When you bounce a spacehopper where does the energy go?

[plowter]

When you bounce on a spacehopper where does all the energy go?

[Ńemesis]

It doesn't 'go' anywhere.

The Law of Conservation of Energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, just transformed from one form to another.

Its gravitational potential energy is transformed into kinetic energy. When it hits the ground, it becomes deformed and gains elastic potential energy. As it bounces back up, it gains kinetic energy again, but as it rises, the kinetic energy is transformed into gravitational potential energy once again

[hc4361]

Not a scientific answer but from experience the energy is totally lost and the only bounce comes from leg muscles. :(

[Ńemesis]

Energy cannot be lost, only changed.

[douglas9401]

In short, straight to your typing fingers, apparently.

[plowter]

So nemesis, can you help design an experiment to prove this?

No challenge, just an out-of-interest query.

[Ńemesis]

"So nemesis, can you help design an experiment to prove this?"

Yes, take a ball, hold it at arms length, let it go.

[plowter]

LOL. Dat don't prove nuffink.
Seriously, how can I demonstrate where all the energy in a spacehopper goes when it spacehops?

[Ńemesis]

Firstly, it doesn't hop in space, it is confined by the Laws of psychics here on Earth. :-D

In space, it would most likely expand until it popped - and apparently, nobody could hear it scream.

[hc4361]

Excuse me if I have it all wrong, but I have a long love/hate relationship with the spacehopper.

In my opinion the energy goes in to distending and distorting the hopper - stretching the skin. And that is all it does do.

[bigbadmarty]

nemisis - that is a good answer don't let anyone tell you otherwise , but I've got to mention the sound energy released , even if its negligible ;)(

[Ńemesis]

They did have a sound signature all of their own, I grant you that. :-D

[flobadob]

Most of the energy comes from the human interaction.

[hc4361]

ALL of the energy comes from human interaction. I left mine in the shed for days and it didn't move an inch.

[nescio]

Nemesis,
I would love to know what "the Laws of psychics" are.
What about the laws of physics ?

[jake-the-peg]

You start by raising up the spacehopper (arms or legs) in doing that you convert the chemical energy in your body to potential energy. As it falls that potential energy becomes kinetic energy (movement) Then as it compresses back into potential energy again. That potential energy converts back into kinetic energy in the bounce back up and then into potential energy.

However it doesn't go on for ever you have to keep bouncing - energy is lost as heat (questions like where does the energy go almost invariably are answered by lost heat)

How do you show this ? - measure the temperature of the space hopper before and after use

[Duncer]

Bet you're sorry you asked now, eh?

[jomifl]

It nearly all ends up as heat through friction, although some may cause changes to the molecular structure of the space hopper. You could try to video it in action using an infra red camera but the amount of energy involved is so low that the heat produced would difficult to detect.