Study Guide for Energy Unit Test
Test: Wednesday, December 4th
Learning Target 1: I can demonstrate that energy can be transformed or transferred, but is never created or
destroyed
●
●
●
Law of Conservation of Energy
○ when energy is transformed from one form to another, the total amount of energy remains the
same
Open vs. Closed System
○ a system is separated from its surroundings by either a physical or mental boundary
○ A closed system does not interact with its surroundings
■ matter and energy cannot get into or out of it
○ Most systems on Earth are open systems
■ matter and energy can be transferred into or out of an open system
○ Examples of systems: ecosystems, atmosphere, solar system, human body
dissipated energy
Learning Target 2: I can distinguish between mechanical, electromagnetic, thermal and electrical energy
● mechanical vs electromagnetic waves: be able to compare and contrast
● longitudinal vs. transverse waves: be able to compare and contrast
● parts of a transverse wave:
○ crest
○ trough
○ amplitude ­ height of wave from line or origin
○ frequency ­ how many waves pass a given point in one second
■ to increase frequency ­­> waves would be closer together
○ wavelength ­ distance from crest to crest or trough to
○ line of origin
● thermal energy:
○ methods of heat transfer ­­> conduction, convection & radiation
○ insulator vs. conductor
■ what makes an object a good conductor of heat energy?
■ how does an insulator slow the transfer of energy?
○ thermal energy always moves from warmer object to cooler object
● electrical energy
○ current
○ resistance
○ voltage
○ series vs parallel circuit
Study Guide for Energy Unit Test
Test: Wednesday, December 4th
Learning Target 3: I can explain how thermal energy is transferred by conduction, convection and radiation.
● conduction
○ Allows the flow of electrons to pass through
○ Occurs through direct contact between two objects or particles
■ Hand touching a hot stove
■ Handles of the pot heat up
● Convection
○ Energy travels through the process of heat rising and coolness sinking in a liquid or gas
■ water in a boiling pot
■ weather
● Radiation
○ energy that can travels through electromagnetic waves, “empty” space
■ sun
■ microwave
■ x­rays
■ radio waves
Learning Target 4: I can demonstrate that vibrations cause mechanical waves.
Learning Target 6: I can categorize waves based on their source and through which medium they travel
through.
●
●
●
●
●
Mechanical waves must have a medium to travel through.
Seismic waves,sound waves and vibrating guitar strings cause vibrations.
Mechanical waves can be used to do work.
Transverse waves
○ move like a snake
○ perpendicular to the line of origin
○ travels through space and matter
Longitudinal waves
○ moves like a slinky
○ moves at 90 degrees angles to the line of origin
○ one type of seismic waves, oceans and sounds
Study Guide for Energy Unit Test
Test: Wednesday, December 4th
Learning Target 5: I can diagram a wave based on its speed, wavelength, amplitude and frequency
● Speed=wavelength x frequency
● wavelength=crest to crest
● amplitude=height of wave from line of origin to top of crest or bottom of trough
● frequency=the number of times a wave repeats itself in one second (measured in Hertz) ­ long
wavelength/low frequency=low energy (radio wave)
­ short wavelength/high frequency=high energy (gamma ray)
● Be able to describe how changing the frequency of a wave influence its overall energy
Learning Target 7: I can construct a complete electrical circuit
● Electricity can be measured through current , voltage and resistance
● parallel circuit
○ how your house is wired
○ each outlet is looped so if one doesn’t work the rest DON’T go out
● series circuit
○ the way christmas lights are wired
○ if one light goes out ALL the rest go out
● Electricity is measured in amps
○ the speed in which electrons pass through a conductor
● Amps
○ control by a resistor
■ controls the flow of electrons
● Tungsten filament in a lightbulb
■ all electronic devices have a resistor or it would create a short circuit
Learning Target 8: I can investigate the amount of voltage and electric current flowing through different
positions of both series and a parallel circuits.
● a series circuit is a circuit where the devices are connected through one continuous loop. If one light
goes out,they all go out. Example:Christmas Lights
● a parallel circuit is a circuit where each device has it’s own seperate loop. Example:Home wiring
● voltage is the electrical potential energy of a power source.The more voltage a power source has, the
more amps they can generate to power various electrical appliances. You can’t start a car with a 9 volt
battery because it doesn’t generate enough amps to to crank the starter.
Learning Target 9: I can debate the pros and cons of various renewable energy resources
●
forms of renewable energy:
○ wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar
■ be familiar with pros and cons of each