Lesson 8 Energy Conversions
| Site: | MoodleHUB.ca 🍁 |
| Course: | Science 10 [5 cr] - AB Ed copy 1 |
| Book: | Lesson 8 Energy Conversions |
| Printed by: | Guest user |
| Date: | Sunday, 7 September 2025, 6:45 PM |
Introduction
How can heat and thermal energy be controlled and directed efficiently to our advantage?
C8.1 paddlewheel on a riverboat
Early on, people did not understand the concepts of heat and thermal energy. However, they were quick to observe that when water was boiled, the steam that was produced created pressure. This led to the creation of the steam engine and, hundreds
of years later, many other mechanical devices. We will look at both old and new technologies and how they operate on the process of energy being transformed from one form to another.
Targets
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to- identify the processes of trial and error that led to the invention of the engine and relate the principles of thermodynamics to the development of more efficient engine designs
- describe current and past technologies used to transform energy from one form to another and identify that energy transfer technologies produce measurable changes in motion, shape, or temperature
- describe, in terms of thermodynamic laws, the energy transformations occurring in devices and systems
Watch This
Coal, Steam, and the Industrial Revolution © YouTube CrashCourse
This video will provides you with a great overview of the history of the steam engine and the Industrial Revolution. It goes through the different developments that have led to the modern steam engine. This will help get you in the right mindset for your first lesson in this section.
The Steam Engine
When steam is created, the pressure can be controlled and directed in a way that can produce mechanical motion.
C8.2 steam train
A steam engine is a machine that creates steam and converts the steam pressure into
mechanical motion.
The development of the steam engine is a fantastic example of how trial and error can lead to major breakthroughs and understandings in science.
Click on each step of the following timeline to read about the sequential steps that led to the modern steam engine.
The development of the steam engine is a fantastic example of how trial and error can lead to major breakthroughs and understandings in science.
Click on each step of the following timeline to read about the sequential steps that led to the modern steam engine.
You can also view this interactive by visiting the Online Resources for Print Students section of your online course.
The Laws of Thermodynamics
As the invention of the steam engines progressed, and James Watt made improvements on the steam engine design and use, scientists began to search for concepts and theories that could explain the observations that were being made.
As is often the case, many scientists contributed to the experiments and collection of data that led to a new field of physics: thermodynamics.
In Lesson 1 of Section 1 of this unit, you learned about James Prescott Joule, and how he was performing experiments that investigated the relationship between potential energy and heat, as well as experiments that connected kinetic energy and heat. Joule was the first to create interest in this field of study.
The collective findings and discoveries were formulated into the laws of thermodynamics.
First Law of Thermodynamics
Energy cannot be created nor destroyed, but can be transformed from one form to another or transferred from one object to another.
Energy cannot be created nor destroyed, but can be transformed from one form to another or transferred from one object to another.
This first law of thermodynamics is really just a re-statement of the law of conservation of energy, with the specified form of energy being heat.
Second Law of Thermodynamics
It is not possible for any process to remove thermal energy from an energy source and convert it entirely into work.
It is not possible for any process to remove thermal energy from an energy source and convert it entirely into work.
Digging Deeper
A perpetual motion machine is a hypothetical machine that can do work forever without an energy source. This kind of machine is considered hypothetical, because it would violate the first and second laws of thermodynamics.
To learn more about perpetual motion, click on this link. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpetual_motion
Learn More
To learn more about perpetual motion, click on this link. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpetual_motion
Learn More
In natural processes, the direction of thermal energy flow is the same—heat always flows from a hot object to a cold object.
What do these laws essentially mean?
The total amount of energy in the universe is constant. But, no energy process is 100% efficient. The amount of energy may not change, but during energy conversions, thermal energy is produced and given off as heat. This heat is often considered to be “waste” energy.
Limiting how much of this “waste” energy is produced is what leads us to look at the efficiency of a conversion process.
What do these laws essentially mean?
The total amount of energy in the universe is constant. But, no energy process is 100% efficient. The amount of energy may not change, but during energy conversions, thermal energy is produced and given off as heat. This heat is often considered to be “waste” energy.
Limiting how much of this “waste” energy is produced is what leads us to look at the efficiency of a conversion process.
