Faith Wiater

6th Hour

Conservation of Energy

Purpose: To demonstrate how the total energy of an object remains the

same as it moves.
Hypothesis: Each ball/marble will have the same total energy no matter its
placement on the track.
Materials:

steel ball
blue marble
meter stick
2 photogates
roller coaster track
stand

1)
2)
3)
4)

5)
6)
7)

Procedure:
attach the track to the stand so that the hill on the track is below the start of
the track. If needed, use books to add height to the free end of the track.
Connect photogate A to the lowest point of the first trough of the track.
(Position 3)
Connect photogate B to the highest point of the crest. (Position 5)
Measure the height of the track at the starting point and the height of the
position of both photogates. Record these heights in the potential energy
table.
Complete the potential energy table. Make sure mass is in kg and height is
in m. Compute the potential energy using (m)(9.8)(h).
Hold the blue/steel ball from the top and release. Record the time of each
photogate in the kinetic energy table.
Repeat step 6 with both the blue and steel marble and make sure to
complete three trials with each. Compute their velocities in order to
compute the kinetic energy, ()(m)(v)^2.
Equations:
KE= ()(mass)(velocity)^2
PE= (mass)(gravity*)(height)
*gravity=9.8m/s^2
velocity= diameter/time
diameter=0.019m
mass of steel ball=0.028kg
mass of blue marble=0.0046kg
total energy= PE+KE
Tables:
Potential Energy

Position

Mass (kg)
Steel/Blue

Height (m)

Potential Energy
(joules)
Steel/Blue

Start

.0283/.0040

.355

.0974/.0139

.0283/.0040

.14

.0388/.0055

.0283/.0040

.305

.0846/.0120

Kinetic Energy
Trial

Distance
(Diameter
of Marble)

Position

Time
Interval
(seconds)
Steel/Blue

Speed at
A and
B(m/s)
Steel/Blue

Kinetic
Energy
(joules)
Steel/Blue

.019m

Start
A
B

0/0

0/0

0/0

.0109/.0110
.0316/.0348

1.743/1.727
.5940/.5460

.0425/.0060
.
0049/5.9x10^
-4

Start
A
B

0/0

0/0

0/0

.0108/.0109
.0308/.0340

1.759/1.743
.6170/.5588

.0433/.0060

Start
A
B

0/0

0/0

0/0

.0108/.0110
.0310/.0317

1.7593/1.7273

.0433/0.0060

.019m

.019m

.6129/.5994

.0053/6.23x10^4

.
0053/7.19x10^
-4

Total Energy
Position

Potential
Energy

Avg Kinetic
Energy

Total Energy

%Difference
from start

Start

Steel/Blue

Steel/Blue

Steel/Blue

Steel/Blue

.0388/.0055

.0430/.0060

.0818/.0115

16%/17%

.0846/.0120

.0052/6.44x
10^-4

.0898/.0126

5%/9%

Results/Conclusion:
In this experiment, it doesnt matter where the position is, the total energy
will remain constant. However, the potential energy and kinetic energy
levels change. But even though they change, when you add the potential
and kinetic together, the sum will remain constant. As the position gets
higher, the potential energy will increase. As the position lowers, the kinetic
energy will increase. The ball had energy due to its linear speed and its
position above the table top, and it had rotational kinetic energy.
Error analysis:
(See chart above for error percents)
Reasons for our errors could include inaccurate measurements of the
heights of the track and miscalculations in the finding of the energies. The
values had a lot of digits, so it could be possible to mix them up in the
calculator. An additional error could be the misreading of the photogates,
which could have put off the time and shifted the final answers after
calculations.