In
The Beginning
The content material on the types of energy and energy
changes started as an attempt to: 1) familiarize students with the
concepts of energy; 2) as an introduction to calculating the values
of kinetic, gravitational, and spring energy using the basic equations;
and, 3) as a lead in to the calculations for conservation of energy
problems.
Someone mentioned
during an educational workshop how students could "fake"
understanding by memorizing answers to the most likely questions.
For example, young children could answer the question 2 + 2 = ?
by saying 4, but if given pieces of candy could not demonstrate
real understanding. After trying some different assessments, it
became apparent that this same problem was occuring with this unit
on energy. Students didn't really understand these types of energies
and the changes that were occurring in simple everyday events, let
alone the changes that were occuring in a nuclear power plant.
The unit on
types of energy was expanded to make sure that students really had
a firm grasp of the basic concepts of each type of energy and their
changes. Without this understanding, students would surely have
problems making informed decisions on the many energy issues confronting
our society.
Grade
Level / Leveling on Ability
This unit was designed for use with a lower level
algebra based physics class taught in 12 th grade. Our school has
4 levels of physics: academic, accelerated, honors, and AP (low
to high ability). This unit is used with the accelerated classes.
Certainly, the material could also be used in any 9th through 12th
grade physical science, chemistry, or physics class, by adding or
substracting curriculum material or varying the time spent.
Summary
List / Sequencing
The content material and associated exercises are
designed to be used in a linear fashion, from The Energy Story to
the Energy Problem to the Energy Solution. Obviously, instructors
might want to pick and choose parts of the content to fit into their
required or desired curriculum. Below is an expanded outline with
a brief description of the content material. Links are provided
to each page. An asterick (*) is shown next to exercises that might
be useful on their own.
| The
Energy Story |
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| Energy
is Born |
The
universe is born in a big bang forming matter and energy. |
| Energy
Types |
This
section develops 10 basic types of energy. |
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Students
list types of energy or associated words. |
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Students
consolodate and organize these words into 10 types. |
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The
following pages familiarize students with the properties of
each of the 10 types of energy. |
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Inlcudes
equation KE = 1/2 mv squared |
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Incluede
equation GPE = mgh |
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Includes
equation SPE = 1/2 kx squared |
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Crossword
puzzle based on the 10 types of energy. |
| Energy
Changes |
Overview
of how energy changes from one type into another. |
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Examples
of energy changing from energy in to energy out. |
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Students
fill in energy in and energy out for a number of situations. |
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Examples
of energy changing from type to type to type. |
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Students
must draw a Rube Goldberg machine illustrating the 10 types
of energy and energy changes. |
| Energy
Generation |
Overview
of the need for sources of energy. |
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Lists
the most common energy sources. |
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Illustrates
a number of power plant designs and how the energy is changed
form one type into another. |
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A team based project to choose the best power
plant. |
| The
Energy Problem |
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| Conservation
of Energy |
Overview
of energy conservation. |
| Aging
of Energy |
Discussion
of how energy "ages" and meaning of entropy. |
| Finite
Resources |
Some
data on the increasing demand for energy and the increase in
population growth. |
| The
Oil "Crisis" |
Discussion
on the political and economic problems associated with excessive
energy use. |
| Energy
Pollution |
Overview
of the relationship between energy use and pollution. |
| Discussion
Topics |
A
rubric for student reserach and class discussion on a number
of controversial questions or topics concerning energy. |
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Should
our country legislate increased miles per gallon requirements
for new automobiles? |
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Our
country should restrict drilling for oil in the arctic and national
parks. |
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Should
our country stop or ban further construction of nuclear power
plants due to radioactive waste and danger of reactor accidents. |
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Should
Americans reduce their energy use, considering how much more
energy they use than people in other countries. |
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Should
our country legislate reductions on carbon dioxide emissions
in power plants to avert global warming. |
| The
Energy Solution |
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| Conserving
Electricity |
Discusses
the need to understand the concept of power. |
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Shows
how one can calclate the energy used from the power rating of
an appliance and the hours the appliance is used. |
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A
worksheet for students to find or calculate the power, energy,
and cost of various household appliances. |
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A
sample worksheet that has been filled in. |
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A
worksheet for students to find or calculate the power, energy
saved, and dollars saved by not using various appliances. |
| Appliance
Efficiency |
Discusses
how efficiencies of appliances have increased and how to read
the energy efficiency labels on major appliances. |
| Heating Conservation |
The
following pages will give you some background on how heat is
transferred and more ideas on how to make your home more energy
efficient. |
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Heat
can be transferred in three ways: convection, conduction, and
radiation. |
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Illustrates how you can save home heating energy
by understanding the three ways that heat can be transferred. |
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Conduct an energy audit of your house to see what
are the most cost efficient ways to save money on your energy
bills. |
| Renewable
Energy |
A
discussion of various renewable energies including solar, wind,
and biomass. |
National
Science Standards
Many parts
of this site can support different areas of the U.S. National Science
Education Standards. You can find which standards are supported
by each section of this site from the table below. All of
the standards are for grades 9-12.
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