Read This
Please read pages 199 to 203 and 206 to 211 in your Science 10 textbook. Make sure you take notes on your readings to study from later. You should focus on the differences between the first and second laws of thermodynamics, and the development of
the steam engine. Remember, if you have any questions, or do not understand something, ask your teacher!
Practice Questions
Complete the following practice questions to check your understanding of the concept you just learned. Make sure you write complete answers to the practice questions in your notes. After you have checked your answers, make corrections to your responses
(where necessary) to study from.
-
Explain how the trial and error involved in the invention of the modern steam engine is an example of the scientific method.
Your answer should be a variation of the following. The scientific method is a process for experimentation to discover cause and effect relationships by asking questions, carefully gathering and examining the results, and seeing if all the available information can be combined into a logical conclusion. Even though we know the scientific method is a series of steps, new information or thinking might cause a scientist to back up and repeat steps at any point during the process. The development of the steam engine shows many people going through this process.
-
When you place a metal spoon into a hot cup of tea, the spoon will become hot to the touch. Using the law of thermodynamics, explain why this is.
Your answer should be a variation of the following. The first law states that energy cannot be created nor destroyed, but can be transferred from one object to another. The second law explains that heat energy moves from a hot object to a cold object.
Energy Conversion Technologies
There are past and current technologies that work solely on the idea that energy can be transformed from one form to another.
C8.9 solar cells for water heating system
We know that energy exists in many forms and can be found and used in natural and technological systems. The discovery of these many forms of energy, as well as the understanding of the laws of thermodynamics, has led to many different technologies
over the years.
The Indigenous people of Alberta used applications of thermodynamics in their tool making, structure designs, and cooking long before the development of the modern steam engine.
The Indigenous people of Alberta used applications of thermodynamics in their tool making, structure designs, and cooking long before the development of the modern steam engine.
Bison was by and far, the main source of food for Indigenous people in northern Alberta. Deer, moose, and elk, along with wolves, coyotes, lynx, rabbits, gophers, and prairie chickens, were also hunted for food.
The Indigenous people had to have sturdy and effective weapons and tools to hunt and prepare their food. They had to use the resources they had available to them, which were primarily stones. They did not have the technology to use metal, nor could they always depend on finding wood.
Some Indigenous people believe that all parts of the bison must be used, with nothing going to waste. The hide of the bison was used, for example, to create a warrior’s shield, for example.
A circular section of hide was cut from the hide of the buffalo bull. The hide was then fastened down with wooden pegs over a round hole in the ground. One edge of the hide was then left loose so that it could be lifted to allow red-hot stones to be dropped into the hole. Water was poured on the hot stones until the hot steams cause the hide to shrink. They were putting thermodynamics to work before it was even defined. According to the second law of thermodynamics, heat travels from a hot object (stones) to cold object (water). The heated water was converted into steam.
The Indigenous people had to have sturdy and effective weapons and tools to hunt and prepare their food. They had to use the resources they had available to them, which were primarily stones. They did not have the technology to use metal, nor could they always depend on finding wood.
Some Indigenous people believe that all parts of the bison must be used, with nothing going to waste. The hide of the bison was used, for example, to create a warrior’s shield, for example.
A circular section of hide was cut from the hide of the buffalo bull. The hide was then fastened down with wooden pegs over a round hole in the ground. One edge of the hide was then left loose so that it could be lifted to allow red-hot stones to be dropped into the hole. Water was poured on the hot stones until the hot steams cause the hide to shrink. They were putting thermodynamics to work before it was even defined. According to the second law of thermodynamics, heat travels from a hot object (stones) to cold object (water). The heated water was converted into steam.
Many bands of Indigenous people needed to travel to follow and find their food sources. Animal hide shelters, in the form of tipis, were easily constructed and portable, and therefore provided them with shelter and homes.
Tipis were a tall, cone-like structure made from hides, so the tipi was waterproof and could stand up to the weather elements. The tipi was warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The hide prevented the transfer of heat into the tipi in the summer and prevented heat from escaping out of the tipi in the winter. This is an example of the second law of thermodynamics, as the hide prevented the transfer of heat from hot to cold.
