Hobbies And Interests
Transferring Kinetic Energy
Help kids understand how the transfer of kinetic energy is a product of velocity and mass. Go outside into the school yard. You need a spot where the ground covering is hard like asphalt. Hold a tennis ball on top of a basketball and let go of both at the same time. They will hit the floor together and then the tennis ball will fire high into the air. This occurs because the kinetic energy from one transfers into the other.
Different Fuels
Help kids to understand how varying amounts of energy are in different substances. Collect various types of flammable material: paper, candle, spirit alcohol, wood and other substances. Weigh out an equal amount of each. Place each substance in an appropriate burning device and burn each for a set length of time under a measured amount of water. Measure how much each fuel heats the water and weigh the fuels after burning to see how much of the substance is gone. Students can then work out how much energy each gram of fuel transferred.
Chemical Energy to Kinetic Energy
Find some film canisters. Fill each one a third of the way to the top with vinegar. Tip a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate in the top. Pop the cap firmly back on, turn upside down and place on the floor cap side down. The vinegar and bicarbonate will react to produce carbon dioxide. This chemical reaction will expand and force the cap off, firing the canister into the air. This experiment is an example of chemical energy being converted into kinetic energy.
Electrical Motor: Making the Coil
A simple electrical motor is a great way to demonstrate how chemical energy converts into electrical and then kinetic energy. You need about 4 feet of enameled magnetic wire. Coil the wire around a size D battery into a tight loop. Leave a couple of inches at each end of the wire free. Slide the coil off the battery and hold it together between finger and thumb. Twist the loose section around the coil a couple of times to keep it together. Make the twists on opposite sides of the coil and pull the remainder of the wire out straight. You should have something that looks like this -o-. Use a knife to strip the enamel off the last inch of wire on each side.
Electrical Motor: Building the Structure
Stick a small, powerful magnet in the middle of the battery. Tape or glue are both fine for this. Get a pair of large safety pins and place one on each end of the magnet with the clip pressed against the electrode. The pins should stick up from the battery on each side with the magnet between them. A strong rubber band is useful to hold them in place. Take your coil of wire and place it between the paper clips. Poke the sticking-out ends through the circles in the ends of the safety pins. Make sure the stripped ends of the wire are touching the safety pins. Lay the battery on its side so that the coil rests in the loops of the pins and is positioned directly above the magnet. Give the coil a flick to start it spinning. The current will keep it turning.