Energy & the Roller Coaster Question: How is motion on a roller coaster related to energy?

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At which place do you think the marble moves fastest? Why?

At which place do you think the marble moves fastest? Fastest 6,3,2,4,5,1 Slowest As height decreases, speed increases. As height increases, speed decreases. The fastest speed is at the lowest part of the roller coaster.

Kinetic & Potential Energy Kinetic energy is the energy an object has when it is in motion. This kind of energy depends on speed. Potential energy is stored energy. This energy depends on how high an object is relative to a surface.

The Flow of energy between potential & Kinetic along the roller coaster. Before the marble starts, it has mostly potential energy and no kinetic energy. The marble’s potential energy becomes kinetic energy as it rolls downhill.

The Flow of energy between potential & Kinetic along the roller coaster. At the bottom (3), the marble has almost all kinetic energy an not much potential energy. The marble’s kinetic energy becomes potential energy again when it rolls uphill.

The Flow of energy between Potential & Kinetic along the roller coaster. At the top of the hill, the marble once again has mostly potential energy and not much kinetic energy. Then, the marble rolls back downhill, and once again its potential energy becomes kinetic energy. The marble has the most potential energy at the start of the track.

The Flow of energy between potential & Kinetic along the roller coaster. The marble is going very fast at the bottom of the hill. This is the point where the marble has the greatest amount of kinetic energy and the least amount of potential energy.

Energy conservation When the marble speeds up, it gains kinetic energy from falling down a hill. Kinetic energy is energy of motion. The kinetic energy is converted from the potential energy (the stored energy) the marble had at the top of the hill.

Energy conservation As the marble travels, it trades potential and kinetic energy back and forth. This conversion of energy from one form to another is explained by the law of conservation of energy.

The law of conservation of energy Energy can be converted from one form to another but not created or lost.

The law of conservation of energy. As one form of energy decreases (potential energy is related to height) the other form of energy increases (kinetic energy is related to speed).

The law of conservation of energy. There’s a balance in the energy transformation, not that energy is increasing. This is the law of conservation of energy.

Questions If the roller coaster was shaped like the drawing, list the numbered positions in order from where the marble has the fastest speed to where the marble has the slowest speed.