Physical World - Energy

Physics - what is it?

● Aims to understand how matter and energy behaves from a REALLY

small level to a REALLY big level (the universe).
● Ranges from computers to communication systems, architecture to
agriculture.
● Provides a major framework for understanding and contributing to
technology!
What jobs are there in physics?

● GNS Science - natural disasters and hazards, environment and

climate, energy futures, land and marine science
● MetService - Weather, meteorologists, oceanographers, data
analysts, modellers and researchers.
● Rocket Lab - Engineer
● FNZ - in finance and innovation
● Also, hospitals, IT, computer, electronics, banking, finance, police,
Armed forces, Pilots.
What is energy?

In a group:
1. Come up with some key words about energy.

2. Use the word energy in a sentence.

What is energy?
Energy is the ability to
do work.

Doing work means

that:

● you can move

something
● you can change
somethings motion
● you can change its
shape
You often hear the word energy used in different situations

These examples are describing your

personal energy or a cars energy. The
physical energy we’re going to learn about
in this topic is not the same
Energy Rules Hunt
There are four important rules for energy in physics

Around the room are the four rules

You have 5 minutes to find all of them and write them in your book.

When you have found all of them, show them to your teacher.
Energy rules
1. Energy is not a substance that you can touch or hold
2. Energy cannot be made or destroyed
3. Energy comes in many different forms and can be transformed from one into
the other
4. Energy is measured in joules (J) or kilojoules (kJ)
Measuring Energy
Energy is measured in… Wicked!
Hello

Joules
Jewels
Say Hello to J. J
James Joule
A Scientist and a Brewer
He had a beard But I don’t
have any
Jewels
Types of Energy
There are 10 types of Energy

Scientists group the 10 types into two categories:

Active Energy: Energy that is doing something that can be observed or measured

Potential Energy: Energy that is stored in some way

Active Energy
Heat
There are 5 types of active energy

Kinetic
Sound

Radiant
Electrical
Potential Energy
Nuclear
There are 5 types of potential energy

Gravitational
Elastic

Chemical
Magnetic
Activity
Grab a piece of paper from your teacher
Cut the paper along the dotted lines and fold the paper along the solid lines.
You will have 10 sections. In each section write the name of the type of energy on
the outside and draw a picture.
On the inside you have to put a definition and on the third side you have to give an
example of that type of energy.
Active: Radiant, Heat, Sound, Electrical, Kinetic (on the left side)
Passive: Chemical, Gravitational, Nuclear, Elastic, Magnetic (on the right side)
Stick the folded paper in your books when you finish
Law of Conservation of Energy

Remember that Energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be

converted from one form to another.
These two statements are known as the law of conservation of energy.
What is the energy transformations that occur when a skydiver falls to the earth?

In the plane, the skydiver

has gravitational potential
energy.

When they jump the

gravitational potential
energy is converted into
kinetic energy as they fall.

The energy transformation

is gravitational potential
energy → kinetic energy
What are the energy transformations?

B
A
What is the energy transformation?
What is the energy transformation?
What is the energy transformation?
What is the energy transformation?
What is the energy transformation?
What is the energy transformation?
Wasted Energy

Energy transformations are rarely efficient.

When energy transformations occur, some of the initial energy is

transformed into a form that is not wanted or useful.

This energy is called wasted energy.

Wasted energy is usually in the form of heat or sound
Wasted Energy - Example

Consider a lightbulb.
The desired energy transformation is
Electrical Energy→Radiant Energy

However, if you have touched a lightbulb after it has

been on for a while you will feel it has heated up. The
overall energy transfer will be:
Electrical Energy→Radiant Energy + Heat Energy

Heat Energy is wasted energy

 Example

Chemical potential energy → kinetic energy (useful) + heat (wasted) + sound (wasted)
Example
What’s the energy transformation?

What’s the wasted energy?

What’s the energy transformation?

What’s the wasted energy?

What’s the energy transformation?

What’s the wasted energy?

Investigating Energy Efficiency
In order to investigate
energy efficiency we will
follow the Scientific
Method.

The Scientific method is

shown at the side
Stating the problem

Before you start an experiment you must have a

reason to do it.
You need to have a question that can be answered
through an investigation
This is called a “Testable Question.”
A testable question is a question that can be answered
using a scientific approach - doing an experiment,
making a model, doing research, searching for a
pattern or classifying
Examples
Good Testable Questions
● Does the amount of sunlight a
plant gets affect how it grows?
● Does the size of the hole in the
bottom of a sinking water clock
affect how fast it sinks?
● Does caffeine affect reaction time
in middle school students?
● Which disinfectant works the best
on household germs?
Bad Testable Questions
● Is Dan Carter the best kicker of all
time?
● Does water smell good?
● Is the cafeteria food good?
● Will the school be open
tomorrow?
These questions cannot be answered
using a scientific approach
Scientific Approaches
An experiment is a procedure done to see the
Experimenting relationship between two variables

Pattern seeking involves gathering data of natural

Pattern Seeking events where the relationships are not clear

Researching involves gathering information from

Researching others including from books and websites

A model is a representation of an idea or

Modelling concept to help understand the idea

Glassifying involves grouping things into

Classifying categories
Experimenting

Experimenting involves finding relationships between two factors.

