Original Project
Energy: Forms, Transformation, Transfer, and Conservation
Energy can be transferred from one system to another (or from a system to its environment) in different ways: by…
Item NG060002: Energy is transferred when a waterfall is used to turn a wheel, and energy is transferred when a fire in a fireplace is used to heat a room.
Consider the following situations:
Situation 1: A waterfall is used to turn a wheel.
Situation 2: A fire in a fireplace is used to heat a room.
Is energy being transferred in either of these situations?
- Energy is transferred in both situations.
- Energy is NOT transferred in either situation.
- Energy is transferred when a waterfall is used to turn a wheel, but energy is NOT transferred when a fire in a fireplace is used to heat a room.
- Energy is transferred when a fire in a fireplace is used to heat a room, but energy is NOT transferred when a waterfall is used to turn a wheel.
- Distribution of Responses
- Students Responding Correctly
| Group | Correct | Total | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 1740 | 2871 | 61% |
| Grades | |||
| 6–8 | 1010 | 1738 | 58% |
| 9–12 | 723 | 1126 | 64% |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 835 | 1397 | 60% |
| Female | 874 | 1417 | 62% |
| Primary Language | |||
| English | 1582 | 2572 | 62% |
| Other | 105 | 216 | 49% |
- Disciplinary Core Ideas
- PS3.B Light also transfers energy from place to place.
PS3.B Energy is spontaneously transferred out of hotter regions or objects and into colder ones.
PS3.C When two objects interact, each one exerts a force on the other that can cause energy to be transferred to or from the object. - NRC Framework
- PS3.A …lifting an object increases the stored energy in the gravitational field between that object and Earth (gravitational potential energy) compared to that for the object at Earth’s surface; when the object falls, the stored energy decreases and the object’s kinetic energy increases.
- PS3.B Heat transfer occurs when two objects or systems are at different temperatures. Energy moves out of higher temperature objects and into lower temperature ones, cooling the former and heating the latter.