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What is Potential Energy?

From Design Squad Global

What is Potential Energy?
1 min3rd4th5th6thScience
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Summary

A bite-size Design Squad explainer: what stored (potential) energy is and how it gets released. In a couple of minutes it makes clear how energy can be stored and then released as motion.

Viewer safety

All ages
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Teaching resources

Discussion questions

Quick questions to check understanding:

  1. In your own words, explain how energy can be stored and then released as motion.
  2. Where have you seen this idea show up in real life?
  3. How could an engineer use this idea when they design something?

Quick work-a-long

Words to know: potential energy, plus one new word you heard.

Try it:

  1. Explain the main idea to a partner in one sentence.
  2. Find one example of it around you and draw or describe it.