Energy Skate Park Lab Activity
Energy is defined as the ability to make changes in matter or to do work. In this lab activity, we are concerned with two kinds of energy, kinetic energy and gravitational potential energy.
Kinetic energy is defined as the energy an object with mass has because it is moving. So, any object with mass has kinetic energy if it is moving.
A system's gravitational potential energy relative to the surface of the earth is defined as the energy the system has based upon the location of an object above the earth's surface. So, if an object with mass is located above the surface of the earth, the object/Earth system has gravitational potential energy relative to the surface of the earth.
Kinetic energy is defined as the energy an object with mass has because it is moving. So, any object with mass has kinetic energy if it is moving.
A system's gravitational potential energy relative to the surface of the earth is defined as the energy the system has based upon the location of an object above the earth's surface. So, if an object with mass is located above the surface of the earth, the object/Earth system has gravitational potential energy relative to the surface of the earth.