Fur-lined hides covered the ground, keeping the tipi warm. Then, the fire pit was built just behind the centre of the tipi, towards the back.
The door always faced the rising sun, which acted as an alarm clock for the Indigenous people as it rose each morning.
Tipis were a tall, cone-like structure made from hides, so the tipi was waterproof and could stand up to the weather elements. The tipi was warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The hide prevented the transfer of heat into the tipi in the summer and prevented heat from escaping out of the tipi in the winter. This is an example of the second law of thermodynamics, as the hide prevented the transfer of heat from hot to cold.
Fur-lined hides covered the ground, keeping the tipi warm. Then, the fire pit was built just behind the centre of the tipi, towards the back.
The door always faced the rising sun, which acted as an alarm clock for the Indigenous people as it rose each morning.
Not only was fire a source to keep some Indigenous people who lived in colder climates warm, it was also their source of heat for cooking. In some Indigenous cultures, bison meat was dried or cooked and made into soups and pemmican. Bannock
was a type of bread that was cooked over a fire.
Pemmican is a mixture of fat and protein used as a nutritious food. Commonly, the bark of dried willow branches was scraped off and the branches seared with a flame. The branches were then tied together. Bison meat was cut into strips, and hung to dry. Then the meat was pounded into shreds with a stone, mixed with hot bison fat and berries, poured into a rawhide pouch, and then left to cool and harden. According to the second law of thermodynamics, heat travels from a hot object (warm pemmican mixture) to a cold object (surrounding air).
Pemmican is a mixture of fat and protein used as a nutritious food. Commonly, the bark of dried willow branches was scraped off and the branches seared with a flame. The branches were then tied together. Bison meat was cut into strips, and hung to dry. Then the meat was pounded into shreds with a stone, mixed with hot bison fat and berries, poured into a rawhide pouch, and then left to cool and harden. According to the second law of thermodynamics, heat travels from a hot object (warm pemmican mixture) to a cold object (surrounding air).
In Alberta, common technologies that have been developed, which are based around the laws of thermodynamics, are hydroelectric generators, coal-burning generators, solar heating panels, windmills, and fuel cells.
Let’s look at each of these technologies and how they transform energy from one form to another, and the way the energy transfer produces measurable changes.
C8.13 hydroelectric dam in Alberta, Canada
Water was first used as an energy source for water-powered technology in the form of waterwheels: rushing water (kinetic energy) performed work on a bladed wheel, causing it to spin. The mechanical energy gained by the turning wheel was often used to turn a millstone to grind grain into flour.
Waterwheels were not used as much once the steam-powered engine was developed and used extensively. As people became more aware that resources that are burned to produce steam for steam engines are in limited supply, the development and use of hydroelectric generators to create electricity became more popular.
The hydraulic turbines that produce power at modern hydroelectric dams operate on the same principles that powered waterwheels. The water behind a dam flows through an intake and pushes against blades in a turbine, causing them to turn. The turbine spins a generator to produce electricity.
The amount of electricity that is generated depends on how far the water drops and how much water moves through the system. The electricity, once generated, can be transported over long distances through electric lines to wherever electricity is needed.
Waterwheels were not used as much once the steam-powered engine was developed and used extensively. As people became more aware that resources that are burned to produce steam for steam engines are in limited supply, the development and use of hydroelectric generators to create electricity became more popular.
The hydraulic turbines that produce power at modern hydroelectric dams operate on the same principles that powered waterwheels. The water behind a dam flows through an intake and pushes against blades in a turbine, causing them to turn. The turbine spins a generator to produce electricity.
The amount of electricity that is generated depends on how far the water drops and how much water moves through the system. The electricity, once generated, can be transported over long distances through electric lines to wherever electricity is needed.
By the 1950s, oil and natural gas deposits were discovered in Alberta, and many industries converted from coal to the other fossil fuels. The use of oil and natural gas as a fuel source was cheaper, more efficient, and easier to acquire
from the environment.
The switch from coal also lead to a great impact on many of Alberta’s coal mining communities such as Bellevue, Canmore, East Coulee, Rosebud, Nordberg and Forestburg. Concerns about the environmental impacts of mining coal have lead the federal and provincial governments to pass strict regulations surrounding the removal of coal from coal deposits.
