Lesson 6: What Is Energy?
Energy can be stored and transferred, producing changes in motion, temperature, and other properties. Light, electrical devices, and moving objects introduce ways to trace where energy comes from and where it goes.
Key Ideas
- Energy can cause movement and other changes. Sunlight, food, and batteries can supply energy.
- Energy can be stored or passed from one thing to another. Light, electricity, moving objects, and warmth give us ways to notice it.
- Turning on a switch lets electricity move through a complete circuit. The energy must come from a source, such as a battery.
- Energy does not appear from nowhere or simply disappear. It can change form or spread into the surroundings.
Supplies:
Vocabulary
- Energy: The ability to cause changes, such as movement or warming. Energy can be stored and transferred.
- Thermal Energy and Heat: Thermal energy is linked to the motion of tiny particles in matter. Heat is energy moving from something warmer to something cooler.
- Light Energy (Radiant Energy): Energy carried by light, such as sunlight or light from a lamp.
- Electrical Energy: Energy transferred by electricity, such as from a battery to a light bulb.
- Kinetic Energy: Energy associated with motion, such as a rolling ball or moving air.
Discussion Questions
- If energy cannot be created or destroyed, where did the energy in the universe originally come from?
- When you feel exhausted after a long run, where did your energy actually go?
- Can you think of a situation where it looks like no energy is being used, but energy is actually being transferred?