2nd+Alpha+Guys+-+Eric+and+Sam+S.

1) Important concepts:

 * 1) energy - the ability to work or cause changes
 * 2) work is the transfer of energy
 * 3) kinetic energy - the energy of motion
 * 4) potential energy - energy that is stored and held in readiness
 * 5) elastic potential energy - potential enrgy associated with objects that can be stretched or compressed
 * 6) gravitational potential energy - potential energy that depends on height
 * 7) mechanical energy - the energy associated with the motion or position of an object
 * 8) thermal energy - total energy of the particles in an object
 * 9) chemical energy - potential energy stored in chemical bonds that hold chemical compounds together
 * 10) electrical energy - moving electric charges that produce electricity
 * 11) electromagnetic energy - light waves that you see each day
 * 12) nuclear energy - potential energy stored in the core, or nucleus, of an atom

Equations:

 * kinetic energy = (Mass x velocity squared) / 2
 * gravitational potential energy = weight x height
 * gravitational potential energy = mass x gravitational acceleration x height

2) Energy Ideas:
1. For chemical energy, we will use batteries to:
 * light up the Christmas lights
 * power a music player
 * use a computer

2. For thermal energy, we could have:
 * Christmas lights
 * computer
 * the Sun

3. For acustic energy, we could have:
 * a music player
 * drums
 * tamborine

4. For electromagnetic energy, we could have:
 * Christmas lights light up
 * lightbulb
 * music player

5. For mechanical energy, we could have a:
 * ball,
 * a car,
 * and a hammer knocking things down

6. For electric energy, we could have:
 * a charge to plug in the music player
 * a chage for a computer
 * Christmas lights

Original Rube Goldberg Contraption Idea:
To start the contraption, the kid will press down the scale to lift up a track, making the car move. The car will land in a cup, pulling a switch. The switch will activate a motor. There will be a string on the motor, pulling a train. The train will push a car with the sticker down a ramp, to the kid. This is an overhead view of our original contraption.

3) ENERGY EXTRAVAGANZA
On the ENERGY EXTRAVAGANZA, we learned about friction, potential and kinetic energy, and conversions from poppers and the skatepark. With more friction, the popper wouldn't go as high. At the height of the popper's pop, there was potential energy. Before the popper popped, it had elastic potential energy. The popper had kinetic energy when it was popping. It converted from kinetic to potential energy durin its flight time, having 50% of each energy in the middle of the popper's pop. With the skate park, the results were relativley the same, except with a skater instead of a popper and a ramp instead of a pop. There was no elastic potential energy withthe skater.

4) Flashlight lab
The flashlight used thermal energy to create heat. The lightbulb used electromagnetic energy to create light. The flashlight used mechanical from the switch. The batteries used chemical energy. The wires connecting the lights to the batteries use electrical energy.

Our project starts out with the kid pulling the switch. The switch makes the motor spin through a battey, then wires. The motor pulls a piece of paper attached to a string. The piece of paper pulls a line of trains, pushing a plastic chicken's head. The chick head hits a cup with stickers in it on a yo-yo. The energies go from mechanical, to chemical, to electromagnetic, to electrical, to mechanical, to mechanical, to chemical, to acoustic, to gravitational, to mechanical, to chemical,to electromagnetic, to mechanical.