As of 2017, the only coal-burning power station in Alberta is the Keephills Generating Station in Keephills, Alberta (70 kilometres west of Edmonton).
The switch from coal also lead to a great impact on many of Alberta’s coal mining communities such as Bellevue, Canmore, East Coulee, Rosebud, Nordberg and Forestburg. Concerns about the environmental impacts of mining coal have lead the federal and provincial governments to pass strict regulations surrounding the removal of coal from coal deposits.
As of 2017, the only coal-burning power station in Alberta is the Keephills Generating Station in Keephills, Alberta (70 kilometres west of Edmonton).
C8.15 solar cells for water heating system
Passive use of the sun, known as passive solar heating, has been used for centuries. In Alberta, people have developed strategies to use the warmth from the sun in the winter while avoiding excess heat in the summer. These strategies include
using roof eaves, and window location to either block the sun or allow the sun’s warmth into the house.
Solar heating panels are different from solar cells in that solar cells are used to generate electricity from the sun’s energy. Solar thermal systems, which use solar heating panels, are made of flat metallic plates, coated in black (maximizes heat absorption), and thin transparent glass (to help trap the heat), and embedded pipes that are filled with a liquid (usually a water and glycol antifreeze solution).
Solar heating panels capture the heat from the sunlight and transfer the heat to the liquid in the pipes. The pipes run into a building, where the heat in the liquid is used to either to provide heat for space heating in the building or to connect to a water-heating system.
Solar heating panels are different from solar cells in that solar cells are used to generate electricity from the sun’s energy. Solar thermal systems, which use solar heating panels, are made of flat metallic plates, coated in black (maximizes heat absorption), and thin transparent glass (to help trap the heat), and embedded pipes that are filled with a liquid (usually a water and glycol antifreeze solution).
Solar heating panels capture the heat from the sunlight and transfer the heat to the liquid in the pipes. The pipes run into a building, where the heat in the liquid is used to either to provide heat for space heating in the building or to connect to a water-heating system.
C8.16 windmills in Alberta
Wind is one of the oldest sources of power used by humans. Wind was first used for transportation—sails on boats helped early humans explore the world. Wind was soon harnessed using windmill technology to grind grain and pump water.
Wind is generated by the spinning of Earth, the fact that Earth’s surface has an irregular shape, and by solar radiation from the sun. When air is heated by the sun, the air expands, becomes less dense, and rises. You will learn more about the cause of winds on Earth in Unit D.
The strong and consistent winds prevalent in southern Alberta have made it a perfect site for the use of wind power. There are currently major wind farms in the Alberta towns of Halkirk, Wainwright, Taber, and Fort Macleod. It is thought that Alberta will be one of the major leaders in wind power technology in the future.
Wind is generated by the spinning of Earth, the fact that Earth’s surface has an irregular shape, and by solar radiation from the sun. When air is heated by the sun, the air expands, becomes less dense, and rises. You will learn more about the cause of winds on Earth in Unit D.
The strong and consistent winds prevalent in southern Alberta have made it a perfect site for the use of wind power. There are currently major wind farms in the Alberta towns of Halkirk, Wainwright, Taber, and Fort Macleod. It is thought that Alberta will be one of the major leaders in wind power technology in the future.
A fuel cell converts chemical energy from a fuel into heat and electricity through a chemical process. The benefit of all types of fuel cells is that they reduce, and in some cases almost eliminate, pollutants commonly released when fuels
are burned.
Molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs) have become a solution in Alberta to issues surrounding plants that burn natural-gas to generate electricity.
One of the products of the burning of fossil fuels is carbon dioxide (CO2). Excess CO2(g) released into the atmosphere contributes to the enhanced greenhouse effect. You will learn more about the greenhouse effect in Unit D.
MCFCs capture the carbon dioxide within the smokestack of a natural gas power plant before it is released into the environment. The CO2 is then used to produce electricity.
Molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs) have become a solution in Alberta to issues surrounding plants that burn natural-gas to generate electricity.
