1/25/2019 Kinetic and Potential Energy of Motion - Lesson - TeachEngineering

Lesson: Kinetic and Potential Energy of Motion

Contributed by: Integrated Teaching and Learning Program, College of Engineering, University of Colorado
Boulder

Quick Look

Grade Level: 8 (7-9)

Time Required: 45 minutes
Lesson Dependency : None
Subject Areas: Algebra
Physical Science
Physics

Summary
In this lesson, students are introduced to both
potential energy and kinetic energy as forms of
mechanical energy. A hands-on activity
demonstrates how potential energy can change
into kinetic energy by swinging a pendulum,
illustrating the concept of conservation of
energy. Students calculate the potential energy
of the pendulum and predict how fast it will
travel knowing that the potential energy will
convert into kinetic energy. They verify their
predictions by measuring the speed of the
pendulum.
This engineering curriculum meets Next
Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

Engineering Connection
Mechanical engineers are concerned about the
mechanics of energy — how it is generated,
stored and moved. Product design engineers
apply the principles of potential and kinetic
energy when they design consumer products.
For example, a pencil sharpener employs
mechanical energy and electrical energy. When
designing a roller coaster, mechanical and civil
engineers ensure that there is su cient
potential energy (which is converted to kinetic
energy) to move the cars through the entire
roller coaster ride.

A roller coaster exhibits both kinetic and potential energy

Learning Objectives
https://www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/cub_energy_lesson01 1/5
1/25/2019 Kinetic and Potential Energy of Motion - Lesson - TeachEngineering

After this lesson, students should be able to:

Recognize that engineers need to understand the many di erent forms of energy in order to design useful
products
Explain the concepts of kinetic and potential energy.
Understand that energy can change from one form into another.
Understand that energy can be described by equations.

Educational Standards
 NGSS: Next Generation Science Standards - Science
 Common Core State Standards - Math
 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association - Technology
 State Standards

Introduction/Motivation
Begin by showing the class three items: 1) an item of food (such as a bagel, banana or can of soda water), 2) a
battery, and 3) you, standing on a stool or chair. Ask the class what these three things have in common. The answer is
energy. The food contains chemical energy that is used by the body as fuel. The battery contains electrical energy (in
the form of electrical, potential or stored energy), which can be used by a ashlight or a portable CD player. A person
standing on a stool has potential energy (sometimes called gravitational potential energy) that could be used to crush
a can, smash the banana, or really hurt the foot of someone standing under you. Do a dramatic demonstration of
jumping down on the banana or an empty soda can. (Be careful! Banana peels are slippery!) Explain the ideas of
potential energy and kinetic energy as two di erent kinds of mechanical energy. Give de nitions of each and present
the equations, carefully explaining each variable, as discussed in the next section,

PE = mass x g x height

and

Explain how energy can be converted from one form to another. This should be clear from the jumping
demonstration. You had potential energy (stored energy) when standing on the stool, which completely changed into
kinetic energy (energy of motion) right before you landed on the ground. As a side note, the ground absorbed your
energy when you landed and turned it into heat.

Lesson Background and Concepts for Teachers

https://www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/cub_energy_lesson01 2/5
1/25/2019 Kinetic and Potential Energy of Motion - Lesson - TeachEngineering

Whenever something moves, you can see the change in energy of that system. Energy can make things move or
cause a change in the position or state of an object. Energy can be de ned as the capacity for doing work. Work is
done when a force moves an object over a given distance. The capacity for work, or energy, can come in many
di erent forms. Examples of such forms are mechanical, electrical, chemical or nuclear energy.

This lesson introduces mechanical energy, the form of energy that is easiest to observe on a daily basis. All moving
objects have mechanical energy. There are two types of mechanical energy: potential energy and kinetic energy.
Potential energy is the energy that an object has because of its position and is measured in Joules (J). Potential energy
can also be thought of as stored energy. Kinetic energy is the energy an object has because of its motion and is also
measured in Joules (J). Due to the principle of conservation of energy, energy can change its form (potential, kinetic,
heat/thermal, electrical, light, sound, etc.) but it is never created or destroyed.

Within the context of mechanical energy, potential energy is a result of an object's position, mass and the
acceleration of gravity. A book resting on the edge of a table has potential energy; if you were to nudge it o the
edge, the book would fall. It is sometimes called gravitational potential energy (PE). It can be expressed
mathematically as follows:

PE = mass x g x height or PE = weight x height

where PE is the potential energy, and g is the acceleration due to gravity. At sea level, g = 9.81 meters/sec2 or 32.2
feet/sec2. In the metric system, we would commonly use mass in kilograms or grams with the rst equation. With
English units it is common to use weight in pounds with the second equation.

Kinetic energy (KE) is energy of motion. Any object that is moving has kinetic energy. An example is a baseball that
has been thrown. The kinetic energy depends on both mass and velocity and can be expressed mathematically as
follows:

Here KE stands for kinetic energy. Note that a change in the velocity will have a much greater e ect on the amount of
kinetic energy because that term is squared. The total amount of mechanical energy in a system is the sum of both
potential and kinetic energy, also measured in Joules (J).

Total Mechanical Energy = Potential Energy + Kinetic Energy

Engineers must understand both potential and kinetic energy. A simple example would be the design of a roller
coaster — a project that involves both mechanical and civil engineers. At the beginning of the roller coaster, the cars
must have enough potential energy to power them for the rest of the ride. This can be done by raising the cars to a
great height. Then, the increased potential energy of the cars is converted into enough kinetic energy to keep them in
motion for the length of the track. This is why roller coaters usually start with a big hill. As the cars start down the rst
hill, potential energy is changed into kinetic energy and the cars pick up speed. Engineers design the roller coaster to
have enough energy to complete the course and to overcome the energy-draining e ect of friction.

