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Grade 11 · Science · Physics

11th grade Conservation of energy on ramps, swings and coasters worksheet

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Conservation of energy on ramps, swings and coasters

Grade 11 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.

  1. A toy coaster cart starts at rest with 60 J of gravitational energy. With no friction, at a lower point it has 25 J left. How much kinetic energy does it have there, Ari?

  2. A toy coaster cart starts at rest with 80 J of gravitational energy. With no friction, at a lower point it has 30 J left. How much kinetic energy does it have there, Bo?

  3. A toy coaster cart starts at rest with 45 J of gravitational energy. With no friction, at a lower point it has 12 J left. How much kinetic energy does it have there, Esme?

  4. In the energy bar chart, what is the cart's kinetic energy at point B, Jun?

    • 9.8 J
    • 14.7 J
    • 34.3 J
  5. In the energy bar chart, what is the cart's kinetic energy at point C, Kira?

    Use the picture in question 4.

    • 24.5 J
    • 0 J, since it is at the bottom
    • 14.7 J
  6. In the energy bar chart, what happens to the cart's total energy from A to C, Luz?

    Use the picture in question 4.

    • It grows as the cart speeds up
    • It falls as the cart drops
    • It stays 24.5 J
  7. A pendulum bob swings back and forth with no friction. Where is it moving fastest, Milo?

    • At the highest points
    • Halfway up, between the two
    • At the lowest point
  8. A toy coaster cart starts at rest on top of a frictionless hill. Where on the track is it fastest, Pia?

    • Halfway down the first slope
    • At the top of the hill
    • At the lowest point of the track
  9. With no friction, what happens to a cart's gravitational energy as it rolls down a ramp, Tala?

    • It turns into kinetic energy
    • It is used up
    • It stays the same
  10. A ramp has friction. What happens to a cart's total mechanical energy as it rolls down, Zee?

    • It is destroyed by friction
    • It stays the same
    • It falls, as some becomes thermal energy
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11th grade Conservation of energy on ramps, swings and coasters worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Conservation of energy on ramps, swings and coasters. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can use "kinetic + gravitational energy stays the same" with no friction to find kinetic energy at any point on a track.
  • I can find the speed at the bottom, v = √(2gh), and the speed partway down from the height dropped. I can also find the height reached from a speed, h = v² ÷ 2g.
  • I can explain why mass cancels, why a pendulum bob returns to its starting height, and why a cart can't climb above its start.
  • I can spot friction in data: a falling total means mechanical energy became thermal energy.

Standard: HS-PS3-1

Words to know

mechanical energy: Kinetic plus gravitational (and spring) energy

conserved: The total stays the same

frictionless: No friction, so no energy turns into thermal energy

pendulum bob: The weight at the end of a pendulum's string

height dropped: Starting height minus the height now

Common mistakes

Your child added the energies. The total stays the same, so kinetic energy = total − gravitational energy left.

Your child left out the 2. From mgh = ½mv², the speed is the square root of 2gh.

Your child used the full starting height. Only the drop from the start to that point turns into kinetic energy.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with conservation of energy on ramps, swings and coasters?

Your child added the energies. The total stays the same, so kinetic energy = total − gravitational energy left.

Are these 11th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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