One of the products of the burning of fossil fuels is carbon dioxide (CO2). Excess CO2(g) released into the atmosphere contributes to the enhanced greenhouse effect. You will learn more about the greenhouse effect in Unit D.
MCFCs capture the carbon dioxide within the smokestack of a natural gas power plant before it is released into the environment. The CO2 is then used to produce electricity.
Read This
Please read pages 221 to 223 in your Science 10 textbook. Make sure you take notes on your readings to study from later. You should focus on the different types of energy sources and how the concept of thermodynamics is involved in the use of the energy source. Remember, if you have any questions, or do not understand something, ask your teacher!
Practice Questions
Complete the following practice questions to check your understanding of the concept you just learned. Make sure you write complete answers to the practice questions in your notes. After you have checked your answers, make corrections to your responses
(where necessary) to study from.
- What are the two main sources of energy that are used to boil water into steam for the steam turbines that drive electrical generators in Alberta?
coal and natural-gas
- What are three ways (other than burning fossil fuels) that electricity is generated in Alberta?
hydroelectricity, fuel cells, and windmills
- Describe two ways that Indigenous people in Alberta used thermodynamics to meet their daily needs.
Your answer should be a variation of two of the following.
- Tool making: Heat used to convert water into steam helped dry a buffalo hide to create a taunt material for shields.
- Structure designs: The material that tipis were constructed from—animal hides—helped keep heat in and cold out in winter and heat out and cool air in in the summer.
- Cooking: Heat from the combustion of wood was used in the cooking of food as well as the creation of pemmican.
Energy Transformations
What common energy transformations occur in the devices and systems around us?
The first and second laws of thermodynamics have changed our understanding of energy conversions. In any energy transformation, energy is converted from one type to one or more new types.
It is important that you are able to describe in terms of the thermodynamic laws, the energy transformations occurring in many common devices and systems.
It may be a good idea for you to go back and review the common types of energy that we discussed in Lesson 1 of this unit.
Let’s look at some common devices and systems, and the energy transformations that occur in them.
Did You Know?
It is important that you are able to describe in terms of the thermodynamic laws, the energy transformations occurring in many common devices and systems.
It may be a good idea for you to go back and review the common types of energy that we discussed in Lesson 1 of this unit.
Let’s look at some common devices and systems, and the energy transformations that occur in them.
C8.19 fuel pump in car tank
The gasoline or diesel that you put into an automobile comes from the refining of fossil fuels. Remember that fossil fuels were formed millions of years ago from dead plants and animals. The original source of energy for all plants and
animals is the sun.
sun → chemical energy → kinetic, heat, and sound energy
C8.20 brakes on a bicycle
When riding a bicycle, you must first supply the energy required to get the bicycle moving. You pedaling the bicycle transforms chemical energy in your body to mechanical energy (kinetic energy) that is the movement of the bicycle.
When it comes time to apply the brakes and stop the bike, what transformations occurs?
When it comes time to apply the brakes and stop the bike, what transformations occurs?
kinetic energy → thermal (heat) energy
The fuels used in thermal power plants are most often fossil fuels. Again, remember that fossil fuels were formed millions of years ago from dead plants and animals. The original source of energy for all plants and animals is the sun.
sun → chemical energy → thermal energy → mechancial energy → electrical and heat energy
C8.22 Great grey owl
Photosynthesis is the beginning of a chain of energy conversion in an ecosystem, and is in every food chain. When animals feed on the plants that undergo photosynthesis, the energy is transferred to the animal. As you move up the food
chain, energy continues to be transformed and transferred.
Much of the energy is used at each level, and some “waste” energy is also lost. Approximately 10% of the energy gets transferred from one level to the next.
Much of the energy is used at each level, and some “waste” energy is also lost. Approximately 10% of the energy gets transferred from one level to the next.
A heat pump is a device that is designed to move thermal energy in the opposite direction that heat naturally moves. According to the second law of thermodynamics, thermal energy moves from warm spaces to cold spaces. A heat pump absorbs
heat from a cold space and releases it to a warmer one. This is similar to how active transport, which you learned about in Unit A, is moving particles against the concentration gradient.
Air conditioners and freezers are examples of devices that use heat pumps. Heat pumps contain a fluid that is a refrigerant, which will absorb and release heat easily. There are also reversible heat pumps, which can work in either direction to provide heating or cooling in the same space.
