Energy of a Tossed Ball free essay sample

The purpose for the students of the Energy of a Tossed Ball Lab involved learning how to measure the change in kinetic and potential energies as a ball moves in free fall. Since there is no frictional forces working on the ball the total energy will remain constant and the students will see how the total energy of the ball changes during free fall. HYPOTHESIS: 1. The ball has potential energy while momentarily at rest at the top of the path. 2. The ball contains kinetic energy while in motion near the bottom of its path. The ball gains potential energy as it moves upward, because of its position, until the ball reaches its max point where potential energy is the most. The ball loses potential energy on its way down. 6. 7. The kinetic graph was correct as my hypothesis. My potential graph did not start in the same position as my data graph. We will write a custom essay sample on Energy of a Tossed Ball or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 9. The total energy is constant for most of the time until the ball is released and caught up and down in free fall, because extra force of the person actions changes the energy. The energy should remain constant because the kinetic and potential ratio energy cancel each other out because the Law Conservation of Energy. Extensions: 1. The total energy, potential energy, and kinetic energy would be less if a person used a very light ball, because energy is dependent of mass. More percent energy loss would be lost because the energy applied at the release would be less than the pull of energy of gravity. 2. If different mass was entered in the data the total energy, potential energy, and kinetic energy would be different because the energy is dependent of the mass. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: 1. I learned how the total energy will remain constant if no frictional forces are acted on a tossed ball. Using the velocity vs. time graph I learned that the ball had zero velocity at the top of its motion upward. I noticed the conservation of energy is correct because only 19. 87% of energy was lost. The energy lost was slim. Also the graphs of potential and kinetic energy are the opposite in which as time increase the potential energy increase as the kinetic energy decreases. When the ball is at the top of its motion the potential energy is at its highest and the kinetic energy is low. I learned that the total energy remains constant because the potential and kinetic energy ratios cancel each other out while the ball is in motion. 2. The errors in this lab would be when the person tossed the ball into the air their hand may have affected the data collection when the person caught the ball. 3. I would how to change how to collect data of the ball being tossed in the air without anything interfering.