TE Activity: Energy forms and states demonstrations
Contributed by: Office of Educational Partnerships, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY
Winner - 2009 Premier Curriculum Award for K-12 Engineering
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Energy Conversion in a light bulb convert electricity into heat and light forms of energy |
Summary |
Engineering Connection |
| Energy exists in many forms all around us. Engineers have determined how to capture and release that energy in forms that are most useful to create heat where required and the work done in many engineered devices. |
Contents | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Grade Level: 8 (6-8) | Group Size: Not defined |
| Time Required: 30 minutes |
Activity Dependency  :Energy Forms, States, and Conversions |
Expendable Cost Per Group
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Not defined |
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| Keywords: chemical energy, electric energy, forms of energy, heat, kinetic, radiant, mechanical, nuclear, potential, states of energy | |
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Related Curriculum
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| subject areas | Data Analysis and Probability Physical Science Physics |
| curricular units | Energy Systems and Solutions |
| lessons | Energy Forms, States and Conversions |
Learning Objectives (Return to Contents)
Students will be able to:
- describe at least three examples of how energy is converted from one form to another.
- state the law of conservation of energy.
- identify seven forms and two states of energy.
Materials List (Return to Contents)
(note - this can vary depending on availability of objects)
- Balls (various weights, sizes)
- Paper cups
- A few electrical or mechanical appliances
- Battery operated object
Introduction/Motivation (Return to Contents)
Energy exists in many forms all around us. The development of our modern society has been accomplished because scientists and engineers have learned to capture some of that energy and transform it into ways to do useful work. The conversion of energy from a chunk of coal into steam and then into mechanical engines that could do heavy work was a critically important role of engineers in the 19th century that helped to start the industrial revolution. An engineer needs to know where to "find" energy resources and then how to convert them into forms that are more useful for all of the machines and gadgets we use in our daily lives. Look around this room, what tools or devices are using energy? Lights might be a good example. They convert electric energy into light energy. What about this cup of water, (hold a cup up), does it have energy? It has a state of energy called potential energy because it is held up at an elevation. If the water is poured into a pail, the potential energy is released as the water now is moving with some velocity. This is a kinetic state of energy.
The goal of this class is to explore some critical terms that are needed for energy - forms of energy and states of energy.
Procedure (Return to Contents)
Before Class:
Organize all materials for demonstrations; try out demos to make sure they all work with your assorted items.
With the students:
1. Hold a ball up (does it have energy?) Students likely to say no. Then drop it. Did it have energy as it fell? (yes, work was done moving an object so energy must have been used) Where did it come from? Can energy just be created and infused into the ball? (No, the ball did have energy when it was held at a height above the floor. That is called potential energy
2. Introduce the concept of states of energy
- potential (stored energy) (hold ball up)
- kinetic (energy in motion) (drop ball)
In some classes giving the equations for potential and kinetic energy reinforces that mass, height, and velocity affect the values
PE = mass*gravity*height
KE = 1/2*mass*velocity2
3. Ask some exploratory questions with demonstration
- If I drop a bowling ball and a golf ball from the same height, which will have more potential energy? (the bowling ball) What about kinetic energy? (the bowling ball)
- If I drop 2 golf balls from different heights which will have more PE? (the higher one)
- If I drop one golf ball, and throw the other one down from the same height, which has more KE? (the thrown one)
5. Reinforce the concept of potential and kinetic energy by doing a cup-crushing demo.
- Place a cup on the floor and hold a small weight or baseball, 6 inches above the paper cup.
- Drop the ball and point out that the ball starts out with potential energy and converts to kinetic energy
- Repeat for a height of 12 inches and 36 inches (use some sort of tube or pipe to direct the weight so it stays on course!).
- Ask the students to predict the behavior
- Now use a bowling ball, or heavier weight.
- This is a good time to refresh (or introduce, if you did not get to it during the human power activity) the concept of acceleration due to gravity. Use the traditional "Newton experiment" with a baseball and a piece of crumpled paper
- Have 2 students come to front of room, give one the ball and the other the paper (tightly crumpled). Ask the class which one will fall to the floor faster when dropped? Why? (They both should hit the floor at the same time - the acceleration due to gravity is constant.)
6. All energy also has a FORM - there are 7 forms (NYS standards): sound, chemical, radiant (light), electrical, atomic (nuclear), mechanical, thermal (heat). Remembered as "SCREAM Today"
- Sound - from vibration of sound waves
- Chemical (fuel, gas, wood, battery)
- Radiant (light) (note - this is part of the broader "electromagnetic" group)
- Electrical Energy (electrons move among atoms - as in the conductive wire of an electrical cord)
- Atomic (Nuclear) (from nucleus of atom)
- Mechanical (walk, run)
- Thermal (Heat) (rub hands together)
Emphasize that electricity is just a way or transporting energy, but is not an energy SOURCE
7. Use various tools, appliances, and materials to introduce the students to the forms, and states of energy. Possible demonstrations or discussion topics are electrical appliances (light bulb, blender, hairdryer, toaster, etc.); human movement; a fire; and a roller coaster. For at least a few of them, draw a process flow diagram that identifies the forms/states of energy going into the device and those coming out of the device. For example:
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Energy Conversion in a light bulb convert electromagnetic energy (electricity) into heat and light, which is also electromagnetic form of energy |
Point out
- Some of the energy output from a device is the intended output - we want light from a light bulb. But we also sometimes get other forms of energy as output that is not useful. In this case heat. When energy conversion devices are designed, engineers try to convert most of the energy that goes into the system into the intended output. Engineers are working hard to create light bulbs that produce more light energy and less heat. These are more efficient light bulbs. That is one way to save energy - use more efficient devices. We'll learn more about efficiency in later lessons.
- can use a box to represent the item, engineers don't usually draw the actual item when they are illustrating the flow of energy through an object.
Assessment (Return to Contents)
There are a lot of opportunities throughout this lesson to have students answer question related to forms or states of energy. The goal of the lesson is to have the students familiar enough with the terms and concepts so they can complete the energy conversion activity the following class period. There is a student worksheet in that lesson that is a post-lesson assessment.
Other Related Information (Return to Contents)
This lesson was originally published by the Clarkson University K-12 Project Based Learning Partnership Program and may be accessed at http://www.clarkson.edu/highschool/k12/project/energysystems.html.
Contributors
Susan Powers, Jan DeWaters, and a number of Clarkson and St. Lawrence students in the K-12 , Project Based Learning Partnership ProgramCopyright
© 2008 by Clarkson University, Potsdam NY 13699.This unit was developed under National Science Foundation grants No. DUE-0428127 and DGE-0338216. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the Department of Education or National Science Foundation, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.
Supporting Program (Return to Contents)
Office of Educational Partnerships, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NYLast Modified: August 11, 2009