a. At this point, what is the kinetic energy? b. At this position, what two energies are equal?

4. Click Play. a. As the person moves back and forth, which types of energies does the person lose? b. To what are these energies converted? c. What causes the energies to be converted to thermal energy? d. When the person comes to rest, what energy is the thermal energy equal to? Explain your answer.

Sample Paper For Above instruction

Understanding Energy Conservation Through Laboratory Simulation

The principle of conservation of energy is fundamental to physics, asserting that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another. The laboratory exercise described provides a practical demonstration of this principle through a simulated skater on a curved track, highlighting the dynamic relationship between potential and kinetic energy and how friction influences these energy transformations.

Initially, the simulation setup involves removing friction to observe pure energy transformations. When the skater is positioned at the top of the curve, potential energy is at its maximum due to height, and kinetic energy is zero. As the skater begins to descend, potential energy decreases while kinetic energy increases, illustrating energy transfer from one form to another. This is consistent with theoretical expectations where total mechanical energy remains conserved in the absence of non-conservative forces such as friction.

The point at which potential energy equals kinetic energy corresponds to the height where these two forms are numerically equal. At this point, the skater's speed can be calculated, revealing the direct relationship between energy forms and velocity. When the skater reaches the bottom of the curve, potential energy plummets to its minimum, while kinetic energy peaks, confirming the energy conservation principle. The specific velocities and energies at these points can be quantitatively analyzed using the principles of physics, emphasizing the conservation law.

Introducing friction into the simulation demonstrates how real-world factors influence energy transformations. When friction is set to "Lots," the skater loses energy over successive cycles, primarily transforming mechanical energy into thermal energy. This conversion accounts for the gradual reduction in the skater's motion, eventually leading to rest where all initial mechanical energy is dissipated as heat. Such observations validate the understanding that non-conservative forces like friction play a crucial role in energy loss mechanisms.

The cause of thermal energy generation is frictional force acting between the skater and the track, converting kinetic energy into heat, which disperses into the environment. This process is irreversible under normal conditions, illustrating the second law of thermodynamics where energy disperses into less ordered forms. The final thermal energy equates to the initial mechanical energy minus any energy lost to resistive forces during the motion, thereby manifesting the real-world application of energy conservation principles within energy dissipation frameworks.

In conclusion, the laboratory simulation effectively demonstrates how energy transforms and conserves in ideal conditions and how these processes are affected by dissipative forces such as friction. The conceptual understanding gleaned from these experiments reinforces the foundational physics principle that total energy remains constant within an isolated system but can be redistributed among various energy forms, including thermal energy in real systems.

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