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Activity (Hands-On)Grades 9 - 12

Energy and the Pogo Stick

A photograph shows four teens in a parking lot, one on a pogo stick, two helping the boy on the pogo stick and one on his knees, looking at the lower part of the pogo stick.Two people guide the pogo stick and one takes measurements.

Students learn about the conservation of energy with the inclusion of elastic potential energy. They use pogo sticks to experience the elastic potential energy and its conversion to gravitational potential energy.

Not only do engineers need to know about elastics energy, but also how to measure it. This lab, like the previous rollercoaster activity, has students measuring data and then calculating energy from that raw data. Engineers use these concepts in designing and testing pogo sticks as well as many other objects designed to move.

After this activity, students should be able to:

  • Apply their background knowledge to begin solving the challenge.
  • Relate elastic potential energy with gravitational potential energy.
  • Hypothesize about experimental "error."

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