Is the ice cooling down the water or is the water melting the ice? Here is a simulation that explores thermal energy transfer with iron, brick, and water. It demonstrates the flow of energy and what happens when each material is either...

Apply the concepts of conservation of energy to a skater to introduce a fun way the concepts apply to real life. Scholars build tracks, ramps, and jumps then analyze the various types of energy and friction. For an added challenge,...

Keep calm and half pipe. An exciting simulation teaches pupils about energy transfer from potential to kinetic and thermal as a skater moves through a half pipe or other track. After a brief introduction, scholars can build their own...

After Sam knocks a glass off the lunchroom table, he uses it as a springboard for explaining kinetic and potential energy. He mentions that sound is a type of kinetic energy and introduces the different forms of energy: thermal,...

Raise the temperature in your class with this hot film! Cartoon teens discuss thermal energy, the conservation and transfer of energy, three methods of heat transfer, conductors, and insulators. The publisher effectively packed every...

Is the transfer of energy different in bumper cars with stable versus bouncy bumpers? One of the variables explored in the simulation is bumper type; other variables are the mass and velocity of each car. This allows pupils to see the...

Does a trampoline use mostly potential or kinetic energy? Pupils adjust the mass of the jumper, stiffness of the trampoline, and initial jump height in order to answer that question. The simulation displays graphs of the various types of...

Can your physical science classes describe what happens when two objects collide? Whether they are new to the study of kinetic energy or just brushing up on their skills, pupils can observe the outcome of a variety of collisions...

Excite your classes with an exploration of the kinetic energy of electrons. Scholars watch as excited electrons transfer their energy between one another. The simulation models this transfer while graphing the change in kinetic energy of...

When a car crashes into a wall, does it just stop or does it bounce or roll backwards? A simulation relates velocity, kinetic energy, momentum, and restitution to answer this question. Scholars apply their knowledge through...

Explore the excited states of atoms through an interactive lesson. Scholars adjust the initial speed of atoms and observe the kinetic energy of the system as the atoms interact. As they change the initial speed and location of the...

Where does the energy of an arrow come from? Is it from the person, the bow, or somewhere else? A simulation allows scholars to adjust the stretch distance and the elastic constant in order to understand where the energy comes from, what...

Scientists know wind is a renewable resource, but is it an efficient one? Scholars adjust the propeller diameter on a wind turbine, the wind speed, and the conversion efficiency within range to learn about the efficiency of these...

How does electricity travel through power lines? The simulation demonstrates the how changes in voltage and resistance are related to the distance between power polls and the thickness of the cable. Scholars control three variables in...

We can see the result of electricity  but not the process itself. The simulation compares electric circuits to a water tower and water wheel cycle. Young scientists adjust the height of the tower, the amount of resistance, and if...

Why does the air in a hot oven not burn skin, but metal in the oven does? The simulation focuses on the difference between temperature and thermal energy and the way these are transferred. Scholars adjust the temperature of an oven and...

Would you like milk with that? Young scientists consider thermal energy transfer to create the perfect cup of coffee. They calculate the amount of milk needed to reach a specified temperature and then test their calculations using a...

Online activity walks learner through exploration of kinetic and potential energy using animations. Through graphs, a quantitative connection is made between the movement and the energy involved. This information is then related to the...

In this interactive activity adapted from the Wisconsin Online Resource Center, students will learn how heat can be transferred in one of three ways: conduction, convection, and radiation.

A virtual lab to look at the physical features of Earth that affect the amount of the Sun's energy that hits Earth. Students investigate how solar and infrared radiations enters and leaves the atmosphere with this model. Virtual lab...

Explore how heating and cooling iron, brick, and water adds or removes energy. See how energy is transferred between objects. Build your own system, with energy sources, changers, and users. Track and visualize how energy flows and...

Understand the energy transformations that happens when you light a bulb with a battery. Activity requires students to build a simple circuit and take temperature and time measurements. Lab includes procedure with questions that can be...

Answer the thermal energy transfer questions correctly, and advance around the baseball diamond.

In this interactive, drag a pendulum to set its initial height and observe how height is related to potential energy. Then release the pendulum and observe the change from potential energy to kinetic energy, and ultimately to thermal...