In the following animation, a skater is tracked on a curved path; and the energy of the skater is monitored and can be graphed. Click the bar graph button located on the right side of the window.Energy is defined in physics as the capacity to do work. This means that if an object wants to move or to make something else move, it needs energy. There are several types of energy—electrical, chemical, heat, light, sound, but this resource will focus on calculating the total mechanical energy of an object or a system. Mechanical energy comes in two types: potential energy (PE) and kinetic energy (KE).
Mathematically speaking, ME = KE + PE.
In the following animation, a skater is tracked on a curved path; and the energy of the skater is monitored and can be graphed. Click the bar graph button located on the right side of the window.
| Click to Run |
Source: Energy-skate-park, The University of Colorado – Physics
Use the pause button to stop the skater at different points on the track. Each time you pause the skater, look at the heights of the KE, PE, and ME bars in the graph. What do you notice about their relative heights?
