Conservation of Energy
This topic is broken into units to help in formulating cohesive, effective lessons. Clicking on each unit title below will display appropriate activities, lesson plans, or labs.
Unit materials are a subset of all possible materials available for this topic, selected especially with the new physics teacher in mind. You may instead browse all materials for this topic here .
AP/Calculus-Based Physics Conservation of Energy Units
Understanding the interconnectedness of the concepts of conservation of energy, momentum and angular momentum underpins the basis for much of physics. Units are not listed in a prescribed order.
Lesson Plans:
This resource, from The Physics Classroom provides lesson plans, problems and content support for teachers and students.
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Activities:
This student activity is designed to explore the concept of work. This activity is part of a PTRA manual on Energy.
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This student activity is designed to study energy flow and conservation.This activity is part of a PTRA manual on Energy.
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One of the best ways for students to visualize Conservation of Energy is to create an energy pie chart or bar graph. This cost-free web page allows them to select from one of five graph types: bar, pie, line, area, or X/Y. They can customize the patterns, colors, grids, and label choices, then print the final product.
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References and Collections:
Do high school physics students understand when they should use concepts of energy conservation to solve problems? Students involved in this research study had great struggles with this, even those with prior instruction on the topic.
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A fuel cell is a device that converts chemical energy directly to electrical energy, resulting in greater fuel efficiency and fewer emissions. This online report, written for non-scientists, is an excellent reference for teachers planning a unit on Clean Energy or Alternative Fuels.
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This resource links to the Energy section of the Science Literacy Benchmarks published by the AAAS. It is a statement of desired learning outcomes on the topic of Energy Transformations for grades 2, 5, 8, and 12.
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Student Tutorials:
Work-Energy bar charts are a conceptual tool which depict the amount of each form of energy within a system as it undergoes a particular motion or process. This animated tutorial helps students understand the intricate relationship between work and energy, an area of common misconception.
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This five-part tutorial helps students understand how to analyze motion from the perspective of Work and Energy. Students explore PE, KE, and total mechanical energy with the help of descriptive text, sample problems with solutions, force diagrams, and links to related animations.
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Assessment:
Energy is a scalar quantity and cannot be represented by vector arrows; thus it can be difficult to assess student understanding of the Law of Conservation of Energy. In this model worksheet, students create energy bar graphs and flow diagrams to analyze what happens as energy is transferred and converted.
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This model assessment on Conservation of Energy assesses both mathematical skills in solving problems as well as qualitative skills in creating energy bar graphs and flow diagrams.
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Energy pie charts are a conceptual tool to help students understand the process of transferring energy into or out of a system. This model worksheet gives students practice in system definition and in analyzing energy storage.
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Lesson Plans:
This high-quality tutorial is part of the respected Physics Classroom web site for students of high school physics.
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Activities:
This page features animations of carts traveling at constant speed on three inclines of equal distance but varying slopes. Which path requires the most energy?
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Assessment:
Energy is a scalar quantity and cannot be represented by arrows; thus it can be difficult to assess student understanding of the Law of Conservation of Energy. In this model worksheet, students create energy bar graphs and flow diagrams to analyze what happens as energy is transferred and converted.
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Lesson Plans:
This website contains nine sets of curriculum materials on renewable energy sources, organized into units of instruction for Grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Topics include High Energy Hydrogen, Solar Matters, and Alternative Fuels.
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Students learn about the relationship between potential and kinetic energy as they explore this engaging java simulation. A detailed lesson plan for teachers is included.
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Activities:
This page provides step-by-step directions for building a solar oven. The kit calls for simple materials such as cardboard and duct tape, and includes a pattern for building the oven. Teachers can also freely download the detailed background information and construction plans for student use.
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This resource is gives step-by-step instructions for building a vertical axis wind turbine in secondary classrooms. The 17-page construction plans may be freely downloaded and are organized for first-time builders. A printable lesson plan is provided, as well as comprehensive background information on wind energy.
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This resource gives step-by-step instructions for building a water-powered electric generator from plastic spoons. The model closely resembles real micro-hydro designs, and can produce enough electricity to light a small light bulb. Detailed background information and links to animated tours of hydroelectric power plants are included.
