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Abigail R. Daane, Lindsay Wells, and Rachel E. Scherr
Energy Theater is a dynamic, full-body activity that engages all students in representing the flow of energy in various phenomena, such as a light bulb burning steadily or a refrigerator cooling food. In Energy Theater, each participant acts as a unit of energy that has one form at a time. Regions on the floor correspond to objects in a physical scenario, and participants move from one region to another to demonstrate the flow of energy among objects. The goal of Energy Theater is for students to track energy transfers and transformations in real-world energy scenarios while employing the principle of energy conservation and disambiguating matter and energy. Unlike most representations of energy, which are static before-and-after accounting schemes for energy changes, Energy Theater is a dynamic representation that provides a natural stepping stone toward the more advanced ideas of energy density, energy current, and a continuity equation relating them. The fact that conservation of energy is embedded in the representation encourages students to "find the energy" in situations where it may be imperceptible.
The Physics Teacher: Volume 52, Issue 5, Pages 291-294
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<a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=16413">Daane, A, L. Wells, and R. Scherr. "Energy Theater." Phys. Teach. 52, no. 5, (April 26, 2014): 291-294.</a>
AIP Format
A. Daane, L. Wells, and R. Scherr, , Phys. Teach. 52 (5), 291 (2014), WWW Document, (https://doi.org/10.1119/1.4872412).
AJP/PRST-PER
A. Daane, L. Wells, and R. Scherr, Energy Theater, Phys. Teach. 52 (5), 291 (2014), <https://doi.org/10.1119/1.4872412>.
APA Format
Daane, A., Wells, L., & Scherr, R. (2014, April 26). Energy Theater. Phys. Teach., 52(5), 291-294. Retrieved March 26, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1119/1.4872412
Chicago Format
Daane, A, L. Wells, and R. Scherr. "Energy Theater." Phys. Teach. 52, no. 5, (April 26, 2014): 291-294, https://doi.org/10.1119/1.4872412 (accessed 26 March 2025).
MLA Format
Daane, Abigail R., Lindsay Wells, and Rachel Scherr. "Energy Theater." Phys. Teach. 52.5 (2014): 291-294. 26 Mar. 2025 <https://doi.org/10.1119/1.4872412>.
BibTeX Export Format
@article{
Author = "Abigail R. Daane and Lindsay Wells and Rachel Scherr",
Title = {Energy Theater},
Journal = {Phys. Teach.},
Volume = {52},
Number = {5},
Pages = {291-294},
Month = {April},
Year = {2014}
}
Refer Export Format
%A Abigail R. Daane %A Lindsay Wells %A Rachel Scherr %T Energy Theater %J Phys. Teach. %V 52 %N 5 %D April 26, 2014 %P 291-294 %U https://doi.org/10.1119/1.4872412 %O text/html
EndNote Export Format
%0 Journal Article %A Daane, Abigail R. %A Wells, Lindsay %A Scherr, Rachel %D April 26, 2014 %T Energy Theater %J Phys. Teach. %V 52 %N 5 %P 291-294 %8 April 26, 2014 %U https://doi.org/10.1119/1.4872412 Disclaimer: ComPADRE offers citation styles as a guide only. We cannot offer interpretations about citations as this is an automated procedure. Please refer to the style manuals in the Citation Source Information area for clarifications.
Citation Source Information
The AIP Style presented is based on information from the AIP Style Manual. The APA Style presented is based on information from APA Style.org: Electronic References. The Chicago Style presented is based on information from Examples of Chicago-Style Documentation. The MLA Style presented is based on information from the MLA FAQ. Energy Theater:
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