IV. Pendulum Questions:
7. Pause the simulation when the Pendulum is at its highest point°. What energy type is at its highest and why?
Type Answer HERE:
8. Play the simulation. When is the Pendulum at its highest Kinetic Energy and why?
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9. Continue to play the simulation. This simulation will go on and on for eternity if we let it. This simulation is in what we call a Closed System. We are only looking at the variables we want to in this simulation. In the Real World (Open System), if we had a Pendulum like this, it would eventually stop. Explain why it would stop in the Real World.
Type Answer HERE:
7. When the pendulum is at its highest point, the potential energy is at its highest. This is because the pendulum's height above its equilibrium position determines its potential energy. At the highest point, the pendulum has maximum potential energy.
8. The pendulum is at its highest kinetic energy when it passes through the equilibrium position. This is because the pendulum's velocity is highest when it passes through the equilibrium position. Kinetic energy is proportional to the square of the velocity, so when the velocity is highest, the kinetic energy is also highest.
9. In the real world, the pendulum would eventually stop due to the presence of external forces like air resistance and friction. These forces would gradually dissipate the pendulum's energy, causing it to slow down and eventually come to a stop. Additionally, the pendulum's motion would also be affected by factors like damping and the finite amount of energy it possesses, leading to its eventual stoppage.
7. The energy type at its highest point is potential energy. This is because at its highest point, the pendulum has maximum potential energy due to its elevated position from the ground. The potential energy is stored in the pendulum's height, and it can be converted to other forms of energy as the pendulum swings back and forth.
8. The pendulum is at its highest kinetic energy when it is at its lowest point, i.e., at the lowest point of its swing. This is because at this point, the pendulum has the maximum velocity. According to the law of conservation of mechanical energy, as the potential energy decreases, the kinetic energy increases. Therefore, when the pendulum is at its lowest point, most of the potential energy has been converted into kinetic energy.
9. In the real world (open system), a pendulum like this would eventually stop due to the presence of external forces such as air resistance and friction. As the pendulum swings back and forth, it experiences air resistance, which acts as a drag force opposing its motion. This force continually dissipates some of the pendulum's energy in the form of heat, sound, and other non-conservative forces. Over time, these energy losses would cause the pendulum to gradually lose momentum and eventually come to a stop.
7. To determine the energy type at the highest point of the pendulum, you will need to analyze the different types of energy involved in the system. In this case, the main types of energy involved are gravitational potential energy (GPE) and kinetic energy (KE).
At the highest point of the pendulum's swing, it momentarily comes to a stop before changing direction. This means that the pendulum's velocity is zero at this point, resulting in zero kinetic energy. However, the pendulum's height is at its maximum, which means it has maximum gravitational potential energy. Therefore, at the highest point of the pendulum swing, the dominant energy type is gravitational potential energy (GPE).
8. To determine when the pendulum is at its highest kinetic energy, you can observe the motion of the pendulum as you play the simulation. Kinetic energy is associated with motion, so the pendulum will have its highest kinetic energy when it is at its lowest point of the swing.
As the pendulum swings downwards from the highest point, it gains speed and therefore has a larger magnitude of velocity. This increased velocity corresponds to a greater kinetic energy. So, when the pendulum reaches the lowest point of its swing, it has the highest kinetic energy.
9. In the real world, a pendulum like the one in the simulation would eventually come to a stop due to external factors such as air resistance and friction.
When the pendulum swings through the air, it experiences air resistance, which opposes its motion. This resistance converts some of the pendulum's kinetic energy into other forms of energy, such as sound or heat, reducing its overall energy. Additionally, the pivot point or support for the pendulum may experience friction, which also reduces the pendulum's energy over time.
These external factors gradually dissipate the energy of the pendulum, causing it to lose amplitude (the distance from the highest to the lowest point of the swing) and eventually come to a stop. In an open system like the real world, energy is lost to the surroundings, leading to the eventual cessation of the pendulum's motion.