Teachers' Ideas
Teachers’ Statements on “What is Energy?”
Energy is needed to make things happen.
The only meaning for the word “energy” in science is “the capacity to do work.”
Energy is an abstract idea invented by scientists to help them in the quantitative investigation of phenomena.
Energy can be described as a general kind of fuel.
All aspects of energy can be understood in terms of kinetic and/or potential energy.
The biologist’s view of energy is more akin to the everyday one read about on cornflake packets and seen on TV commercials.
Energy is what makes things move.
Energy is a force.
Energy is power.
All energy comes from the sun.
Energy is stored in food and fuel.
A car might use petrol or diesel, both of which are energy.
Energy is made in power stations.
The world is running out of energy.
The total amount of energy on earth is always the same.
Energy cannot be conserved; when a torch battery runs flat, the energy is gone.
It is impossible to demonstrate in the lab the conservation of energy.
One of the useful things about energy is that it can be changed from one form to another.
Gas is a form of energy.
Heating is the name given to energy in the process of transfer from one place to another as a result of temperature differences.
A bath full of hot water contains a lot of heat.
Insulation keeps the cold out.
The ultimate result of energy transfers is to change the temperature of the surroundings.
In the process of spontaneous change, energy gets more “spread out” and becomes difficult to re-use.
Research Data / Singapore Sample / 1992
Energy is needed to make things happen.
The only meaning for the word “energy” in science is “the capacity to do work.”
Energy is an abstract idea invented by scientists to help them in the quantitative investigation of phenomena.
Energy can be described as a general kind of fuel.
All aspects of energy can be understood in terms of kinetic and/or potential energy.
The biologist’s view of energy is more akin to the everyday one read about on cornflake packets and seen on TV commercials.
Energy is what makes things move.
Energy is a force.
Energy is power.
All energy comes from the sun.
Energy is stored in food and fuel.
A car might use petrol or diesel, both of which are energy.
Energy is made in power stations.
The world is running out of energy.
The total amount of energy on earth is always the same.
Energy cannot be conserved; when a torch battery runs flat, the energy is gone.
It is impossible to demonstrate in the lab the conservation of energy.
One of the useful things about energy is that it can be changed from one form to another.
Gas is a form of energy.
Heating is the name given to energy in the process of transfer from one place to another as a result of temperature differences.
A bath full of hot water contains a lot of heat.
Insulation keeps the cold out.
The ultimate result of energy transfers is to change the temperature of the surroundings.
In the process of spontaneous change, energy gets more “spread out” and becomes difficult to re-use.
Research Data / Singapore Sample / 1992
