This unit provides the student with basic principles of different types of energies. Students will work collaboratively to investigate nine types of energy with a focus on electricity and magnetism.
- Differentiate between different forms of energy and their uses.
- Develop methods to explore the variables that affect forms of energy.
- Investigate the properties of electricity and magnetism.
- Develop methods for exploring the variables that affect electromagnets.
- Design and investigate the uses of electricity.
The Energy Circus - Students will move around the classroom performing 6-7 experiments involving different types of energy.
Open/Closed Circuits - Students will investigate simple circuits using batteries, wire and light bulbs to ultimately light the bulb. When complete, students will be expected to create their own circuits and circuit boards.
Electromagnetism - Using various household materials, students will make a working electromagnet. Whose electromagnet can hold the most paper clips??
- matter: anything that has mass and takes up space.
- mass: how much matter an object has. It never changes.
- energy: the ability to do work.
- weight: a measure of gravity's pull on an object.
- potential energy: energy that is stored and ready to do work, it is in a position to do work.
- kinetic energy: energy in motion.
- transform: to change from one form of energy to another.
- conserve: to limit the amount of energy used, to save or use wisely.
- friction: the movement of one object against another. Friction always creates heat energy.
- work: the use of force to move an object.
- momentum: once in motion, an object stays in motion until it is stopped by an outside force.
- velocity: the speed and direction of an object.
- The Law of Conservation of Energy: energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be transformed.
- current: the flow of electrons through a circuit.
- static electricity: stays in one place and does not flow.
- parallel circuit: circuit that allows current to flow along more than one pathway.
- series circuit: circuit in which current can only flow through one pathway.
- voltage: the force of electricity that flows through a circuit.
- resistance: anything that slows down the flow of electricity.
- conductors: materials that transmit heat or electricity.
- insulators: materials that do not allow the flow of heat or electricity.