KnowledgeMadeFun, home

Lesson · Grade 4 · Science

Energy is never made or destroyed, only changed

  • Grade 4
  • Science
  • 58 s
  • British Columbia
  • BC4-SC-08

A ball is lifted onto a ramp, rolls down and along the floor until friction stops it. An energy bar beside it stays the same height the whole time while its colours change from stored energy to motion energy to heat and sound, showing that the energy was never made or destroyed, only changed.

Anyone can watch two lessons on the website without an account. Signing in is free, no payment and no card, and opens three a day; Plus has no limit.

Loading

Share to Google Classroom

In one sentence

The question this lesson answers

When a rolling ball stops, where does its energy go?

You lift a ball to the top of a ramp.

Transcript

What the lesson says

When a rolling ball stops, where does its energy go?

You lift a ball to the top of a ramp.

Up high, the ball has stored energy.

That energy came from your muscles, not from nothing.

As the ball rolls down, stored energy changes into motion energy.

On the floor, friction slows the ball until it stops.

The ball has stopped, so is its energy gone?

No, it changed into heat and a little sound.

The ball and the floor get a tiny bit warmer.

Add it all up, and the total energy stayed the same.

It changed from stored energy, to motion energy, to heat and sound.

Energy is never made or destroyed, only changed from one kind to another.

Curriculum

Where this fits

British Columbia, Grade 4

Science, Physics: energy: is conservedBC4-SC-08

Previous: Forms of Energy: Motion, Light, Sound, Heat and MoreNext: Devices that change energy from one form to another

The outcomes and strands follow the British Columbia curriculum.

Keep going

More on this topic