Energy+-+Nikki

Rollercoaster’s come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. One thing that they all have in common is a source of energy. At the very beginning of a rollercoaster, there is very little kinetic energy (KE) and depending on how high off the ground, maybe just a little bit of gravitational potential energy (GPE). Let’s look at points 1, 2, and 5. At point 1, you would find the greatest amount of GPE possible for this specific rollercoaster because you are at the highest possible point on the rollercoaster. The rollercoaster stops for that split second at the top, storing the potential energy, waiting to turn into kinetic energy. By the time the rollercoaster reaches point 2, you would find the least possible amount of GPE because you are at the lowest possible point of the rollercoaster where the coaster has little stored energy (gravitational potential energy). Point 5 has an increasing amount of GPE. This is due to the coaster getting higher making the stored energy increase. Rollercoaster’s contain many different amounts of GPE, but how does KE change? At point 1, there is the least amount of KE possible due to that split second stop, talked about earlier. This is based on the fact that when there is no motion, there is no kinetic energy. On the other hand, at point 2 there is the most KE possible. This is because the down-ward slope speeds up the velocity of the coaster. At point 5, the kinetic energy starts to decrease. This is due to the upward slope creating more friction, slowing down the rollercoaster. As you can see, rollercoaster’s are great examples of how kinetic energy and gravitational potential energy are connected. Throughout various parts of the ride, you find different amounts of the two energies, just like at point 1 where there was the greatest amount of KE and least amount of GPE. Next time you’re at an amusement park, think about energy and how //thrilling// it is!