Gravitational Potential Energy

Algebra Based Physics

Gravitational

Potential Energy

and Conservation of Energy

Videos:

Watch any or all of these videos to help you understand the concept. (0 points)

New Variable and Concept Fact Sheets:

These sheets will provide you with a quick reference. Refer back to them if you are struggling or forget the definition of something. (0 points)

Concept Questions:

Figure out the answers to these questions. When you are ready, call me over to answer these. I will ask you questions to verify that you understand. (10 points)

Lab Activities:

Lifting weights (10 points)

1. Lift up a 1kg mass 0.5 meters in the air. How much work did you do? How much work did the gravitational force do? What was the change in gravitational potential energy of the mass?

2. While holding a 1kg mass lower it 0.5 meters. How much work did you do? How much work did the gravitational force do? What was the change in gravitational potential energy of the mass?

3. Call me over and show/explain to me the answers to these questions.

Simulations:

PhET Skate Park Basics (10 points)

1. Go to this site and click "run now" to open and run the "PhET Skate Park Basics" simulation.

2. First click on the "bar graph" option that will let you see what is happening to the energy in the system.

3. Pick the skater up and drop him on the ramp. Play around with the simulation. Try it without friction. Try it with friction.

4. How does this simulation demonstrate conservation of energy? When does the skater have the most KE? When does the skater have the most gravitational potential energy? Is energy still conserved when there is friction, if so where does the energy go, and if not why?

5. Call me over when you're ready to show/explain to me the answers to these questions.

Conservation of Energy Problem Solving Checklist:

Here's the process you go through to solve conservation of energy problems. Refer to this when doing webassign. (0 points)

Webassign:

Do enough of the Webassign "Gravitational U and Cons of energy" so that you understand well enough to demonstrate your knowledge on a short quiz in class. If you get stuck on a problem ask yourself these questions before you give up or ask for help. (0 points)

Take a quiz on Webassign "Quiz: Gravitational U and Cons of energy". Once you are done call me over to check your work and ask you questions. See the warning below. (10 points)

Warning: All work shown on your Webassign quiz in class must be impeccable and include a diagram (labeled force diagram if forces are involved), all units shown at every step, and all steps neatly shown descending downwards. Any problem without all of these will receive a zero. Also, when you finish the quiz I will be asking you about why you did what you did, and if you don't convince me that you understand, then that problem will receive a zero.

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Create your own problem:

Create and solve your own interesting, solvable, challenging physics problem on Gravitational PE and or Conservation of Energy. Particularly good problems can receive extra credit. (10 points)

Include an image (jpeg or png) that you created with your problem. (The image should not include any numbers, only letters to denote distances, forces, etc.)

Within this shared google document, paste your physics problem with the image you created under the category "Gravitational PE and or Conservation of Energy" Put your name at the very beginning of the problem. Call me over to see your problem and solution once it is in the shared document.

Other resources:

Here are some extra resources if you need extra help. (0 points)

http://braingenie.ck12.org/courses/8

www.khanacademy.org/science/physics

http://en.wikipedia.org

www.sparknotes.com/testprep/books/sat2/physics/

www.physicsclassroom.com

Do a google search of "____ hyperphysics" (where ____ is the name of the physics concept, but don't actually type in quotation marks)