Energy Conversion
Energy Conversion is when one kind of energy changes into a different kind of energy.
A ball sits on a high shelf above the floor. Up there, it has stored energy from its height. Knock it off and that stored energy turns into speed as the ball falls. When it hits the ground, the speed energy turns into sound and a small burst of heat.
Explaining energy conversion by grade level
A peanut holds stored energy inside it. When you burn the peanut, that energy turns into heat. The heat warms up water nearby. The energy moved from food to flame to warm water.
Projects that explore energy conversion
Candles turn chemical energy into heat. That heat warms water sealed inside a metal tube mounted above the candles until it turns to steam. When the steam escapes through a small hole in the cork, it pushes the boat forward — the same action-reaction principle that launches real rockets.
Energy conversion also works in reverse: stored chemical energy can change into heat energy. A peanut holds stored chemical energy. When you burn it, that chemical energy converts into heat that warms a can of water above it. The temperature rise tells you roughly how much energy the peanut released.