This is also known as fair testing.
The two factors are called variables.
Usually only one variable is changed and the effect on the other variable
is studied.
The variable that is changed is called the independent variable
The other variable is called the experimental variable.
Variables

When doing an experiment we will be making measurements.

The measurements are called the dependent variable.
When doing an experiment we try to keep other variables the same.
These variables are called control variables.
Example

Testable Question: Does the amount of water given to a plant affect plant
growth?
Independent Variable: The amount of water
Experimental Variable: Plant Growth
Dependent Variable: Height of the plant (or number of leaves)
Control Variables: The type of plant, the amount of soil, the container the
plant grows in, the time of watering,
Hypothesis

● One you have a testable question,

you can start completing
background research into the
question.
● Once enough research has been
completed, you can then develop a
hypothesis (plural: hypotheses).
● A hypothesis is an “educated guess”
or a prediction about the outcome of
your experiment.
Hypothesis
A well written hypothesis consists of an “if” statement and a “then”
statement - an if…then statement.
The “if” statement contains information on what your are testing, and the
“then” statement reflects your beliefs of the outcome of the experiment.

Examples:
“If we change the size of a hole in the bottom of a boat, then the boat will
sink at a faster rate”
“If caffeine is increased in someone’s body, then their reaction time will be
quicker”
Gathering Equipment

In order to do an experiment,
you must make a list of the
equipment you will use.
This list is written above your
method.
It allows other people to do
your experiment without
having to ask you what they
need.
Writing a Method
● A method is a list of steps that a
scientist takes to complete the
experiment.
● This is a very detailed list that is
numbered in 1,2,3..... order. It may
include drawings.
● You know you have written a good
method when someone can read it
and do the experiment exactly like you
did.
● It is not a paragraph!
Practice

Write a method to boil an

egg
Examples
A good method A bad method
1. Measure 100mL of water using a Pour water into a saucepan. Put an egg
measuring jug and pour it into a 24cm
saucepan in and heat it, When it is boiled let it
2. Place the saucepan with the water on cool. Remove the shell and eat it.
a stove.
3. Place an egg in the water and start the
heating (turn the stove burner on).
4. After the water starts boiling, start a
timer and stop heating after 8 minutes
(turn the stove burner off)
5. Wait for 10 minutes for the water to
cool, remove the egg using a spoon
and remove the shell.
6. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper
and enjoy
Collect Data

Once you have designed your experiment, you can then perform the
experiment and collect data.
Safety is always an issue here. Be sure to follow all lab safety procedures
while conducting the investigation
If you have written a detailed method, your investigation should go
smoothly.
Simply follow the steps in your procedure!!
Be sure to clean up your materials when you have finished!
Recording Data
Sinking time of boats
All measurements in an
investigation need to be recorded in Number of Time to sink (s)
a data table. washers

1 2 3 Average
The table must have a title (related
to what you are measuring), and 0 110 90 80 93.3

appropriate labels for the rows and 1 36 31 40 35

columns.
2 12 17 17 15

3 12 10 14 12
Analysing Data

Once, you gather the data and

record it, you need to process it.
Processing means converting that
data into useful information that
can be interpreted.
Scientists usually process data
using mathematical operations
such as finding an average or
drawing a graph
Experiment: Energy Efficiency of Light Bulbs

We are going to do an experiment to study the energy efficiency of light

bulbs.
Your first task is to research the three types of light bulbs we will be using.
The research questions are in a doc that has been shared with you.
You have this period to finish your research and we’ll complete the
experiment next period.
Using Energy

What do we use energy for?

• Electricity to power and heat our homes, workplaces and schools;
• Gas to heat our homes and water and for cooking;
• Diesel, petrol or electricity to power cars.

Discuss:
What things do you need in your everyday life that uses energy?
What type of energy is it?
Where does the energy come from?

Discuss:
Where do you think energy comes from?
Where does petrol come from?
Where does electricity come from?
Energy is generated from two types of
sources:
● Renewable Sources
● Non-renewable Sources
Renewable Sources
Renewable energy comes from natural resources such
as wind, the sun, water and heat from under the ground.

