Energy is everywhere we go. It underpins our existence in so many, many ways. Our bodies use it to breathe in and out, and process our food to mention two examples. But we can also convert one form of energy to another, for example use a wind tower to create electricity. We illustrate this principle in our roller coaster energy experiment we share today.
Roller Coaster Energy Conversion in Practice
The Law of Conservation of Energy states we cannot create or destroy energy. But we can convert it from one form to another, so it becomes more useful to us. An example that comes to mind is converting gravity to electricity, by passing water through a dynamo at a hydro dam.
Did you notice that, just like a battery, the dam stores the potential energy in the water until we need it? Let’s do our experiment first, and then we can interpret it afterwards. We will need:
- Some foam tubes plumbers use to insulate pipes, from the hardware store.
- Some masking tape you can stick to a wall but remove easily afterwards.
- A couple of glass marbles that you could borrow, if you do not already have.
Now watch the roller coaster energy video first, and then we’ll explain how the science works.
All roller coasters work on the principle of energy conservation. This means the marble at the start of our track has the potential to move down as soon we release it. However, this potential energy becomes kinetic energy at the moment we let it go . And this as we know is the force behind movement.
The video illustrates how this energy must exceed the downward force of gravity, to complete the loop. Although when the marble finally rolls to a stop it will have used up every ounce of its store. However, we could re-energize it again by returning it to the start of the track. So it is a bit like battery energy storage in that sense, which is why we share this experiment.
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