Mississippi Science PHY.3.10
The Standard
- PHY.3
- Students will develop an understanding of concepts related to work and energy.
Enrichment: Research the efficiency of everyday machines (e.g., automobiles, hair dryers, refrigerators, and washing machines).
2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Work and Energy
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students research how an everyday machine uses energy and identify the output that does the job. They calculate efficiency when input and useful output data are available. They tell efficiency apart from total energy use.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can identify the energy going into a kettle and the energy transferred to its water. They can calculate that 800 J of useful output from 1,000 J of input is 80% efficient. They can explain why annual electricity use alone does not prove which machine is more efficient.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may count all output energy as useful, including heat lost to the room. They may assume a lower electric bill means higher efficiency without checking machine size or workload.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: A kettle takes in 1,000 J of electrical energy and transfers 800 J into water. What is its efficiency, and where might some of the remaining energy go?
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Heat 500 mL of water in a kettle; have students record wattage, time, and temperature change to calculate useful heat and efficiency.
Show two refrigerator EnergyGuide labels and ask students whether lower annual kWh proves higher efficiency when the refrigerators differ in size.
Give students appliance cards with input and useful output energies; have them calculate efficiencies and rank the machines.
Have students find EnergyGuide labels for two same-size washing machines and compare their annual electricity use for a similar workload.
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Printable PHY.3.10 Worksheet
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