What a learner can do afterwards
- Explain that a moving object has energy, and the faster it moves the more energy it has
- Provide evidence from observations (e.g. faster ball causes more damage/movement)
- Use the term 'kinetic energy' or 'energy of motion' appropriately
The lesson
You already know about different kinds of energy, and about pushes and pulls that make things move. Here is a new idea: a moving object has its own energy, called kinetic energy, or energy of motion. The faster it moves, the more kinetic energy it has.
Mia rolls a ball gently at a row of skittles. It taps one and stops. Then she rolls the same ball hard. It slams into the row and knocks down five. The fast ball carried more energy, so it did more damage.
You can spot which object has more energy without measuring its speed. Watch what happens when it hits something. More damage, more movement, or more things knocked over usually means more energy.
The faster an object moves, the more kinetic energy, or energy of motion, it has.
Watch it
Where it sits
Learn first
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.