Vocabulary/De nitions
conservation of energy: A principle stating that the total energy of an isolated system remains constant regardless
of changes within the system. Energy can neither be created nor destroyed.
energy: Energy is the capacity to do work.
kinetic energy: The energy of motion.
mechanical energy: Energy that is composed of both potential energy and kinetic energy.
potential energy: The energy of position, or stored energy.

Associated Activities

https://www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/cub_energy_lesson01 3/5
1/25/2019 Kinetic and Potential Energy of Motion - Lesson - TeachEngineering

Swinging Pendulum - Students predict how fast a pendulum will swing by converting potential energy into
kinetic energy. They verify their predictions by measuring its speed.
Swinging Pendulum (for High School)

Lesson Closure
Restate that both potential energy and kinetic energy are forms of mechanical energy. Potential energy is the energy
of position and kinetic energy is the energy of motion. A ball that you hold in your hand has potential energy, while a
ball that you throw has kinetic energy. These two forms of energy can be transformed back and forth. When you
drop a ball, you demonstrate an example of potential energy changing into kinetic energy.

Explain that energy is an important engineering concept. Engineers need to understand the many di erent forms of
energy so that they can design useful products. An electric pencil sharpener serves to illustrate the point. First, the
designer needs to know the amount of kinetic energy the spinning blades need in order to successfully shave o the
end of the pencil. Then, the designer must choose an appropriately-powered motor to supply the necessary energy.
Finally, the designer must know the electrical energy requirements of the motor in order for the motor to properly do
its assigned task.

Assessment
Pre-Lesson Assessment

Discussion Questions: Solicit, integrate and summarize student responses.

What are examples of dangerous unsafe placement of objects? (Possible answers: Boulders on the edge of a
cli , dishes barely on shelves, etc.).

Post-Introduction Assessment

Question/Answer: Ask the students and discuss as a class:

What has more potential energy: a boulder on the ground or a feather 10 feet in the air? (Answer: The feather
because the boulder is on the ground and has zero potential energy. However, if the boulder was 1 mm o the
ground, it would probably have more potential energy.)

Lesson Summary Assessment

Group Brainstorm: Give groups of students each a ball (example, tennis ball). Remind them that energy can be
converted from potential to kinetic and vice versa. Write a question on the board and have them brainstorm the
answer in their groups. Have the students record their answers in their journals or on a sheet of paper and hand it in.
Discuss the student groups' answers with the class.

How can you throw a ball and have its energy change from kinetic to potential and back to kinetic without
touching the ball once it relases from your hand? (Answer: Throw it straight up in the air.)

Calculating: Have students practice problems solving for potential energy and kinetic energy:

If a mass that weighs 8 kg is held at a height of 10 m, what is its potential energy? (Answer: PE = (8 kg)*(9.8
m/s2)*(10 m) = 784 kg*m2/s2 = 784 J)
Now consider an object with a kinetic energy of 800 J and a mass of 12 kg. What is its velocity? (Answer: v =
sqrt(2*KE/m) = sqrt((2 * 800 J)/12 kg) = 11.55 m/s)

Lesson Extension Activities

There is another form of potential energy, not related to height, which is called spring potential or elastic potential
energy. In this case, energy is stored when you compress or elongate a spring. Have the students search the Internet
or library for the equation of spring potential energy and explain what the variables in the equation represent. The
answer is

https://www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/cub_energy_lesson01 4/5
1/25/2019 Kinetic and Potential Energy of Motion - Lesson - TeachEngineering

PEspring = ½ k∙x2

where k is the spring constant measured in N/m (Newton/meters) and x is how far the spring is compressed or
stretched measured in m (meters).

References
Argonne Transportation - Laser Glazing of Rails. September 29, 2003. Argonne National Laboratory, Transportation
Technology R&D Center. October 15, 2003. http://www.anl.gov/index.html

Asimov, Isaac. The History of Physics. New York: Walker & Co., 1984.

Jones, Edwin R. and Richard L. Childers. Contemporary College Physics. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Co.,
1993.

Kahan, Peter. Science Explorer: Motion, Forces, and Energy. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2000.

Luehmann, April. Give Me Energy. June 12, 2003. Science and Mathematics Initiative for Learning Enhancement,
Illinois Institute of Technology. October 15, 2003. http://www.iit.edu/~smile/ph9407.html

Nave, C.R. HyperPhysics. 2000. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Georgia State University. October 15, 2003.
hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/hframe.html

The Atoms Family - The Mummy's Tomb – Raceways. Miami Museum of Science and Space Transit Planetarium.
October 15, 2003. http://www.miamisci.org/af/sln/mummy/raceways.html

Contributors
Bailey Jones; Matt Lundberg; Chris Yakacki; Malinda Schaefer Zarske; Denise Carlson

Copyright
© 2004 by Regents of the University of Colorado.

Supporting Program
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program, College of Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder

Acknowledgements
The contents of this digital library curriculum were developed under a grant from the Fund for the Improvement of
Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education and National Science Foundation GK-12 grant no.
0338326. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the Department of Education or
National Science Foundation, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Last modi ed: January 22, 2019

https://www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/cub_energy_lesson01 5/5