Work and Energy Objectives

The Minds On Physics program consists of 15 topics. Each topic consists of a varying number of missions. Every mission addresses one to three objectives. The objectives for Work and Energy are listed below.
 
  • Mission WE1:
    • The student should be able to define work and identify its units.
    • The student should be able to predict whether a force is doing positive, negative or zero work.
       
  • Mission WE2:
    • The student should be able to define power and identify its units.
    • The student should be able to distinguish between work and power and calculate the power for physical situations.
       
  • Mission WE3:
    • The student should be able to define kinetic energy, identify the standard unit of kinetic energy and identify the variables which effect (and do not effect) the kinetic energy of an object.
    • The student should be able to define potential energy, identify the standard unit of potential energy and identify the variables which effect (and do not effect) the potential energy of an object.
       
  • Mission WE4:
    • The student should be able to define mechanical energy and relate it to the amount of kinetic energy and potential energy.
    • The student should be able to analyze a physical situation and identify whether the total mechanical energy of an object is increasing, decreasing or remaining constant.
       
  • Mission WE5:
    • The student should be able to categorize forces as being conservative or non-conservative and explain the significance of such a categorization scheme.
    • The student should be able to predict whether an object's total mechanical energy would be conserved or not conserved based upon the types of forces which are doing work upon the object.
       
  • Mission WE6:
    • The student should be able to utilize a bar chart and the work-energy relationship to analyze a physical situation and develop an equation which relates the energies of the initial and final states of a motion.
       
  • Mission WE7:
    • The student should be able to identify the basic principles of and the conditions required for energy conservation.
    • The student should be able to apply the principles of energy conservation to a variety of physical situations.
       
  • Mission WE8:
    • The student should be able to conduct an energy analysis to determine the kinetic and/or the potential energy of an object at a given location.
    • The student should be able to conduct an energy analysis to determine the height or speed of an object at a given location.
       
  • Mission WE9:
    • The student should be able to identify the conditions in which mechanical energy is not conserved and demonstrate an understanding of the distinction between energy conservation and non-conservation.
    • The student should be able to apply the work-energy relationship to simple physical situations.
       
  • Mission WE10:
    • The student should be able to conduct an energy analysis to determine the kinetic and/or the potential energy of an object at a given location.