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References and Collections:
For the teacher looking for an immersion experience for grades 8-12, this resource offers detailed labs with set-up instructions for constructing a wind turbine, solar oven, water-powered electric generator, and bio-gas generator. Content support is integrated throughout.
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A fuel cell is a device that converts chemical energy directly to electrical energy, resulting in greater fuel efficiency and fewer emissions. This online report, written for non-scientists, is a great reference for teachers planning a unit on Clean Energy or Alternative Fuels.
(Open Website )
Lesson Plans:
This activity and accompanying lesson plan was developed to help beginning physics students get a feel for energy conservation as they play with a simulated free-falling ball. Values for mass, total energy, and absorbed energy can be changed.
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Activities:
Students explore conservation of energy by building ramps, jumps, and tracks for a skateboarder. The relationship of kinetic and potential energy becomes clear through energy vs. time and position charts.
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The motion of a pendulum is a classic example of mechanical energy conservation. In this animated tutorial, energy bar graphs depict the changing ratios of kinetic-to-potential energy as the pendulum swings.
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One of the best ways for students to visualize Conservation of Energy is to create an energy pie chart or bar graph. This cost-free web page allows them to select from one of five graph types: bar, pie, line, area, or X/Y. They can customize the patterns, colors, grids, and label choices, then print the final product.
(Open Website )
Student Tutorials:
Work-Energy bar charts are a conceptual tool which depict the amount of each form of energy within a system as it undergoes a particular motion or process. This animated tutorial helps students understand conservation of energy as they visualize the relationship between work and energy.
(Open Website )
In this five-part tutorial, students explore potential energy, kinetic energy, and total mechanical energy with the help of descriptive text, sample problems and solutions, force diagrams, and links to related animations.
(Open Website )
Assessment:
Energy is a scalar quantity and cannot be represented by vector arrows; thus it can be difficult to assess student understanding of the Law of Conservation of Energy. In this model worksheet, students create energy bar graphs and flow diagrams to analyze what happens as energy is transferred and converted.
(Open Website )
This model assessment on Conservation of Energy assesses both mathematical skills in solving problems as well as qualitative skills in creating energy bar graphs and flow diagrams. It could be an effective follow-up to the model worksheet above.
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Energy pie charts are a conceptual tool to help students understand the process of transferring energy into or out of a system. This model worksheet gives students practice in system definition and in analyzing energy storage.
(Open Website )
Student Tutorials:
This animated tutorial features a downhill skier and four energy bar graphs. Students observe the transformation of energy from potential to kinetic during the descent. The end of the run is unpacked snow and the skier loses total mechanical energy (TME) to the dissipative force of friction.
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This tutorial features an animated roller coaster with moving bar graphs that depict kinetic and potential energy as the car descends and climbs. It is an example of a system in which TME (Total Mechanical Energy) remains the same during the course of the motion. Try teaming it with the Downhill Skier animation above.
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The motion of a pendulum is a classic example of mechanical energy conservation. In this animated tutorial, energy bar graphs depict the changing ratios of kinetic-to-potential energy as the pendulum swings.
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Activities:
Two-Day Problem-Solving Activity Grades 11-12 Teachers who register on the web site have free access to a complete instructor's guide.
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Two-Day Problem-Solving Activity Grades 11-12 (Open Website )
Student Tutorials:
This interactive homework problem is an excellent way to promote student understanding of when to use the Work-Energy Theorem to simplify problem solving. This problem involves a truck traveling on a straight road, both with and without a payload. The author takes the student step-by-step through a Socratic format of conceptual analysis, strategic analysis, and finally, setting up the equations.
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Like the problem above, this interactive homework problem helps beginning students understand how to use the Work-Energy Theorem to solve problems which would be difficult or impossible using the kinematic equations. It features a bobsled making a double-hill run. Students are guided every step of the way in concept formation, strategic analysis, and how to do the math.
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Try this homework problem as an extension of the two above. It involves a cart and block connected by a string passing over an ideal pulley. Students choose whether to solve the problem using Newton's Second Law or the Work-Kinetic Energy Theorem. Extensive help is offered for either choice.
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