Georgia S8P2.b
The Standard
Plan and carry out an investigation to explain the transformation between kinetic and potential energy within a system (e.g., roller coasters, pendulums, rubber bands, etc.).
Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science · Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the law of conservation of energy to develop arguments that energy can transform from one form to another within a system.
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students design and run a test using a pendulum, ramp, or stretched rubber band. They collect measurements and use them to explain how stored energy changes into motion energy and back.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students identify where kinetic and potential energy are greatest and least within a system. They support their explanation with measurements, observations, tables, or graphs from their investigation.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think energy disappears when an object stops or reaches its lowest point. They may also think friction destroys energy rather than changing some mechanical energy into thermal energy.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: A toy car rolls down a ramp. Mark where kinetic and potential energy are greatest, then name one measurement that would support each choice.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Release a pendulum from three heights, time each swing, and record where speed and height are greatest.
Write a claim explaining where a roller coaster has the most kinetic energy, then support it with two observations.
Play an energy-card sort by matching pictures of moving or stretched objects with kinetic, gravitational potential, or elastic potential energy.
Analyze a playground swing and explain how the rider’s height and speed change during one complete cycle.
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Printable S8P2.b Worksheet
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