Loop the Loop: Potential to Kinetic Energy To complete the loop, the ball needs to go FAST enough. To make the ball go FASTER, we can start the ball HIGHER. When we lift the ball HIGHER we give it more POTENTIAL ENERGY. Some POTENTIAL ENERGY goes into making the ball ROLL and some goes into the ball's VELOCITY down the track. You need to give the ball enough HEIGHT so that there is enough ENERGY left to make the ball go FAST around the loop. Ball is not HIGH enough = Ball does not have enough ENERGY Ball falls off. Ball pushes against track. If the ball has enough VELOCITY, its centripetal acceleration will be greater than or equal to its gravitational acceleration. The ball will PUSH UP against the track and stay on. The ball starts off with POTENTIAL ENERGY due to its HEIGHT. This ENERGY goes into the ball's ROLL and its VELOCITY. Ball is HIGH enough = Ball has enough ENERGY Ball stays on.