Energy Transformation
Overview
Students will try to show transfer of energy by using marbles. They will then try to predict what will happen when dominoes are placed in different positions. They will both diagram and write their results.
Standards Addressed
Science, Physical Science
Grade 8
6-8 Benchmark
D. Describe that energy takes many forms, some forms represent kinetic energy and some forms represent potential energy; and during energy transformations the total amount of energy remains constant.
Nature of Energy / Y2003.CSC.S03.G06-08.BD.L08.I04
04. Demonstrate that waves transfer energy.
Materials
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Paper
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Marbles
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Dominoes, books or boxes
Procedure
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Have the students work with a partner or in teams of three.
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Instruct the groups to fold a piece of paper so that a groove is created.
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Tell them to place four, five or six marbles in a groove so that they touch each other.
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Have them roll another marble against the end of the line of marbles and observe what happens. (The vibration of waves will be transmitted through the line and the marbles on the end will roll away.)
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Have them roll two marbles against the others, then three, and so on. Instruct the students to write a sentence that tells what happened to the marbles.
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Now have each group line up some dominoes, books or boxes and push the first one over. What happens with the transfer of energy? (When the first one is pushed, the kinetic energy transferred to it produced a disturbance. A portion of this kinetic energy is transferred each time it collides into the next object, causing a chain reaction.)
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Ask students to tell how this is like a wave. (It transfers energy.) Ask how it is unlike a wave. (The objects do not return to their original position.)
Evaluation: Scoring Guide
4 - All answers are correct
3 - All answers correct, but no depth of answers
2 - Some correct responses
1 - No correct responses |
