Flywheel Energy Storage Lab
Classroom worksheet · Interactive simulation: https://lkforge.com/tools/physics/flywheel/
Name: Date:
Learning objectives
- Explain rotational kinetic energy storage.
- Relate stored energy to moment of inertia and spin rate.
- Identify advantages and losses.
Variables to change
- Rotation speed
- Flywheel mass/inertia
- Friction
Procedure
- Spin the flywheel up and note the energy stored.
- Increase the rotation speed and observe how stored energy grows.
- Let it coast and observe energy lost to friction over time.
Observations
Record stored energy versus rotation speed and how quickly it decays.
Questions
- What form of energy does a flywheel store?
- Write the stored energy.
- Which matters more for stored energy, speed or inertia?
- What causes a flywheel to lose stored energy?
- What are flywheels good for?
Answer key (instructors)
- 1. Rotational kinetic energy.
- 2. E = ½·I·ω², where I is the moment of inertia and ω the angular speed.
- 3. Speed — energy grows with the square of ω, but only linearly with I.
- 4. Friction in bearings and air drag; advanced units use vacuum and magnetic bearings.
- 5. Fast charge/discharge and high power for short durations (e.g. grid frequency regulation).
A flywheel stores rotational kinetic energy E = ½Iω². Because energy scales with the square of spin rate, speeding it up stores far more than adding mass. Friction and drag cause losses, so it suits short-duration, high-power applications.