Purpose:Demonstrate conversion of gravitational potential energy into translational and rotational kinetic energy.
Description:The spool slowly rolls down the incline on its smaller radius, converting gravitational potential energy into rotational kinetic energy with a lesser amount of translational kinetic energy. When the spool reaches the bottom, the larger radius rims make contact with the table top, resulting in a sudden transfer of some of the rotational kinetic energy into translational kinetic energy.