The Energy Skate Park Basics simulation from PhET lets you send a skater along a track and watch kinetic energy, potential energy and friction change as she moves. You can try different tracks, change the skater’s mass and the friction, and even build your own ramps and jumps. It is free, runs in any browser on a phone, tablet or laptop, and it is a great fit for the work, energy and power lessons in Tamil Nadu State Board (Samacheer Kalvi) Science and Physics.
What is the Energy Skate Park Basics simulation?
This interactive simulation lets you explore how energy changes form as a skater rolls along a track. Energy bar charts and pie charts show how much kinetic energy, potential energy and thermal energy there is at each moment. Because it runs on HTML5, there is nothing to install, and it works on phones, tablets, Chromebooks and computers.
Elementary to university
Kinetic energy, potential energy and friction
Phone, tablet, Chromebook, PC
English
PhET’s learning goals include explaining the conservation of mechanical energy, describing how the energy bar and pie charts relate to position and speed, explaining how the skater’s mass and the friction of the track change the energy, calculating speed, height and energy at different positions, and designing a skate park using energy ideas.
Launch the Energy Skate Park Basics simulation online
Tap or click inside the player and start exploring. Use the full-screen button in the player for a bigger view.
Credit: University of Colorado Boulder
How to use the Energy Skate Park Basics simulation, step by step
- Predict first. Before you let the skater go, say where she will be fastest and where she will be slowest.
- Watch the charts. Use the energy bar chart and pie chart to see how kinetic and potential energy change along the track.
- Change the mass. Try a lighter and a heavier skater and compare the energy and the speed.
- Change the friction. Turn the friction up and watch some energy become thermal energy.
- Build your own track. Make ramps and jumps and use the charts to test your ideas.
Tip for students: look at the total energy. With no friction it stays the same, and with friction it shrinks as heat builds up.
The idea behind the simulation: KE = ½mv² and PE = mgh
KE = ½ m v², PE = m g h
Here m is the mass in kg, v is the speed in m/s, g is the strength of gravity (about 9.8 m/s² on Earth) and h is the height in metres. Kinetic energy (KE) is the energy of motion and potential energy (PE) is the energy stored by height. Without friction, KE + PE stays the same all the way along the track. That is the conservation of mechanical energy. It also means v = √(2g × the height dropped).
Worked example: A skater of mass 50 kg starts at rest at a height of 5 m. Her PE is 50 × 9.8 × 5 = 2,450 J. At the bottom all of this has turned into KE, so ½ × 50 × v² = 2,450 and v = √98 ≈ 9.9 m/s. Her mass cancels out, so a lighter skater reaches the same speed.
Energy key terms explained
These are the words you will meet while using the Energy Skate Park Basics simulation, with simple meanings.
Kinetic energy (KE)
The energy an object has because it is moving.
Potential energy (PE)
The energy an object has because of its height above the ground.
Mechanical energy
The sum of kinetic energy and potential energy.
Conservation of energy
Energy is not made or destroyed. It only changes from one form to another.
Friction
A force that opposes motion and turns some mechanical energy into heat.
Thermal energy
Energy in the form of heat. Friction makes thermal energy.
Joule (J)
The unit of energy.
Mass
The amount of matter in an object, in kilograms (kg).
Common mistakes: Thinking a heavier skater always moves faster at the bottom, forgetting that friction turns some energy into heat, and mixing up energy (joules) with speed (m/s).
Try the skater energy calculator (practice what you explore)
Enter the mass, the starting height and the skater’s current height. This assumes the skater starts at rest and there is no friction. Then tap a “what if” button.
What happens when you change a variable
| Change | Effect |
|---|---|
| Skater goes down the track | PE falls and KE rises |
| Skater goes up the track | KE falls and PE rises |
| Heavier skater (same height) | More energy, but the same speed |
| Start higher | More total energy and a higher top speed |
| Add friction | Some energy becomes thermal energy and the skater slows down |
Classroom activities for teachers
The Energy Skate Park Basics simulation fits a single 40-minute period.
- Predict and test (10 min): students predict where the skater is fastest, then check with the charts.
- Mass test (10 min): students change the mass and record what happens to the energy and the speed.
- Friction test (10 min): students add friction and explain where the missing energy goes.
- Exit ticket (10 min): students explain in two sentences why the skater slows down on a track with friction.
Looking for the matching chapters? Browse the Science and Physics books on TN SchoolBooks and download the Samacheer Kalvi PDFs, then use this simulation to make the work and energy lessons visual. More free science simulations and textbook PDFs are on the home page.
Quick quiz: test your understanding of energy
Score: 0 / 5
Energy Skate Park Basics simulation: frequently asked questions
Is the Energy Skate Park Basics simulation free?
Yes. PhET simulations are free to run online in a browser. Check PhET’s licensing page for reuse terms.
Does it work on a mobile phone?
Yes. It is built with HTML5 and works on phones, tablets and Chromebooks. Use landscape mode or the player’s full-screen button for a bigger view.
What is conservation of mechanical energy?
It means that when there is no friction, the total of kinetic and potential energy stays the same. Energy only changes from one form to the other as the skater moves.
Where does the energy go when there is friction?
Friction turns some of the mechanical energy into thermal energy, which is heat. The total energy is still conserved, but the skater has less kinetic and potential energy.
The Energy Skate Park Basics simulation turns energy into something you can watch, measure and see change. Explore it, take the quiz above, and keep experimenting until predicting the skater’s energy feels easy.