Page 156 - Microsoft Word - LessonPlan-Overview.doc

Unit 5: Energy (Part 2) Page 6

Objectives

Lesson 1: Potential Energy

All the different forms of gravitational potential energy
energy (heat, electrical, nuclear, it has. PE=mgh
sound etc.) can be broken down  Energy can be transferred, in
into two categories, potential and other words it can be
kinetic energy. changed from one form to

another and from one object
Think of potential energy the to another.
“could” energy. The battery
“could” power the flashlight. The  Conservation of energy
light “could” turn on. I “could” means that in a closed
make a sound. That ball “could” fall system energy can neither be
off the wall. That candy bar “could” created or destroyed.
give me energy. Potential energy is  Energy efficiency is how
the energy that something has that much energy in a system is
can be released. For example, the transferred to useless
battery has the potential energy to energy. The most common
light the bulb of the flashlight if the forms of useless energy are
flashlight is turned on and the sound energy and heat
energy is released from the energy.
battery. Your legs have the
potential energy to make you hop
up and down if you want to release
that energy (like you do whenever
it’s time to do science!). The fuel in
a gas tank has the potential energy
to make the car move.

Highlights:

 Potential Energy is the
amount of energy something
can use to do work.

 Gravitational potential
energy is the amount of
energy something has due to
its height above the ground.
The higher it is and more
mass it has the more

© 2010 Supercharged Science www.ScienceLearningSpace.com

156