Animating Energy: Stop-Motion Animation and Energy Tracking Representations

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written by Leslie Atkins Elliott, Craig Erstad, Paul Gudeman, Jacob McGowan, Kristin Mulhern, Kaitlyn Prader, Gregoria Rodriguez, Amy Showaker, and Adam Timmons

Energy is a topic that is often treated as an accounting process--a number that students are asked to calculate, but that is not particularly meaningful in itself. When we try to ascribe meaning to this number ("an ability to do work," for example), we are met with caveats and hedges. As Feynman1 notes when lecturing on the conservation of energy, it "is not a description of a mechanism, or anything concrete; it is just a strange fact that we can calculate some number and when we finish watching nature go through her tricks and calculate the number again, it is the same." These calculations allow us to infer more meaningful quantities: how fast an object will move, how far it will travel, how compressed it will become, or how hot it will feel. But energy itself, particularly in introductory physics, rarely gives insights into physical problems.

The Physics Teacher: Volume 52, Issue 3, Pages 152-156

https://doi.org/10.1119/1.4865517

Subjects	Levels	Resource Types
Classical Mechanics - Work and Energy = Conservation of Energy Education Foundations - Learning Theory = Representations - Sample Population = Instructor: Pre-service Education Practices - Active Learning - Instructional Material Design = Activity - Pedagogy - Professional Development	- Professional Development - Upper Undergraduate	- Reference Material = Article

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Access Rights:: Available by subscription and
Available for purchase
Restriction:: © 2014 American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT)
DOI:: 10.1119/1.4865517
Keywords:: Energy Project, Law of Conservation of Energy, energy animation, energy conversion, energy transfer, modeling energy
Record Creator:: Metadata instance created February 3, 2023 by Sam McKagan
Record Updated:: February 9, 2023 by Caroline Hall
Last Update when Cataloged:: February 20, 2014
Other Collections:: The PER-Central

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Record Link

<a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=16415">Atkins Elliott, L, C. Erstad, P. Gudeman, J. McGowan, K. Mulhern, K. Prader, G. Rodriguez, A. Showaker, and A. Timmons. "Animating Energy: Stop-Motion Animation and Energy Tracking Representations." Phys. Teach. 52, no. 3, (February 20, 2014): 152-156.</a>

AIP Format

L. Atkins Elliott, C. Erstad, P. Gudeman, J. McGowan, K. Mulhern, K. Prader, G. Rodriguez, A. Showaker, and A. Timmons, , Phys. Teach. 52 (3), 152 (2014), WWW Document, (https://doi.org/10.1119/1.4865517).

AJP/PRST-PER

L. Atkins Elliott, C. Erstad, P. Gudeman, J. McGowan, K. Mulhern, K. Prader, G. Rodriguez, A. Showaker, and A. Timmons, Animating Energy: Stop-Motion Animation and Energy Tracking Representations, Phys. Teach. 52 (3), 152 (2014), <https://doi.org/10.1119/1.4865517>.

APA Format

Atkins Elliott, L., Erstad, C., Gudeman, P., McGowan, J., Mulhern, K., Prader, K., Rodriguez, G., Showaker, A., & Timmons, A. (2014, February 20). Animating Energy: Stop-Motion Animation and Energy Tracking Representations. Phys. Teach., 52(3), 152-156. Retrieved February 17, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1119/1.4865517

Chicago Format

Atkins Elliott, L, C. Erstad, P. Gudeman, J. McGowan, K. Mulhern, K. Prader, G. Rodriguez, A. Showaker, and A. Timmons. "Animating Energy: Stop-Motion Animation and Energy Tracking Representations." Phys. Teach. 52, no. 3, (February 20, 2014): 152-156, https://doi.org/10.1119/1.4865517 (accessed 17 February 2025).

MLA Format

Atkins Elliott, Leslie, Craig Erstad, Paul Gudeman, Jacob McGowan, Kristin Mulhern, Kaitlyn Prader, Gregoria Rodriguez, Amy Showaker, and Adam Timmons. "Animating Energy: Stop-Motion Animation and Energy Tracking Representations." Phys. Teach. 52.3 (2014): 152-156. 17 Feb. 2025 <https://doi.org/10.1119/1.4865517>.

BibTeX Export Format

@article{ Author = "Leslie Atkins Elliott and Craig Erstad and Paul Gudeman and Jacob McGowan and Kristin Mulhern and Kaitlyn Prader and Gregoria Rodriguez and Amy Showaker and Adam Timmons", Title = {Animating Energy: Stop-Motion Animation and Energy Tracking Representations}, Journal = {Phys. Teach.}, Volume = {52}, Number = {3}, Pages = {152-156}, Month = {February}, Year = {2014} }

Refer Export Format

%A Leslie Atkins Elliott %A Craig Erstad %A Paul Gudeman %A Jacob McGowan %A Kristin Mulhern %A Kaitlyn Prader %A Gregoria Rodriguez %A Amy Showaker %A Adam Timmons %T Animating Energy: Stop-Motion Animation and Energy Tracking Representations %J Phys. Teach. %V 52 %N 3 %D February 20, 2014 %P 152-156 %U https://doi.org/10.1119/1.4865517 %O text/html

EndNote Export Format

%0 Journal Article %A Atkins Elliott, Leslie %A Erstad, Craig %A Gudeman, Paul %A McGowan, Jacob %A Mulhern, Kristin %A Prader, Kaitlyn %A Rodriguez, Gregoria %A Showaker, Amy %A Timmons, Adam %D February 20, 2014 %T Animating Energy: Stop-Motion Animation and Energy Tracking Representations %J Phys. Teach. %V 52 %N 3 %P 152-156 %8 February 20, 2014 %U https://doi.org/10.1119/1.4865517

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