Work and Energy Module

The Work and Energy module consists of 10 missions (assignments) that address such topics as work, power, kinetic and potential energy, and the relationship between the mechanical energy of an object and the work done upon or by it. The 10 missions and the corresponding objectives are listed below.  Tap a mission's name to begin.

 

Quick Links to Missions:

 

Mission Objectives:

Mission WE1: Work

• 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: Power

• 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: Kinetic and Potential Energy

• 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: Mechanical Energy

• 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: Conservative and Non-Conservative Forces

• 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: Energy Bar Charts

• 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: Mechanical Energy Conservation

• 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: Energy Analysis

• 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: Work and Energy Conversions

• 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: Work-Energy Analysis

• 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.

 
 

 

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