Energy and Energy Transfer
Aligned to 4-PS3 — Next Generation Science Standards.
What this lesson teaches
Energy is the ability to cause change or motion. Moving objects have kinetic energy, and energy transfers between objects through collisions, light, sound, heat, and electric currents.
Worked examples
Example 1
A rolling ball hits a stationary one and it moves — kinetic energy transferred on contact. A toy car released from a higher ramp has more energy and travels farther.
Example 2
A microwave turns electrical energy into heat energy that cooks the food. Energy is not made or destroyed — it changes form.
Example 3
Speed matters more than you would guess. A car at 40 mph carries four times the energy of the same car at 20 mph, which is why stopping distance grows so fast.
Practice questions
- Give an example of energy transferring from one object to another.
- Predict: which rolls farther, a ball from a high or low ramp? Why?
- Name three ways energy can move from place to place.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Energía y transferencia de energía
La energía es la capacidad de producir cambio o movimiento. Los objetos en movimiento tienen energía cinética, y la energía se transfiere entre objetos mediante colisiones, luz, sonido, calor y corrientes eléctricas.
Ejemplo 1: Una pelota rodando golpea a otra que está quieta y esta se mueve — la energía cinética se transfirió en el contacto. Un carrito de juguete soltado desde una rampa más alta tiene más energía y recorre una mayor distancia.
Ejemplo 2: Un microondas convierte energía eléctrica en energía térmica que cocina la comida. La energía no se crea ni se destruye — cambia de forma.
Ejemplo 3: La velocidad importa más de lo que parece. Un coche a 40 mph lleva cuatro veces la energía del mismo coche a 20 mph, por eso la distancia de frenado crece tan rápido.
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