Lesson Plan: Potential Energy Science

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This lesson plan includes the objectives, prerequisites, and exclusions of the lesson teaching students how to determine the potential energy of an object due to the gravitational force acting on it.

Objectives

Students will be able to

  • recognize that potential energy is associated with height above Earth,
  • use the formula potential energy = mass × acceleration due to gravity × height,
  • use the formula weight = mass × acceleration due to gravity.

Prerequisites

Students should already be familiar with

  • the qualitative transfer of kinetic energy to and from gravitational potential energy,
  • the fact that gravity accelerates objects.

Exclusions

Students will not cover

  • variation of acceleration due to gravity with height,
  • negative values of energy,
  • calculations of transfers between gravitational potential energy and other energy categories,
  • rearrangement of the formula potential energy = mass × acceleration due to gravity × height.

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