Science.6.8.A

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The student is expected to compare and contrast gravitational, elastic, and chemical potential energies with kinetic energy;
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Knowledge and Skills Statement

Force, motion, and energy. The student knows that the total energy in systems is conserved through energy transfers and transformations.

Gravitational potential energy is the potential energy associated with the gravitational field, which is released (converted into kinetic energy) when objects fall towards each other. Gravitational potential energy increases when two objects are brought further apart such as when an object is in a higher position relative to Earth's surface.

Elastic potential energy occurs when objects are impermanently compressed, stretched, or generally deformed in any manner. The energy is potential as it will be converted into other forms of energy such as kinetic energy and sound energy when the object is allowed to return to its original shape (reformation) by its elasticity.

Some examples of chemical potential energy exist in storage media, including batteries, food, gasoline, and oxygen gas. Breaking and re-making of chemical bonds involves energy, which may be either absorbed by or given off from a chemical system.

The kinetic energy of an object is caused by the motion of objects or particles within a system. The amount of kinetic energy an object has is related to the mass and velocity of the object.

the energy of chemical substances that is released when they undergo a chemical reaction and transform into other substances

the mechanical potential energy stored in the configuration of a material or physical system as it is subjected to elastic deformation by work performed upon it

the potential energy an object has in relation to another massive object due to gravity

the energy caused by the motion of objects or particles within a system

Research

Van Hook, Stephen, and Tracy Huziak-Clark. “Spring Into Energy.” Science and Children 44, no. 7 (March 2007): 21–25. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43174013.

Summary: Concepts of potential and kinetic energy can be discovered by investigating and analyzing simple toys' energy. Various examples of gravitational, elastic, and chemical energy are provided and defined, as well as opportunities for investigation.