Height Speed Potential Energy Kinetic Energy Total Energy
6m 0 m/s² 4,704 Joules 0 Joules 4,704 Joules
3m 5.4 m/s² 2,352 Joules 2,352 Joules 4,704 Joules
0m 10.8 m/s² 0 Joules 4,704 Joules 4,704 Joules
5. Now place your skateboarder at the 6 meters mark and let the investigation play out. You can play it at Normal Speed. What happened and why?
If the skateboarder is placed at the 6 meters mark and the investigation is played out, the skateboarder would not move because the initial speed is 0 m/s². Since there is no initial velocity, there is no force to overcome the force of gravity pulling the skateboarder down. Therefore, the skateboarder would remain at rest at the 6 meters mark.
Based on the given information, when the skateboarder is placed at the 6 meters mark, the initial speed is 0 m/s². This means the skateboarder is initially at rest at a height of 6 meters above the ground.
As the skateboarder starts moving, their potential energy decreases while their kinetic energy increases. The potential energy is converted into kinetic energy as the skateboarder gains speed.
At the 6 meters mark, the potential energy is initially 4,704 Joules. This potential energy is then converted entirely into kinetic energy as the skateboarder starts moving.
As the skateboarder moves downward, their potential energy decreases while the kinetic energy increases. At the 3 meters mark, the potential energy is halved to 2,352 Joules. At the 0 meters mark, the potential energy becomes 0 Joules, indicating that the skateboarder has reached the ground.
Simultaneously, the total energy of the skateboarder remains constant throughout the motion. This is because the sum of potential energy and kinetic energy at any point remains equal to the total energy, which is 4,704 Joules.
Therefore, when the skateboarder is placed at the 6 meters mark and allowed to move, they will start with potential energy and convert it into kinetic energy as they descend, ultimately reaching the ground at the 0 meters mark.