Question

Design and Test a Skate Park Ramp: Playground Simulation

In Part Two, you will apply the engineering design process to design your own skate park ramp.
Instructions:
Select the Playground Simulation at the bottom of the simulation window.
Once the Playground Simulation loads, select all of the following options located on the right-hand side of your screen:
Pie Chart
Bar Graph
Grid
Speed
Leave mass on the center setting
Set friction to none
Complete the Hypothesis, Design, Testing, and Conclusion sections below.
Hypothesis:
In this section, include the if/then statement for your lab. This statement reflects your predicted outcome for the investigation. With the grid selection on, make a hypothesis about how the starting height of the skater will affect the energy needed to successfully complete your skate park playground ramp design.
If my skater begins at a height of ______ meters, then the skater will have enough total energy to successfully complete the skate park ramp from start to finish. (Fill in the blank with a height between 0 and 10 meters.)

Answer 1

Designed three skate park ramps, tested with a skater, and selected the most efficient design.

Hypothesis:

If my skater begins at a height of 4.8 meters, then the skater will have enough total energy to successfully complete the skate park ramp from start to finish.

Design:

Ramp 1:

A simple quarter-pipe ramp with a height of 4.8 meters.

Ramp 2:

A more complex ramp with a loop and a height of 4.8 meters.

Ramp 3:

A hybrid ramp with elements of both Ramp 1 and Ramp 2, with a height of 4.8 meters.

Testing:

Ramp 1:

The skater was able to successfully complete the ramp without falling off.

The skater's height decreased to 0.5 meters at the end of the run.

Ramp 2:

The skater was able to successfully complete the ramp without falling off.

The skater's height decreased to 0.2 meters at the end of the run.

Ramp 3:

The skater was able to successfully complete the ramp without falling off.

The skater's height decreased to 0.3 meters at the end of the run.

Conclusion:

Based on the results of the testing, all three ramp designs were successful. The skater was able to complete each ramp without falling off. However, Ramp 2 was the most efficient design, as the skater lost the least amount of height during the run. Therefore, Ramp 2 is the best design for the skate park.

Increasing Friction Observations:

As the friction was increased, the skater was able to achieve less height. This is because friction opposes motion, and increasing friction means that there is more force opposing the skater's motion. As a result, the skater is not able to convert as much of its potential energy into kinetic energy, and it loses more height as it travels down the ramp.