Energy does many things for us. Energy makes
change, allowing cars to move along the roads, boats to move over the water,
cakes to bake and ice to freeze. It allows us to listen to our favorite
songs on the radio, watch our favorite shows on television and be able to
see, using the lights in our homes. Energy makes our bodies grow and allows
our mind to think. Scientists define energy as the ability to do work.
Energy is also thought of as that certain something inside things that makes
everything happen.
Anytime something or someone moves or jumps, energy is making that
happen. Energy is changed from one type to another. This is thought of
as converting energy. Many different things in our everyday life can be
thought of as converting energy. Some examples are:
- Electrical energy
changes to light and heat in a light bulb.
- The use of gasoline in
your car is chemical energy being converted to mechanical energy, which is
the act of the car moving.
- When you dance, you
are converting chemical energy, the food you eat, into work and heat.
- A banana growing on a
tree changes solar energy into carbohydrates.
- A plant uses light or
solar energy to create chemical energy.
Have your child brainstorm other ways that
energy is converted in items that we use everyday. You can then discuss the
different types of energy that are converted in these items. |