Renewable energy can replenish itself when it runs low

or runs out.
These energy sources are important in reducing the use
of non-renewable energy.
40% of all energy generated
in NZ is from renewable
sources
Non-Renewable Sources

Non-renewable energy includes coal, oil and gas. While some

non-renewable energy comes from natural sources, they can not
replenish themselves - once they are used, they are gone. Many
non-renewable energy sources use fossil fuels.
Fossil fuels are the natural resources that were formed many, many years
ago such as oil, natural gas and coal.
60% of all energy generated in NZ is from
non-renewable sources
Research

A presentation of the various renewable and non-renewable sources of

energy has been shared with you.
Complete the worksheet and make a poster about the different sources of
energy.
Heat Energy

Discuss
What do you understand by the word “Heat”
Where does heat come from?
The word Heat is used in many different ways - something that feels warm
(a heated mug), something that has an intense feeling (a heated
discussion) or something that is pungent (a curry with a lot of heat).
In Science, Heat means the flow of energy from a warm object to a cooler
object.
How is heat transferred?

All hot objects give heat energy to their cooler surroundings. Heat energy
is transferred from one place to another by three different methods:
1. Conduction
2. Convection
3. Radiation
Task

In your books write down the definitions of all three modes of heat transfer
Your teacher will send you a link to a few websites that will help you.
You have 20 minutes to complete this task.
Experiment
Aim: To investigate conduction using spoons and margarine
Hypothesis: I predict that the _____________ spoon in hot water will melt
the margarine first.
Method
1. Place a small amount of margarine at the end of a metal spoon.
2. Place the spoon on the 100mL beaker.
3. Add 80mL of boiling water and start the stopwatch.
4. Stop the timer when the margarine melts.
5. Repeat with plastic spoon, popsicle stick.
6. Share results with 2 other groups.
Table of Results

Time to melt Time to melt Time to melt Average

(s) (s) (s) time (s)
Metal Spoon

Plastic
Spoon

Popsicle
Stick
Conclusion:
● Write a sentence stating the average time it took for each material.
● Write a sentence about which material conducted the heat energy the
fastest.
● Write a sentence saying whether your hypothesis was SUPPORTED
(right) or NOT SUPPORTED (wrong).
Convection

Heat transfer in gas or liquids that causes warmer portions to rise and
colder portions to sink.
Experiment: Convection Spirals

Aim: To investigate how heat energy is transformed to kinetic energy

through convection.

Hypothesis: I think that the heat energy from the lamp will cause the
spiral to...
Method:
1. Collect a lamp, paper spiral, string, clamp stand and boss head,
scissors.
2. Cut around the solid lines of the paper spiral, then poke a small hole
in one end and tie the string through it.
3. Plug in the lamp but leave it turned off. Set up the clamp stand and
boss head beside it, with the boss head as far above the lamp as
possible.
4. Tie the spiral to the boss head and cut off part of the spiral if needed
to make sure it remains at least 5 cm above the lamp.
5. Wait for the spiral to go still, then switch on the lamp.
6. Being careful not to blow on or move the spiral, wait and watch what
happens.
Conclusion:
Write two sentences explaining what happened in your experiment.
Use the words kinetic energy, heat energy and convection.
Experiment: Conduction and convection

Aim: To investigate how both conduction and convection can occur at the
same time.

Hypothesis: I hypothesize that the liquid in the tin can will _______ in
temperature over time due to conduction and convection and that the
liquid in the ice cream container will ________ in temperature over time.
 Method

1. Collect 1 stopwatch, 1 piece of graph paper per group member, 2

thermometers, a tin can half filled with boiling water from the jug, an ice
cream container full with cold water from the tap.
2. Place one thermometer in the can and one in the ice cream container.
Record the temperature on the table at time 0.
3. Place the can inside the ice cream container, then start your stopwatch.
4. Every minute record the temperature of each container water.
5. Stop the stopwatch and recordings at 15 minutes.
6. Graph your results.
 Results:

Temperature of water (oC) at 1 minute intervals

0 1 2 3 4.. 15

Water in Tin

Water in ice
cream
container
 Graph
Key
55 -- = tin can
50 -- = ice
Temperature (OC)

45
40 cream
35 container
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Time (mins)
Conclusion:

1. The temperature of the water in the tin can…. Over the 15 minutes
this is because of (conduction / convection).
2. The temperature of the water in the ice cream container …. Over the
15 minutes this is because of (conduction / convection).
3. Therefore, conduction and convection were both occurring in this
experiment as...
Experiment: Radiation

Aim: To investigate how heat is transferred through radiation.

Hypothesis: I hypothesize that the _______ can will have the hottest
water at the end of the experiment.
Method:
1. Collect 3 fizzy cans, 1 piece of black A4 paper, 1 piece of white A4
paper, cellotape, 1 thermometer.
2. Wrap one can completely with black paper and one can in white
paper.
3. Fill all 3 cans with 150mL of water EACH.
4. Go and find a sunny spot to put the cans in.
5. Measure the temperature of the water and record the temperature of
the water in each can, start at time 0.
6. Every 5 minutes for 30 minutes, record the temperature of the water in
each can.
7. Graph your results as a line graph.
 Graph
Key
55 -- = tin can
50 normal
Temperature (OC)

45
40 -- = black can
35 -- = white can
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Time (mins)
Sound Energy
Sound energy is energy that
travels in waves.