Can you use your microwave to locate lost planes? Not exactly – but the thin beam of energy that powers a microwave is also a component of most radars. In both of its modes, potential and kinetic, energy is what makes the world go ‘round—literally.
But just what is energy? Curious about what makes cars run and radios work? Get the full run-down in Energy. Defined as the ability to “get work done,” energy is investigated in all its forms: from water, coal, oil, and gas to wind and fire. And though it may seem eternal, one of these—oil—is likely to be depleted by 2050. Then what? Find out about other techniques for harnessing energy, including using solar panels, building nuclear reactors, and burning old tires.
Light and heat—the two most obvious types of energy—are also closely examined. Learn how ultraviolet light, X-rays, and radio waves are related, then tackle thermodynamics (the study of heat and work) and see how it relates to Einstein’s famous equation, E=mc2. Find out how humans convert food (stored sunlight) into the fuel that fires our muscles and how machines, both simple and complex, use energy to do everything from building pyramids to toasting your bread. It’s all about energy!
7 Topics in this unit
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What Is Energy?
Brrrrrraaaaa! The alarm clock awakens you. Do you leap out of bed already in high gear, or ...
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Water, Wind, and Other Sources of Energy
Have you ever sat around a campfire toasting marshmallows and telling stories? Fun, right? ...
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Nuclear, Solar, and Geothermal Energy
Suppose you wake up one morning and there is no heat or electricity in your house. When yo ...
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Light and Heat Energy
The Sun, a gaseous flaming ball 93 million miles away, transmits energy to us in the form ...
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Energy from Plants to People
Whatever you had for breakfast today—whether it was cereal and milk, eggs and toast, ...
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Machines: Simple and Complex
Take a look around you. How many machines are you aware of? Maybe you can hear a dishwashe ...
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Ways to Conserve Energy
Why conserve energy? Because there are problems with every source of energy we use.
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