| Meet Sparky | Project | Links | Reference | Room Resources | Glossary | What is Energy | What is Electricity |
Sparky will be taking you on an adventure through the different sources of energy.You will see Sparky riding waves using tidal energy and traveling in coal trucks as he explores fossil fuel energy sources.
This project asks you to read about the different sources of energy that are used in the world today.>After you have read and discussed these different sources, you will be asked to choose one on which you will prepare a project. A project criteria sheet is available through the link below. This criteria sheet gives you an outline of the requirements for your project research and presentation.
Dates to remember are:
NOTE TAKING for project due: Term 1 Week 6 - Friday 8 March
PROJECT presentation due: Term 2 Week 2 – Tuesday 16 April
Components of Project:
Your project must include 3 media, one of which is oral for your oral presentation. A written component must be included either on hard copy or via a presentation media such as PowerPoint.You must include a third medium such as video, audio, pictorial or a three dimensional representation.
Links and ReferencesLinks for Research
Each page has a link that will take you to some information about that particular energy source.Use these wisely to gather information for your project.The link is shown by the symbol and instructions are given to access the site you require.
Note Collection:The method you use to take notes is very important.These links called “Reference Links” provide you with several layouts to use to collect notes.
A trolley in the classroom contains printed material that will help you with your research.These materials are to be used in the classroom, not taken home.You will also have access to the library to use the reference material available.
A glossary has been included for quick references to terms that may be unfamiliar.
Energy is one of the most basic parts of our universe.
We use energy to do work. Energy lights our streets and homes. Energy powers our cars, trains and planes. Energy warms or cools our homes, cooks our food, plays our music, gives us pictures on television. Energy enables the machinery in factories to create things.
Energy is defined as "the ability to do work."
Energy that is stored is called potential energy
Energy that is moving is called kinetic energy
Energy is measured in joules. Joules sounds the same way as the word jewels, like diamonds and emeralds.
1,000 joules = 1 kilojoule
A piece of buttered toast contains about 315 kilojoules of energy.
With that energy you could:
Energy can only be changed into another sort of energy. It cannot be created nor can it be destroyed.
Electricity powers many of the things in our world. Some things like torches and games use electricity that is stored in batteries as chemical energy. Other things use electricity that comes from an electrical plug in a wall power point. The energy from the wall power point comes from someplace else. It comes to your house through electrical wires. Electricity is the conduction (or transfer) of energy from one place to another. The electricity is the "flow" of energy.
All matter is made up of atoms.
Atoms are made up of smaller particles, one of which is the electron.
Electrons spin around the centre, or nucleus, of atoms.
Electrons have a negative charge.
The nucleus is made up of neutrons and protons.
Protons have a positive charge.
Neutrons are neutral or have neither a positive nor a negative charge.
Some kinds of atoms have electrons that are loosely attached. They can easily be made to move from one atom to another. When those electrons move among the atoms of matter, a current of electricity is created.This is what happens in a piece of wire. The electrons are passed from atom to atom, creating an electrical current from one end to the other.
Electricity flows through some things better than others. Its resistance measures how well something conducts electricity. Resistance in wire depends on how thick it is, how long it is, and what it's made of. The lower the resistance of a wire, the better it conducts electricity. Copper is used in many wires because it has a lower resistance than many other metals. The wires in your walls, inside your lights, and elsewhere are mostly copper.
The electric force that "pushes" electrons is measured in volts. Our country uses 240 volts for all appliances and electric devices.
Last revised: Febuary 2002