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Energy Types Sorting Worksheet

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Energy Types Sorting Worksheet

Energy can make things move, warm up, light up or make a sound. Kinetic energy is energy of movement; potential energy is stored energy; thermal energy is heat. Read each clue carefully. Some examples can show more than one type of energy.

Spot the energy

Choose the best answer for each situation.

1.A cyclist pedals along a flat path. Which type of energy is most obvious?

Kinetic energy
Potential energy
Thermal energy

2.A book is sitting on a high shelf. Which type of energy does it have because of its position?

Kinetic energy
Potential energy
Sound energy

3.A mug of hot chocolate warms your hands. What type of energy is being transferred to your hands?

Sort the examples

For each example, write K for kinetic, P for potential or T for thermal energy. More than one letter may fit when the example shows more than one type.

4.A rubber band is stretched and held still. Which energy type is stored in it?

5.Sort these four examples: a rolling rugby ball; water held behind a dam; a warm oven; a runner racing.

6.Match each example to its main energy type: (a) a ringing bell, (b) a moving skateboard, (c) a rock balanced at the top of a hill. Types: kinetic, potential, sound.

Ringing bell
Moving skateboard
Rock balanced at the top of a hill

Kinetic
Sound
Potential

Think like an energy detective

Energy can change form, and a situation may involve more than one type.

7.True or false? A moving object can have kinetic energy even if it is moving slowly.

TrueFalse

8.A pot of water is boiling on a hob. Name two types of energy you can observe in this situation and explain what shows each one.

9.A ball is held still at the top of a ramp, then released and rolls down. Name the main energy type before it is released and the main energy type as it rolls.

10.Imagine an everyday activity in Aotearoa New Zealand, such as riding a scooter or making toast. Describe one energy type involved and explain how you know it is there.