Guided Practice
Learn
In this guided practice lesson, you will apply what you learned about forms of energy and energy transfer through structured exercises with step-by-step support.
Key Concepts Review
- Kinetic Energy: Energy of motion - the faster something moves, the more kinetic energy it has
- Potential Energy: Stored energy - energy an object has because of its position or condition
- Energy Transfer: Energy moves from one object to another or changes form
- Conservation of Energy: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed
Examples
Work through these guided examples to strengthen your understanding.
Example 1: Roller Coaster Energy
A roller coaster car sits at the top of a hill. As it rolls down, what happens to its energy?
Solution: At the top, the car has maximum potential energy. As it rolls down, potential energy converts to kinetic energy. At the bottom, it has maximum kinetic energy.
Example 2: Bouncing Ball
When you drop a ball, it bounces but never returns to its original height. Where does the "lost" energy go?
Solution: Some energy is converted to heat and sound when the ball hits the ground. Energy is not lost, just transformed into other forms.
✏️ Practice
Test your understanding with these practice questions.
Practice Questions
0/3 correctWhat is the scientific method's first step?
A hypothesis is:
Which is a property of matter?
Check Your Understanding
Answer these 10 questions to test your knowledge. Click each question to reveal the answer.
1. What type of energy does a stretched rubber band have?
Answer: Potential energy (specifically elastic potential energy). The rubber band stores energy when stretched.
2. A car is driving down the highway. What type of energy does it have?
Answer: Kinetic energy, because it is in motion. It also has chemical potential energy stored in its fuel.
3. When you rub your hands together and they get warm, what energy transformation occurs?
Answer: Kinetic energy (motion of rubbing) transforms into thermal energy (heat).
4. A book sitting on a high shelf has what type of energy?
Answer: Gravitational potential energy, because of its position above the ground.
5. True or False: Energy can be destroyed when it is used.
Answer: False. Energy cannot be created or destroyed according to the law of conservation of energy. It can only change forms.
6. What happens to the kinetic energy of a ball when it is thrown straight up into the air?
Answer: The kinetic energy decreases as the ball rises, converting into potential energy. At the highest point, kinetic energy is zero and potential energy is maximum.
7. A flashlight converts what type of energy into light energy?
Answer: Chemical energy (stored in the batteries) is converted into electrical energy, then into light energy (and some heat).
8. Which has more kinetic energy: a car traveling at 30 mph or the same car traveling at 60 mph?
Answer: The car at 60 mph has more kinetic energy. Kinetic energy increases with speed - in fact, doubling speed quadruples kinetic energy.
9. When you eat food and then run, describe the energy transformations that occur.
Answer: Chemical energy in food is converted to chemical energy stored in your body, then transformed into kinetic energy (movement) and thermal energy (body heat).
10. Why does a hot cup of cocoa eventually cool down to room temperature?
Answer: Thermal energy transfers from the hot cocoa (higher temperature) to the surrounding air (lower temperature) until they reach the same temperature. Heat always flows from warmer to cooler objects.
Next Steps
- Review any concepts that felt challenging
- Move on to the next lesson when ready
- Return to practice problems periodically for review