Phet: Energy Forms and Changes

Explore energy forms and changes with Phet simulation! Learn transformations & conservation.

‪Energy Forms and Changes‬ We have looked at the different forms that energy takes. Today we are going to discover how different forms of energy can change into electrical energy to generate useful electricity. There are other ways that energy can move and change. Click on the picture to the left to use the Phet simulation. When the simulation opens and then select “Systems”. Introducing the Simulation Click on Energy Symbols to see the energy packets. Spend a few minutes playing with the simulation. - Try selecting different energy sources - Moving water (faucet) - Solar (Sun) - Steam (kettle) - Chemical (person on bike)- Try selecting different energy changers - Generator - Solar panel- Try selecting different energy users - Heating water - Light bulb (standard bulb) - Light bulb (compact fluorescent light) - Motor Build an energy system and describe what happens to the energy as it moves through the system. Fill in the table below using different examples. The first row is completed for you as an example. Energy Source Form of Energy Energy Changer Form of Energy Energy User Form of energy Moving water Mechanical Generator Electrical Light Bulb Thermal and light Moving Water Mechanical Generator Electrical Fan Mechanical Sun Light Solar Panel Electrical Hot Plat with water Thermal Girl on Bike Mechanical Generator Electrical Light Bulb (CFL) Light Tea Pot Mechanical Generator Electrical Light Bulb Light What kind of energy does the biker contain? Mechanical Electrical Theremal Light Chemical Fill in the blank. The biker converts chemical energy into mechanical energy. Efficiency is how well a device transfer energy into a useful form. Compare energy output between the fluorescent bulb (curly one) with the incandescent bulb (rounded). Which bulb is more efficient and why? The Law of Conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed it only changes form. How does this simulation show this? Read the following article: Do you know what energy is?Scientists usually define energy as "the ability to do work." That makes sense, because you cannot get much work done if you are low on energy.A good way to expand on this definition is to name different forms that energy can take. You have already learned about many of these forms: heat, light, and sound are three different forms of energy. Electricity, or electrical energy, is another form. So is mechanical energy, the energy of moving (kinetic energy) and of keeping still (potential energy). Energy is even in the particles that make up all matter, including us. The energy that holds, or bonds these particles together is called chemical energy. Chemical energy is a form of potential energy. How can electrical energy be transformed to light energy and sound energy? How can light energy be transformed to heat energy? Take a few moments to think about all the different ways that one form of energy can be transformed into another. Energy allows an animal or a machine to move faster. Where do you think the energy of motion comes from? Over time, the animal slows down. Where do you think the energy goes?In every instance above, the energy has been transformed. When energy seems to come out of nowhere, it is usually because we are converting a stored form of energy to a form that can do work. When energy seems to be used up, it has usually been changed into a stored form that we cannot easily use.For example, we eat food to get energy to climb a mountain. The energy was stored in the chemical bonds that made up the food. As we move up and down the mountain, this chemical energy changes to kinetic energy. As we move, we get hot. This is our kinetic energy changing to heat energy. Climbing the mountain makes the air around us slightly warmer, because heat being produced by our bodies is moving into the air. This increase in heat energy equals the chemical energy stored in the food we ate. Energy has neither been created nor destroyed, it has simply changed form!The chemical energy (food) was transferred into kinetic energy (hiking), which was transferred into heat energy (warming air).The Sun is the source of most of Earth’s energy. Solar energyor energy from the Sun travels to our planet as light waves. Thus, the first benefit we get from solar energy is light. The second benefit we get is warmth; light energy transforms into heat energy. (We call heat from the Sun radiationEveryday Life: Energy Transformations in Flashlights and WindmillsMost flashlights are powered by batteries. Batteries contain certain chemicals in which energy may be stored. So, the energy stored in batteries is a form of chemical energy. When we use batteries in a flashlight, the chemical energy is transformed into electrical energy. Wires in the flashlight carry the electrical energy to the light bulb. There, the electrical energy is transformed into light energy that we use to see. Electrical energy can also be generated from kinetic energy. This is the transformation that happens in windmills. Sometimes energy may seem to come out of nowhere, or we may do something that seems to create energy. On the other hand, sometimes energy may seem to disappear, or we may do something that seems to destroy energy. In fact, none of these things actually happens. Energy is never created and never destroyed. This statement is the law of conservation of energy. The law of conservation of energy is true throughout the universe! The same amount of energy that exists now has always existed. It is constantly changing form, but it never increases or decreases. Think about a typical school day. In the space provided below, describe how each of the different forms of energy we have learned about (chemical, electrical, heat, kinetic, potential, and solar) are used during a typical school day and how each form of energy is transformed into another. Identify three types of potential energy. Identify three types of kinetic energy.