Indiana Science HS-PS3-3
The Standard
Design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert one form of energy into another form of energy. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on both qualitative and quantitative evaluations of devices. Examples of devices could include Rube Goldberg devices, wind turbines, solar cells, solar ovens, and generators. Examples of constraints could include use of renewable energy forms and efficiency.]
Indiana Academic Standards for Science (2023) · Energy
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students sketch and build a device that changes one form of energy into another while meeting set limits. They measure how it performs, change one part, and test it again.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student builds within the material limits and compares test results using the same conditions. They explain how the device changes stored energy into useful motion, with some energy transferred to sound and heat.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may say a device makes energy rather than changes its form. They may treat distance traveled as a direct measure of efficiency or compare trials with different winding turns. They may overlook energy transferred to sound and heat.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: A rubber-band car travels 80 cm, then 110 cm after a wheel change. Both runs use ten turns on the same floor. Name the energy change, say whether the revision helped, and identify one other energy transfer.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Build a rubber-band car with cardboard, caps, skewers, and tape; wind it ten turns, measure travel, change one part, and retest.
Ask students to write four sentences explaining why a rubber-band car slows down even though energy is conserved.
Give pairs three car trials with ten band turns and different wheel sizes; have them choose a wheel using the distances recorded.
Have students inspect a wind-up toy and list where its stored energy goes as it moves, clicks, and stops.
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Printable HS-PS3-3 Worksheet
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