Have you ever stretched out a Slinkie so much it wouldn't go back to its original shape? Slinkies, like all springs, follow Hooke's Law. A simulation uses springs and masses to demonstrate kinetic, potential, and thermal energy. It...

How do law enforcement officers determine the strength of an explosion based on the movement of objects around the point of origin? Scholars inspect the relative mass and velocities of two cars before and after an explosion. They perform...

How do police determine the speed of a car that has hit a stopped vehicle? Scholars determine the momentum of the car system both before and after a collision. They identify instances where the law of conservation of momentum appears to...

What are the three types of energy a ski jumper uses? If you said potential, kinetic, and heat, then you are correct. Scholars adjust the jumper's mass, jumper's form, and height of the start line in the simulation to display graphs of...

Roller coasters rely on both kinetic and potential energy, but how much total energy does a roller coaster need? Scholars vary the mass of a coaster and the height of the initial hill. Graphs showing the types of energy and total energy...

What prevents a roller coaster from falling when it goes upside down? Scholars experiment with a roller coaster simulation controlling the mass of the coaster, the height of the hill, and the radius of the loop. They learn which factors...

How did scientists measure the speed of incredibly fast things before the invention of high-speed photography? Scholars virtually perform ballistics tests to discover the process. They control the rifle type, bullet mass, and target...

Keep calm and half pipe. An exciting simulation teaches pupils about energy transfer from potential to kinetic and thermal as a skater moves through a half pipe or other track. After a brief introduction, scholars can build their own...

Use this interactive, animated lab to explore conservation of mechanical energy.

Hang various mass weights on spring scales while you adjust the spring stiffness and damping in this online activity. Slow down the action, take it to another planet, or watch the amount of potential, thermal, and kinetic energy.

Explore kinetic, potential, and thermal energy as you send a skateboarder along several pre-built tracks, then design your own. Charts and graphs show the distribution of the different forms of energy, illustrating how the total energy...