Similar to active transport in cells, energy is required to move thermal energy in the opposite direction that heat naturally moves. Heat pumps use electrical energy to force the transfer.
Air conditioners and freezers are examples of devices that use heat pumps. Heat pumps contain a fluid that is a refrigerant, which will absorb and release heat easily. There are also reversible heat pumps, which can work in either direction to provide heating or cooling in the same space.
Similar to active transport in cells, energy is required to move thermal energy in the opposite direction that heat naturally moves. Heat pumps use electrical energy to force the transfer.
chemical → electrical → heat
C8.24 Dam in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada
Sunlight warms up surface water, causing it to evaporate. Water vapor rises and forms clouds, which release water as rain or snow. Water then becomes part of the flowing river.
A hydroelectric power plant uses a dam on a river to store water in a reservoir behind the dam. When water is released from the reservoir, the water flows through a turbine, spinning the blades of the turbine. The spinning turbine then activates a generator, which produces electricity.
A hydroelectric power plant uses a dam on a river to store water in a reservoir behind the dam. When water is released from the reservoir, the water flows through a turbine, spinning the blades of the turbine. The spinning turbine then activates a generator, which produces electricity.
sun → gravitational potential energy → kinetic energy → mechanical energy → electrical energy
C8.25 Wind Power
A
windturbine uses the
kinetic energyof the
windto create electricity. The air is heated by the sun, which creates
wind. Then, the
windflows through a rotor, spinning the blades of the rotor. The spinning rotor then activates a generator, which produces electricity.
sun → kinetic energy → mechanical energy → electrical energy
Did You Know?
©Wikimedia Commons
C8.26 wheel of the Boulton-Watt steam engine
C8.26 wheel of the Boulton-Watt steam engine
The design for Watt’s steam engine crankshaft is still the most common mechanical transfer mechanism in use today – it is used in automobiles and other machinery.
All internal combustion engines convert heat into rotary motion to drive wheels, using Watt’s crankshaft.
All internal combustion engines convert heat into rotary motion to drive wheels, using Watt’s crankshaft.
Read This
Please read pages 204 and 205 in your Science 10 textbook. Make sure you take notes on your readings to study from later. You should focus on heat engines and heat pumps and how devices such as these undergo energy transformations. Remember, if you
have any questions, or do not understand something, ask your teacher!
Practice Questions
Complete the following practice questions to check your understanding of the concept you just learned. Make sure you write complete answers to the practice questions in your notes. After you have checked your answers, make corrections to your responses
(where necessary) to study from.
-
Why is it important to understand and identify the energy transformations that a system or device goes through?
Your answer should be a variation of the following.
When you understand the energy transformations that a system or device goes through, then you can better identify where there is a release of “waste” energy. This can then lead to studying how to make the energy transformations more efficient.
-
Trace the energy transformation(s) that occur in order for a toaster to work and toast a piece of bread.
potential energy → electric energy → thermal energy
Interactive Activity
Energy Conversion © Explore Learning
Work through this activity to learn more about the concept of energy conversions in different systems and devices. You will see the different paths that energy can take and the different forms it can be converted into.
What are sources of electricity? Where do people and other animals get their energy to move around? Where do plants get energy to live and grow?
Please note: if you scroll down while in the Gizmo you will see a list of questions. You DO NOT need to complete these questions. You are able to complete them for extra practice if you would like.
What are sources of electricity? Where do people and other animals get their energy to move around? Where do plants get energy to live and grow?
Please note: if you scroll down while in the Gizmo you will see a list of questions. You DO NOT need to complete these questions. You are able to complete them for extra practice if you would like.
Procedure:
- Click on the play icon to open the Gizmo. You can also access this by visiting the Online Resources for Print Students section of your online course.
- In the
Energy Conversions Gizmo™, be sure "Information mode" is selected. Click on each of the different items in the scene and read about each one.
- Which object converts sunlight into sugars?
The corn plant
-
Which object converts wind power to electricity?
Wind turbine
- Which object converts light to electricity?
Solar cell
-
Which object converts electricity to light?
