Lesson ​8
Energy Transformation
Learners explore how energy never disappears but constantly changes form, and how it always moves from where there is more toward where there is less.

Key Ideas
  • Energy does not disappear. It changes form and moves elsewhere, usually spreading out as heat into the surroundings.
  • Energy can shift from one form to another: chemical energy in a battery becomes electrical energy, which then becomes light and heat. Movement energy transfers from one object to another when they collide.
  • Energy is not matter. It cannot be held, weighed, or picked up. We only know it is there because of what it does.
  • Each form of energy travels differently. Electricity moves through conducting materials. Movement travels with objects or as waves. Heat travels by radiation, convection, or conduction. Light travels outward from its source in all directions.
  • Energy always comes from somewhere. Nothing creates it from nothing.
  • Energy always flows from where there is more toward where there is less, the way water flows downhill.

Supplies: None for the lesson, but helpful printable Energy Transfers

Vocabulary

  • Energy transformation: The change of energy from one form into another. Energy never disappears; it only transforms.
  • Chemical energy: Energy stored in the bonds between particles, such as in a battery, food, or fuel.
  • Conduction: The transfer of heat through direct contact between materials.
  • Convection: The transfer of heat through the movement of a liquid or gas.
  • Radiation: The transfer of energy through waves that can travel through empty space, such as heat from the sun.

Discussion Questions
  • Every time energy transforms, some of it spreads out as heat into the surroundings. If this kept happening indefinitely, what would eventually happen?
  • Why is it impossible to build a machine that runs forever without any energy input?
  • When you turn off a light, where does the light energy go?

Hands-On Activity: Bouncing Ball Energy Chain

Supply List
  • A rubber ball or basketball
  • A hard floor surface
  • A ruler or measuring tape
  • Notebook and pencil

Instructions
  • Hold the ball at shoulder height and drop it. Watch how high it bounces back up. Is it the same height you dropped it from?
  • Drop the ball again and listen carefully this time. What do you hear when it hits the floor? What do you feel through the floor if you stand close?
  • Discuss: the ball had movement energy when it fell. After it bounced, some of that energy became sound and some became heat at the point of impact. A little less movement energy was left for the bounce.
  • Drop the ball from the same height five times and watch each bounce get lower. Where did the energy go each time?
  • Now drop the ball from different heights and observe how the first bounce height changes. Record your results.
  • Draw an energy chain showing where the energy started, what forms it took, and where it ended up.


Other Home Activities:

1. Snap Circuits: Light a Bulb
Build a simple circuit using Snap Circuits that lights an LED. Ask your child: where is the energy starting? Where does it end up? Can you name the transformation? (Chemical in battery → electrical → light + heat)

2. Snap Circuits: Add a Motor or Buzzer
Swap out the bulb for a motor or buzzer. Now the electrical energy is becoming movement or sound instead. Ask: same starting energy, different ending form. Why?

3. The Sunlight Heat Test
Set two objects outside in the sun, one dark colored and one light colored. After 10 minutes, feel both. Which is hotter? Where did that heat come from? This shows light energy from the sun transforming into heat energy, and how the color of a surface affects how much it absorbs.

4. Snap Circuits: Green Energy (advanced)
https://elenco.com/green-energy/ 
This Snap Circuits set includes multiple ways to power your creations. It also features a voltage meter so you can measure how much energy each power source produces. Experiment by comparing the amount of energy generated by the solar panel, hand crank, and battery pack. You can even try generating energy using the fan! As you test each method, discuss how energy is transformed from one form into another in each situation.

Sources


If the audio isn't playing then open the video into a new tab or window.

BFSU C-1 by Selene

Phet Energy Forms and Changes Simulation
I highly recommend playing around with this interactive simulator. It allows you to see in real time all the different energy transformations around you.

Phet Energy Simulation by Selene
I have completed this lesson Next Lesson