Skate halfpipe: energy back and forth
A wheel rolls into a half-round ramp and climbs the other side almost to the same height. A chart shows the energy.
2D
Age 8+10 min
EnergyOscillationsRolling
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Press “Run”. Bodies move by the laws of physics: gravity, friction, elasticity.
What the experiment shows
Speed is greatest at the bottom of the ramp and zero at the top. Height energy and speed energy flow into each other while their sum hardly changes.
How to run it
- Press “Run” and watch how high it climbs.
- Look at the chart: kinetic and potential energy swap places.
- Start the wheel from a lower point.
Questions to discuss
- Why can’t a skater rise above the edge without pushing?
- Where is the speed greatest?
The science
Conservation of energy: m·g·h + m·v²/2 = const without sliding friction or drag. A rolling wheel stores part of the energy in spin, but that comes back too.
Try it at home
Roll a marble in a large bowl: it rises almost to the rim on the other side.
What to change in the editor
- Add damping — the wheel loses energy.
- Make the ramp wider.