Name: Date:
Student Exploration: Energy Conversion in a System
Vocabulary: energy, gravitational potential energy, heat energy, kinetic energy, law of
conservation of energy, specific heat capacity
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
A battery contains stored energy in the form of chemical energy.
1. What are some examples of devices that are powered by batteries? A calculator, batteries,
flashlights.
2. What different forms of energy are demonstrated by these devices? Most of them
demonstrate kinetic energy/electrical energy.
Gizmo Warm-up
Energy constantly changes from one form to another, but
in a closed system, the total amount of energy always
remains the same. This concept is known formally as the
law of conservation of energy.
The Energy Conversion in a System Gizmo™ allows you
to observe the law of conservation of energy in action. In
the Gizmo, a suspended cylinder has gravitational
potential energy. When the cylinder is released, the
gravitational potential energy is converted into kinetic
energy, which causes the stirrer in the water to spin.
1. What is the initial temperature (T) of the water? 25 Celsius
2. Click Play ( ). What happens as the cylinder drops? The temperature increases and the
cylinder decreases in height as in it lowers from its original position in mid-air.
3. What is the final temperature of the water? 29.69 Celsius
4. Why do you think the temperature of the water increased? I think that the movement
created by the little turbine fan within the beaker transferred more kinetic energy which adds
heat energy to the water. Such as when a liquid turns into gas the molecules have a higher
kinetic energy than the liquid.
, Activity A:
Get the Gizmo ready:
Potential energy
• Click Reset ( ).
and height
Introduction: The raised cylinder in the Gizmo has gravitational potential energy (GPE)
because gravity can cause the cylinder to drop. When the cylinder drops, its kinetic energy is
converted into heat energy, which raises the temperature of the water.
Question: How does the cylinder’s initial height affect its gravitational potential energy?
1. Predict: How do you think increasing the cylinder’s height will affect the final temperature of
the water? If you were to increase the original height in which the cylinder is positioned at
then perhaps the higher the cylinder is the harder it will fall hence producing more heat than
when it was in a lower height.
2. Gather data: Make sure the water’s Mass is 1.0 kg, its Temp is 25 °C, and the cylinder’s
Mass is 5 kg. Set the cylinder’s Height to 100 m. (Note: The large height scale used by the
Gizmo, while not practical in a real-world experiment, makes it easier to produce observable
temperature changes in the water.)
Click Play, and record the water’s final temperature in the table below. Repeat the
experiment at each cylinder height to complete the second column in the table.
Cylinder height (m) Final temp. (°C) Change in temp. (°C) Cylinder GPE (J)
100 m 26.17 C 1.17 C 4900 J
200 m 27.34 C 2.34 C 9800 J
500 m 30.86 C 5.86 C 24,500 J
1,000 m 36.72 C 11.72 C 49,000 J
3. Calculate: Subtract the water’s initial temperature from its final temperature to complete the
third column of the table.
An object’s GPE can be calculated by multiplying its height (h) by its mass (m) and
acceleration due to gravity (g): GPE = mgh. On Earth, g = 9.8 m/s2. Calculate the cylinder’s
GPE for each of the trials you completed and fill in the last column of the table.
4. Analyze: Study the data you collected.
A. How does doubling the height of the cylinder affect its GPE? Doubling the height will
increase the amount of Joules produced.
Student Exploration: Energy Conversion in a System
Vocabulary: energy, gravitational potential energy, heat energy, kinetic energy, law of
conservation of energy, specific heat capacity
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
A battery contains stored energy in the form of chemical energy.
1. What are some examples of devices that are powered by batteries? A calculator, batteries,
flashlights.
2. What different forms of energy are demonstrated by these devices? Most of them
demonstrate kinetic energy/electrical energy.
Gizmo Warm-up
Energy constantly changes from one form to another, but
in a closed system, the total amount of energy always
remains the same. This concept is known formally as the
law of conservation of energy.
The Energy Conversion in a System Gizmo™ allows you
to observe the law of conservation of energy in action. In
the Gizmo, a suspended cylinder has gravitational
potential energy. When the cylinder is released, the
gravitational potential energy is converted into kinetic
energy, which causes the stirrer in the water to spin.
1. What is the initial temperature (T) of the water? 25 Celsius
2. Click Play ( ). What happens as the cylinder drops? The temperature increases and the
cylinder decreases in height as in it lowers from its original position in mid-air.
3. What is the final temperature of the water? 29.69 Celsius
4. Why do you think the temperature of the water increased? I think that the movement
created by the little turbine fan within the beaker transferred more kinetic energy which adds
heat energy to the water. Such as when a liquid turns into gas the molecules have a higher
kinetic energy than the liquid.
, Activity A:
Get the Gizmo ready:
Potential energy
• Click Reset ( ).
and height
Introduction: The raised cylinder in the Gizmo has gravitational potential energy (GPE)
because gravity can cause the cylinder to drop. When the cylinder drops, its kinetic energy is
converted into heat energy, which raises the temperature of the water.
Question: How does the cylinder’s initial height affect its gravitational potential energy?
1. Predict: How do you think increasing the cylinder’s height will affect the final temperature of
the water? If you were to increase the original height in which the cylinder is positioned at
then perhaps the higher the cylinder is the harder it will fall hence producing more heat than
when it was in a lower height.
2. Gather data: Make sure the water’s Mass is 1.0 kg, its Temp is 25 °C, and the cylinder’s
Mass is 5 kg. Set the cylinder’s Height to 100 m. (Note: The large height scale used by the
Gizmo, while not practical in a real-world experiment, makes it easier to produce observable
temperature changes in the water.)
Click Play, and record the water’s final temperature in the table below. Repeat the
experiment at each cylinder height to complete the second column in the table.
Cylinder height (m) Final temp. (°C) Change in temp. (°C) Cylinder GPE (J)
100 m 26.17 C 1.17 C 4900 J
200 m 27.34 C 2.34 C 9800 J
500 m 30.86 C 5.86 C 24,500 J
1,000 m 36.72 C 11.72 C 49,000 J
3. Calculate: Subtract the water’s initial temperature from its final temperature to complete the
third column of the table.
An object’s GPE can be calculated by multiplying its height (h) by its mass (m) and
acceleration due to gravity (g): GPE = mgh. On Earth, g = 9.8 m/s2. Calculate the cylinder’s
GPE for each of the trials you completed and fill in the last column of the table.
4. Analyze: Study the data you collected.
A. How does doubling the height of the cylinder affect its GPE? Doubling the height will
increase the amount of Joules produced.
