Forms of energy
Follow energy through a flashlight, a solar fan, a crank radio, a toaster and a wind turbine as it moves and changes form.
Standards: 4-PS3-24-PS3-4
1Wonder
A flashlight shines, a fan spins, a radio plays, a toaster gets hot. They do very different things, but they all need the same thing to work. What is it?
2Explore
This activity needs a bigger screen
Turn your phone sideways, or open this lesson on a tablet or computer. The explanation and quiz below work here.
- Look at the flashlight. What kind of energy is in the battery? What comes out of the bulb?
- Turn the energy going in up and down. What happens to the fan, the light or the sound?
- Try every machine. Which ones make heat, even if that isn’t their job?
- Switch a machine off. Where does the energy stop moving?
3Explain
Energy makes things happen
Energy is what makes things move, light up, warm up or make a sound. It comes in different forms: motion, light, heat, sound and more.
Energy can be moved from place to place by electric currents, light, heat and sound, and it can change from one form into another.
4Practice
A solar panel turns light into which kind of energy?
5Recap
- Energy makes things move, light up, heat up and make sound.
- Electric currents carry energy through wires.
- Light, heat and sound also carry energy from place to place.
- Machines change energy from one form into another, and some always becomes heat.