Science - Unit P Day 11

Science - Unit P Day 11

SC.5.P.10.4: Investigate and explain that electrical energy can be transformed into heat, light, and sound energy, as well as the energy of motion.​

Multiple Choice

It was a cold day outside. Students in the class asked the teacher to turn on the heat because they were cold. The teacher walked to the thermostat in the classroom, and set it to “heat.” What is the BEST explanation for how the classroom warmed up?

• a fire inside the air conditioner produces heat

• the air conditioner transforms electrical energy into heat

• a machine inside the air conditioner creates friction to produce heat

• the air conditioner transforms mechanical energy into heat

​Transformation of Electricity

​Electrical energy can be changed into heat, light, and sound, as well as the energy of motion (mechanical energy.) Mechanical energy can be used to do work. What kind of work can be done with motion produced by electrical energy?

Open Ended

What kind of work can be done with motion produced by electrical energy?

Multiple Choice

An electric fan transforms electrical energy into motion.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

The following picture shows

• electrical energy being transformed into motion

• electrical energy being transformed into light energy

• electrical energy being transformed into heat energy

Multiple Choice

Which energy conversion is happening in this picture?

• heat to mechanical

• electrical to motion

​More than you might think! Electric motors do the work of changing electricity into motion. They are very simple machines that have one very simple job to do: spin. A very simple electrical machine that uses a spinning motor is a fan: attach a couple of blades to the spinning part, and the fan does the work of blowing air. Electricity has been changed in to the energy of motion: in this cause, the motion of moving air.

Multiple Choice

Electric motors are devices that convert _____ energy into  _____ energy.

• electrical; mechanical
• mechanical; electrical
• chemical; potential
• mechanical; kinetic

Multiple Choice

The flow of electric charge in a circuit is called _______.

• Heat

• Sound

• Electric Current

• Magnetic

​Right now, you are probably inside an air conditioned room. You can probably hear the sound of the air blowing from the vents in the ceiling above you. Somewhere, there is an electric motor doing the work of moving that air. There are more fans in the room you are in. The computers on the tables around you have fans inside them to blow air to keep the computer cool. Your clothes dryer changes electrical energy into the energy of motion to blow heated air through the dryer to dry your clothes. Have you ever felt the hot air coming out the vent on the side of your house?

Open Ended

Have you ever felt the hot air coming out the vent on the side of your house?

Why do you think that is happening?

​Hair dryers also have motors than change electrical energy into the energy of motion to blow your hair dry: there is a fan inside that tool as well. Have your sharpened your pencil today? What’s going inside there? The pencil sharpener is plugged in, so it needs electricity... There is a motor inside the pencil sharpener that turns the blades that do the work of sharpening your pencil.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes a simple electric motor?

• It converts electric energy into chemical energy and heat.

• It converts mechanical energy into electric energy and heat.

• It converts electric energy into mechanical energy and heat.

• It converts mechanical energy into chemical energy and heat.

​More cars today are electric cars. These cars use large battery packs to power motors at each of the wheels of the car. The motors change electrical energy into the energy of motion to move the car.

​There are many tools that convert electrical energy into mechanical energy that we use every day. What tools and machines can you think of that turn electrical energy into the energy of motion?

Open Ended

What tools and machines can you think of that turn electrical energy into the energy of motion?

Multiple Choice

A student says that a microwave oven transforms electrical energy into heat. Another student disagrees with him. What is the BEST evidence that a microwave oven transforms electrical energy into heat?

• The microwave oven produces light and sound.

• The microwave is plugged into a wall outlet. When the microwave is done, food is hot.

• Food that is cooked in a microwave oven uses chemical burning to cook.

• The buzzer on the microwave oven beeps when it is done.