A 60kg skater starts from 5m height. What is their speed at the bottom?

V = √(2gh) = √(2 × 9.8 × 5).

With friction enabled, can the skater reach the same height on the other side?

Friction converts some mechanical energy to thermal energy.

How does mass affect the maximum speed at the bottom of the ramp?

V = √(2gh) — mass cancels out!

Free~15 min

Energy Skate Park: Basics

Explore energy conservation on a skate ramp

How it works

Mechanical energy is the sum of kinetic energy (KE = ½mv²) and gravitational potential energy (PE = mgh). When friction is absent, total mechanical energy is conserved — it converts between KE and PE but never disappears. Adding friction introduces thermal energy: total energy (KE + PE + thermal) is always conserved, but mechanical energy decreases. The skater slows down as energy transfers to heat.

Step-by-step

Place the skater on the ramp and press play.
Watch the energy bars as the skater rises and falls.
Enable friction to see energy converted to thermal energy.
Try different ramp shapes — energy conservation holds for any shape.

Key formulas

$E_{mech} = KE + PE = \frac{1}{2}mv^2 + mgh$ Mechanical energy
$E_{mech} = \text{const}$ Conservation of energy (no friction)
$v = \sqrt{2gh}$ Speed at bottom from height h

Frequently asked questions

A 60kg skater starts from 5m height. What is their speed at the bottom?: V = √(2gh) = √(2 × 9.8 × 5).
With friction enabled, can the skater reach the same height on the other side?: Friction converts some mechanical energy to thermal energy.
How does mass affect the maximum speed at the bottom of the ramp?: V = √(2gh) — mass cancels out!