ENERGY WEBQUEST
OBJECTIVE: Students will learn about the different forms of energy and how it can be transferred between objects or converted to different forms.
DIRECTIONS: Follow the links to answer the following questions about the different forms of energy. Use a separate sheet of paper to answer the questions as you complete the activity. Some questions are direct answers in the text while others will require some inference. All answers should be found on the given websites and should not require students to click links on the side of the page (except to continue at the bottom of some websites).
Go to: https://tikithepenguin.org/energy-guide/
1. What is energy? - The ability to do work
2. Energy can be changed from one form to another, but it can’t be created or destroyed!
3. Hover over the word “changed.” Give an example of how your body changes energy. - can change the stored potential energy
Fill out the chart on different types of energy.
Type
Define
Example
4. Chemical
Energy is stored in things like food you eat, fossil fuels, and explosives
5. Elastic
Energy stored in a stretched elastic band or spring
6. Gravitational
The energy a body has because it’s near another large body, like a planet
7. Nuclear
Energy is stored in the nucleus of atoms
8. Heat
If you touch something hot, it can be painful
9. Kinetic
This is the energy that a moving body has
10. Electrical
This is the kinetic energy of moving charges in an electrical circuit
11. Electromagnetic
Light and other radiation
Click on the link and watch the video.
https://www.britannica.com/video/214988/Using-nuclear-power-to-generate-electricity-overview-how-nuclear-power-plants-work
12. Summarize how a nuclear reaction generates electricity.
*
Roller Coaster Physics. Check out the energy in a roller coaster ride!
Read the article and play the picture on this page to answer the questions below. http://science.howstuffworks.com/roller-coaster3.htm
13. What is potential energy?
14. At which point is potential energy the greatest?
15. What is kinetic energy?
16. At which point is kinetic energy the greatest?
Open the link below. Click the “Launch” button and then the “PLAY” button in the top Left. Watch the graph in the middle.
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/hew06.sci.phys.maf.rollercoaster/
17. What do you notice about the relationship between potential and kinetic energy and the path of the coaster?
Go to the following website: https://www.learner.org/series/interactive-amusement-park-physics/
Read the opening page and click on the link “The Roller Coaster” at the bottom. Then answer the following questions on this page:
18. How does a roller coaster work?
19. What advantage do wooden coasters have over steel ones?
20. Why do wooden coasters act this way (hint: this is your opinion)?
Click on “Design a Roller Coaster”
Read this page before progressing. Note the two main assumptions used for this coaster design are the number of cars and the mass of the cars.
Note: The web site says the acceleration due to gravity is 32 ft/s/s; you will be using 9.8 m/s/s instead.
Click on Begin - Paste your initial coaster design making certain to note any dimensions.
Height of 1st hill Shape of 1 st hill The exit path Height of 2nd hill The loop
21. Calculate the potential energy of your coaster design at the each of the following locations
1st hill:__________ 2nd hill:___________ Loop:___________
22. What was the safety rating of your coaster? _____
23. What was the fun rating? ______
Repeat the process on the next page and see if you can get a working roller coaster.
Click on Begin - Paste your initial coaster design making certain to note any dimensions.
Height of 1st hill Shape of 1 st hill The exit path Height of 2nd hill The loop
24. Calculate the potential energy of your coaster design at the each of the following locations
1st hill:__________ 2nd hill:___________ Loop:___________
25. What was the safety rating of your coaster? _____
26. What was the fun rating? ______
Weighted Ball Drop
Energy Comparison
Weighted Ball Basketball
Mass (Kg)
Height (m)
PE (J)
Mass (Kg)
Height (m)
PE (J)
4.5
4.7
0.625
4.7
27. Calculate the PE for both objects and fill in the missing data.
Use Google Sheets to make 2 separate graphs for the following data table. Graph the position vs PE & KE for the Weighted Ball & Basketball. Make BOTH a bar graph AND a line graph for both objects. Share it with your teacher when you finish.
Weighted Ball Basketball
Position
PE
KE
PE
KE
A
207.3
0
28.8
0
B
176.4
30.9
24.5
4.3
C
132.3
75
18.375
10.425
D
88.2
119.1
12.25
16.55
E
44.1
163.2
6.125
22.675
F
0
207.3
0
28.8
28. What is the relationship between mass and energy (Direct or inverse)
29. What happens to the energy of the objects when they hit the ground? (Can it just “disappear”?)
30. Describe the line graph per PE vs KE.