Energy Transfer Basics
What is energy transfer?
The movement of energy from one place to another without changing the type of energy.
List three examples of energy.
Electrical, Chemical, Mechanical, Nuclear, Sound, Thermal, Radiant, Kinetic, Potential
Give an example of energy transfer in a light bulb.
Electrical to radiant (light) and thermal (heat).
What are the energy transformations in a toaster?
Electrical to Thermal. Toast!
How are insulators and conductors different when thinking about how they transfer energy?
Insulators do not allow energy to pass through, conductors allow energy to flow through freely.
What is the Law of Conversation of Energy state?
Energy cannot be created nor destroyed, only transferred or transformed.
Explain the difference between potential and kinetic energy.
Potential is stored energy, and kinetic is energy in motion/being used.
Explain how energy is transferred in a battery-operated toy car.
Chemical to Electrical to Mechanical/Kinetic and Sound.
What are the energy transformations in a cell phone?
Chemical to Electrical to Radiant (light) and Sound.
What is an example of Chemical to Electrical energy?
Answers may vary.
Example: A battery in a cell phone.
Give an example of energy transfer from one store to another.
Answers will vary.
Give an example of energy stored in chemical form.
A battery or food.
Describe the energy transfer involved in boiling water on an electric stove.
Electrical to Thermal
What are the energy transformations in lightning?
Electrical to Radiant (light)
What is an example of Mechanical to Thermal energy?
Answer may vary.
Example: Car Engine, riding a bike, etc.
The difference between energy transfer and energy transformation.
Energy transfer involves the energy not changing form as it moves from one object/place to another. Energy transformation is when the energy changes form from one type to another.
Describe how energy is stored in a compressed spring.
This potential energy is stored in the spring as elastic potential energy, and the amount of energy stored is proportional to the amount of compression or stretching that has been applied to it. The energy will become kinetic when the spring is released.
Discuss how energy is transferred in a wind turbine.
Mechanical to Electrical
What are the energy transformations in a hot air balloon?
Potential to Thermal/Sound/Kinetic
Explain what happens to the transfer of energy of a music speaker at a concert.
The speaker is plugged in to create electrical energy and turned into sound when music comes out of the speaker.
Example: Electrical Energy to Sound Energy
Identify the energy transfers and transformations in this scenario: A person pushes a button on a battery-operated toy car, and it starts to move forward.
Kinetic (the finger pushing the button to connect the internal circuit) which causes chemical potential energy in the battery to transform into electrical energy, which causes the motor to start, a kinetic transformation, which pushes the car forward, a kinetic transfer.
Discuss how energy is stored in food.
Energy in food is considered potential chemical energy. When food is digested and the energy is being used in your body, the energy is considered kinetic.
Explain the energy transfer process in a solar panel.
Radiant to Electrical
What are the energy transformations in a match?
Chemical to Thermal/Radiant
What is the definition of energy?
The ability to do work.