Lesson: Energy Forms, States and Conversions
Contributed by: Office of Educational Partnerships, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY
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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 |
Summary |
Engineering Connection |
Contents
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| Grade Level: 8 (6-8) | Lesson #: 4 of 8 |
2 40-min. class periods |
Lesson Dependency  :Energy Basics |
| Keywords: chemical, conversion, electromagnetic, forms of energy, heat, kinetic, mechanical, nuclear, potential, states of energy | |
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Related Curriculum
| subject areas |
Data Analysis and Probability Physical Science Physics |
| curricular units |
Energy Systems and Solutions |
| activities |
Energy Conversions Energy forms and states demonstrations |
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.
- demonstrate and diagram the conversion of energy into usable forms using a flowchart.
- state the law of conservation of energy.
- identify five forms and two states of energy.
- identify the form and state of energy in everyday items as we use them to do useful energy.
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 (radiant) 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. Tomorrow, that information will be used as we evaluate several items, like the light in this class, to see how they convert energy from one form to another.
Lesson Background & Concepts for Teachers (Return to Contents)
1. Energy can be neither created nor destroyed, but converted from one form to another. This can be represented as the first law of thermodynamics.
2. Energy can be classified by its form or state.
3. The forms of energy defined in NYS educational standards include: 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)
4. The two states of energy are potential and kinetic
- potential (stored energy due to elevation): PE = mass*gravity*height
- kinetic (energy in motion): KE = 1/2*mass*velocity2
5. Energy is stored in a variety of ways and must be released to do useful work
6. Energy can be converted to useful forms by various means, we often convert the form of energy to make it more useful to us. For example, we transform chemical energy in gasoline into mechanical energy to move an automobile.
7. Energy and its conversion between forms can be expressed quantitatively.
8. When converting energy, a significant fraction of that energy can be lost from the system (in the form of heat, sound, vibration, etc.). But of course energy is never really lost. "Lost" in this context means that it is not recovered for effective use by humans or machines.
Vocabulary/Definitions (Return to Contents)
| Block Process Flow Diagram: | A physical representation of inputs and outputs of a process, used by engineers. |
| Chemical energy: | Energy stored within chemical bonds. |
| Combustion : | The process of burning organic chemicals to release heat and light. |
| Conservation : | Careful use of resources with the goal of reducing environmental damage or resource depletion. |
| Efficiency: | Ability of a process or machine to convert energy input to energy output, efficiency is always less than 100% in real processes. Efficiency of a system can be quantified as the ratio of the useful output energy (or power) to the input energy (or power) |
| Electrical energy: | Energy made available by the flow of electric charge through a conductor. |
| Energy Conversion: | Transformation of one form of energy into another, usually to convert the energy into a more useful form |
| First Law of Thermodynamics: | Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. |
| Form of energy : | Forms of energy include heat, light, electrical, mechanical, nuclear, sound and chemical |
| Heat (thermal energy): | A form of energy related to its temperature |
| Input: | Matter or energy going into a process |
| Kinetic energy: | Energy of motion, influenced by an objects mass and speed |
| Mechanical energy: | A form of energy related to the movement of an object |
| Nuclear (atomic) energy: | Energy produced by splitting the nuclei of certain elements |
| Output: | Matter or energy coming out of a process |
| Potential energy: | Energy that is stored and that comes from an object's position or condition. |
| State of energy: | States of energy include kinetic and potential |
Associated Activities (Return to Contents)
Attachments (Return to Contents)
Assessment (Return to Contents)
Post introduction assessment: There is a lot of dialogue and student participation in the first day of this lesson. Numerous probing questions are included in the forms and state demonstration activity that can be used to assess if the students understand the concepts.
Homework: The student activity worksheet completed during the conversion activity should be turned in as a means of assessing if the students correctly identified the forms involved in each conversion process and can include those forms correctly in a block diagram form.
Have students complete the activity worksheet and discussion questions and turn in. The quiz after Lesson 5 includes concepts from this lesson also.
References (Return to Contents)
Definitions and concepts based on New York State standards and the textbook:
Biggs, A., Burns, J., Daniel, L.H., Ezralson, C., Feather, R.M., Horton, P.M., McCarthy, T.K., Ortleb, E., Snyder, S.L., Werwa, E. Science Voyages: Exploring Life, Earth and Physical Science, Level Red., Glencoe/McGraw Hill: New York, 2000.
Intermediate Level Science Core Curriculum, Grades 5-8, New York State Education, Department, accessed December 31, 2008. http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/mst/pub/intersci.pdf
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 University students in the K-12 , Project Based Learning Partnership Program.Copyright
© 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: July 31, 2009