Energy Kids [TOP]
Learn about energy and try some fun games and activities. Discover what energy is, where it comes from, how to use and save energy, and more! Also includes fabulous content for teachers and classrooms.
energy kids
Walk into this netted enclosure and become a part of a complex machine. Individual stations offer chances to analyze which path a ball must take to reach its destination, and what simple machines or energy forces help get it there.
Every kid knows that little people can do big things. And every budding environmentalist knows that little actions can make a big difference! Here, you can find lots of little ways to save energy and create a brighter future for us all.
Energy exists in many different forms. Animals get energy from eating food. Electrical energy is associated with the tiny units called atoms that make up everything in the universe. The energy is created when particles called electrons move from one atom to another. Heat and light are also forms of energy. One form of energy can also be transferred into another. Through a battery stored chemical energy changes into electric energy. In a lightbulb electric energy changes to light and heat.
Each of the different forms of energy can be described as either potential energy or kinetic energy. Potential energy is stored energy. For example, the chemical energy of food is stored energy. When people eat, their bodies change the stored energy into moving energy such as heat energy or mechanical energy. Potential energy can also come from the position of an object. An object with potential energy because of its position has the ability, or potential, to move. For example, potential energy is stored in a rock perched on a cliff and in an arrow stretched back on a bowstring. If the cliff crumbles under the rock, the rock falls. If the string is let go, it moves forward and pushes the arrow through the air.
Mechanical energy is potential energy plus kinetic energy. Unlike the other forms of energy, mechanical energy can exist as both potential energy and kinetic energy. It is all the energy that an object has because of its motion (kinetic energy) and its position (potential energy). Machines use mechanical energy to do work. For instance, a hammer uses mechanical energy to drive a nail into a board. When the hammer is raised, it has potential energy from the work done in lifting it. When the hammer is moved toward the nail, the potential energy becomes kinetic energy, which can do the work of driving the nail into the board. When the hammer hits the nail, energy is transferred to the nail and then to the board.
All substances are made up of particles, or bits, called molecules. Molecules are always moving around randomly within a substance. Heat energy is the total moving energy (or kinetic energy) of all of the molecules in a substance. All substances have heat energy, since the molecules that make up all substances are always moving.
Mechanical energy and heat energy involve different types of movement. Moving mechanical energy involves all of the molecules of an object moving together such as a rock rolling down a hill. On the other hand, heat energy involves the disordered movement of molecules inside an object.
Light energy is sometimes called radiant energy. It is the only kind of radiant energy that is visible to the naked eye. Radiant energy is the energy that is carried by electromagnetic radiation. Some other examples of radiant energy are radio waves, microwaves, X-rays, and gamma rays. Electromagnetic radiation travels in waves. In addition to light energy, the Sun gives off the entire spectrum of radiant energy carried by electromagnetic radiation.
Sound energy is moving energy. It is produced by the back-and-forth motion of a vibrating object. This motion produces sound waves that travel away from the object. The sound waves can travel only through a substance, such as air, water, or solid objects. Sound travels more slowly than light does.
Electrical energy is moving energy. It is the flow of tiny particles called electrons and protons. Electrical energy can be seen in nature in a bolt of lightning, which is a large number of electrons flowing through air all at once. People have learned how to produce electrical energy and control it. Electrical energy is sent through wires or the air to power such things as lightbulbs, ovens, and washing machines.
Chemical energy is stored energy (potential energy). It is stored in the bonds between atoms and molecules. Chemical energy is what holds the atoms in a molecule together. It also is what holds molecules in a substance together.
The chemical energy in food is converted, or changed, by the body into moving mechanical energy and heat energy. The chemical energy inside a battery can be converted into electrical energy to power a flashlight.
Nuclear energy is stored energy. It is the energy that holds together the nucleus of an atom. Nuclear energy is also called atomic energy. The nucleus is the central part of an atom. Nuclear energy can be released by splitting an atom. It can also be released by joining two nuclei together to form a single nucleus.
A scientific law describes a wide range of observations and results from experiments. One basic law about energy is called the law of conservation of energy. This law states that energy cannot be created or destroyed. It also states that energy can neither appear out of nowhere nor vanish into nowhere.
Energy transformations occur everywhere in the universe. They take place constantly. For example, nuclear energy from the Sun is constantly being transformed into electromagnetic energy, which includes light energy.
The Sun is the source of almost all energy on Earth. The Sun makes plants grow. When animals eat the plants they gain energy from the chemicals that make up the plants. When plants die they decay, or break down. Over millions of years this process creates what are called fossil fuels. Fossil fuels include petroleum, natural gas, and coal. These are used to run factories, heat homes, and power automobiles.
Fossil fuels pollute the atmosphere when they are used. They are also being used up very quickly. Scientists therefore have tried to find other sources of energy to replace the fossil fuels. Some of these sources have been used directly for many years. These include wind, water, and heat from Earth. Sailboats harness the power of the wind to move them along. Water mills use water flowing through rivers to turn wheels that grind grain. In ancient times some people used hot water and gases from Earth to heat their houses. They ran the hot air in pipes underneath their floors to provide heat.
To explain energy, you can start with the analogy that food and sleep are what give our bodies the energy we need in order to be active through the day. Your human energy is what gives you the ability to jump, run, play, yell, or do anything else that involves moving your body, or even using your brain. Because we can measure that energy, we know how much it takes to do most of the things we do with our bodies, like running, doing jumping jacks, or riding a bike.
The people who make all of the things we use in our houses, like televisions, ovens, and hot water heaters, also tell us just how much energy we will use when watching a show, cooking a cake, or taking a warm shower or bath. In order for our houses to have the power they need for all of the things we use, we purchase energy that can be either electricity, natural gas, renewable energy or solar power.
Set a timer, and see how fast your children can turn on all of the light switches in the house! Then go around with them and see which ones really need to be on, and which ones can be switched off to save energy.
Leaving a 40w incandescent light on for an extra hour uses about .04 kilowatt hours. That may not sound like much, but Mom or Dad would have to ride a bike for almost two and a half days to recreate that energy.
So while unplugging unused appliances and chargers may not reduce your energy bill in a noticeable way, it is still a great way to teach children to be conscious of their energy use. Device chargers are everywhere now, so teach children to unplug them when they are finished charging, and to unplug the chargers, as well (or, if they are too young to unplug devices by themselves, ask them to let you know when it is time to unplug chargers or devices.)
Dark matter and dark energy raise some of the biggest questions in the study of space and physics. Lots of scientists are using observations and math to figure out what these are. This will help us understand more about our amazing universe, where there is always more to discover and more to learn.
As mentioned, a single windmill can be used for pumping water or grinding grain, and also for charging batteries, supplemental energy and communication. Several windmills can be connected to a power grid for an electricity provider, called a utility. Some wind turbines are even combined with photovoltaic (solar cell) systems.
Wind farms, also called wind plants, refer to a large number of wind turbines that are built close together. Countries such as the U.S. and China are producing more and more energy from wind farms. It was reported in March 2015 that China is getting more electricity from wind than from its nuclear power plants, and it has more of those than any other country. In spite of lower wind speeds in 2014, Chinese wind farms produced enough power to electrify more than 110 million homes! Meanwhile, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. now has the wind power capacity of 65,879 megawatts of energy. In 2013, wind power generated 4.13 percent of all the electricity in the country, making it our fifth largest electricity source. There was enough electricity generated to power the equivalent of 15.5 million homes.
Safety concerns around energy need to be reinforced every day. The National Energy Foundation is committed to continually improving curriculum and innovate delivery of the message of energy safety within communities. 041b061a72