Light bulb
©Explore Learning
C8.27 image from lab
C8.27 image from lab
| Activity A:
Energy Paths |
Get the Gizmo ready:
|
©Explore Learning
C8.28 image from lab of person and chicken |
-
Where do we get energy to run, climb, play, and do all the other things we do?
- Form a hypothesis:
Where do you think we humans get energy?
Hypotheses will vary – your answer will be a variation of the following. Humans get energy from the food we eat. - Create a path: You will now form an energy path to see where our energy comes from.
- Click on the person and read. Where do people get energy?
From food (chicken or corn)
- Now click on the chicken. Where does the chicken get energy?
From food (corn)
- Click on the corn. Where does the corn get energy?
From the Sun
- Click on the sun. How does the sun get energy?
From a nuclear reaction that converts hydrogen into helium. [The reaction is called nuclear fusion.] - Fill in the energy path starting with the sun. _______ → _______ → _______ → _______
Sun → Corn → Chicken → Person
- Click "Reset" and then click on the toaster. Using the Gizmo, create four energy paths to explain how the toaster could get its energy. (One path will only have three objects.)
Sun → Air → Wind turbine → Toaster
Sun → Water → Dam → Toaster
Sun → Solar cell → Toaster
Sun → Corn → Ethanol plant → Toaster
- Where does each path begin?
The Sun
- What would life on Earth be like without the sun?
Your answer can be a variation of the following. Earth would be very cold and there would be little or no energy on Earth. Plants wouldn’t grow, wind wouldn’t blow, and water would not evaporate. No clouds would form and no rain or snow would occur. Living things would not survive.
| Activity B: Energy Conversions |
Get the Gizmo ready:
|
©Explore Learning
C8.29 image from lab of energy path |
- How is energy changed from one form to another?
- Create a path:
Create an energy path in the Gizmo, starting with the sun. For each step of the path, describe the energy conversion that takes place. The first one is done for you.
| Energy Path
|
Energy Conversion
|
|---|---|
| sun
↓ |
Nuclear energy is converted to light and thermal energy. |
|
↓ |
|
|
↓ |
|
|
|
Your answer can be a variation of the following. One example is given.
| Energy Path
|
Energy Conversion
|
|---|---|
| sun
↓ |
Nuclear energy is converted to light and thermal energy. |
|
air
↓ |
Thermal energy is converted to kinetic energy. |
|
wind turbine
↓ |
Kinetic energy is converted to electrical current. |
|
sound
|
Electrical current is converted to sound. |
-
Where in the Gizmo (and in real life) do the following energy conversions occur?
Chemical to thermal to electrical current.
Gravitational potential to kinetic to electrical current.Ethanol plant
Dam
Practice Questions
Complete the following practice questions to check your understanding of the concept you just learned. Make sure you write complete answers to the practice questions in your notes. After you have checked your answers, make corrections to your responses (where necessary) to study from.-
Why is it important to understand and identify the energy transformations that a system or device goes through?
Your answer should be a variation of the following.
When you understand the energy transformations that a system or device goes through, then you can better identify where there is a release of “waste” energy. This can then lead to studying how to make the energy transformations more efficient.
-
Trace the energy transformation(s) that occur in order for a toaster to work and toast a piece of bread.
potential energy → electric energy → thermal energy
Energy Conversions
C8.30 natural gas wellhead with solar panel
In this lesson, you learned about how when you study the concepts of heat and thermal energy, you can better understand how both old and new technologies operate on the process of energy being transformed from one form to another.
We looked again at how the scientific process over many years, and contributions of many scientists, can change and improve a device. You also learned how to trace the energy transformation in devices and systems. In the next lesson, we will look at the concept of “useful” energy after an energy transformation.
We looked again at how the scientific process over many years, and contributions of many scientists, can change and improve a device. You also learned how to trace the energy transformation in devices and systems. In the next lesson, we will look at the concept of “useful” energy after an energy transformation.
Watch This
Energy 101: Electricity Generation © YouTube energynownews
Watch this video for a great review of the first and second laws of thermodynamics, and how electricity is generated, from start to finish.
3.5 Assignment
Unit 3 Formative Assessment
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3.5 Assignment