8th grade science is continuing their exploration in the field of physics. In this mini-lab, students were testing the Law of Conservation which states energy cannot be created nor destroyed; this means energy is constantly being transferred from various objects and/or transformed into different types of energy. In order to conduct this lab, students were placed into groups and used the following materials; a triple beam balance, a meter stick, a clay ball and a stopwatch. 

To begin, students used the triple beam balance to determine the mass of the clay ball. The mass of the clay ball was then converted from grams to kilograms so the students could calculate the Kinetic Energy (KE) and Potential Energy (PE) later in the lab. Once the mass was obtained, students picked a height to drop the ball from (Most students just stuck to one (1) meter, this would help keep the calculations a little more simple.). After the group has figured out the mass of the clay ball and agreed on a drop height, the groups conducted four (4) trials, timing how long it takes the ball to fall one (1) meter to the ground. When the final trial was complete, students then found the average fall time by adding them up and dividing by four (4). Next, students calculate the starting Gravitational Potential Energy  (GPE) of the ball before it is dropped by conducting the following equation: GPE = mass x gravity x height (gravity = 9.8m/s^2). Then the students found the average speed of the ball by multiplying gravity by the average fall time, once average speed was found students found KE by using the following equation: 1/2 (mass) x (speed)^2.

Finally, after all of the trials and calculations, students were able to figure out exactly how much GPE the ball started with and how much KE the ball had on its travels. One thing the students noticed is the KE was always smaller than the GPE, this is not because energy is lost but because the energy transformed into other less helpful forms such as Sound Energy and Thermal Energy. In the end, students gained a better understanding of the Law of Conservation of Energy!