Kinetic Energy
What type of energy is called the energy of motion?
Kinetic energy.
What type of energy is called the stored energy?
Potential energy.
What happens to energy when a roller coaster goes from the top of a hill to the bottom?
Potential energy changes to kinetic energy.
Which energy does a moving car have?
Kinetic energy.
Fill in the blank: Kinetic = energy of _______.
Motion
Give one example of kinetic energy from everyday life.
Moving car, rolling ball, running person.
Give one example of potential energy.
Stretched elastic, compressed spring, roller coaster at the top.
When you stretch an elastic and let it go, what transformation happens?
Potential → kinetic.
Which energy does water held behind a dam have?
Potential Energy
Fill in the blank: Potential = _______ energy.
Stored
At what point of the ramp is kinetic energy the highest?
At the bottom of the ramp.
At what point of a swing is potential energy the highest?
At the highest point.
A pendulum is in motion and hits a stationary ball, thus becoming stationary. What transformation of energy takes place?
Kinetic → potential.
Which type of energy does a falling apple start with?
Potential Energy
At which point in the PhET skate park are kinetic and potential energy equal?
In the middle of the track.
A ball is rolling down a hill. Why is its kinetic energy increasing?
Because it is moving faster (gaining speed).
Why does a ball at the top of a hill have more potential energy than at the bottom?
Because of its height above the ground.
On a swing, how does energy change as the swing moves?
It changes back and forth between potential and kinetic.
A person runs up a hill and then stops at the top. Which energy did they use while running, and which do they have at the top?
Kinetic (running), Potential (at the top).
Why does the roller coaster never go higher than its starting point in the simulation?
Because energy is conserved (it can’t gain more than it started with).
In the PhET skate park, when the skater is moving quickly at the bottom, what value is the kinetic energy?
The maximum value.
In the PhET skate park, what happens to potential energy when the skater goes higher?
It increases
Why is the total energy of the swing the same even though potential and kinetic change?
Because energy is conserved.
Explain the energy changes in a bouncing ball.
Kinetic when moving, potential at the highest point, transforming back and forth.
Imagine a swing in motion. Describe when it has:
Mostly kinetic energy
Mostly potential energy
Mostly kinetic = at the bottom; Mostly potential = at the highest points.