Ms. Smith is teaching a lesson about energy. She has her students evaluate her activities as she teaches the lesson.

Question

Which of Ms. Smith's activities show energy transfer?

(4 points)
This DOES show an energy transfer to an object. This does NOT show an energy transfer to an object.
Ms. Smith waits patiently while her students settle into their seats.

Ms. Smith pushes her markers out of the way so she can put her papers on the table.

Ms. Smith throws a piece of trash into the trash can.

Ms. Smith picks up a book, drops it, and allows it to hit the floor.

Answer 1

Here's the evaluation of Ms. Smith's activities regarding energy transfer:

This DOES show an energy transfer to an object:

• Ms. Smith throws a piece of trash into the trash can. (Energy is transferred to the piece of trash as she exerts force to throw it.)
• Ms. Smith picks up a book, drops it, and allows it to hit the floor. (Energy is transferred to the book when she drops it, and then it transfers to the floor upon impact.)

This does NOT show an energy transfer to an object:

• Ms. Smith waits patiently while her students settle into their seats. (No energy transfer occurs in this activity; she is not exerting force on an object.)
• Ms. Smith pushes her markers out of the way so she can put her papers on the table. (While she does apply force to the markers, in this context of teaching energy transfer, it may not be clear if the action is viewed purely in terms of energy transfer, but it can also be interpreted as a simple repositioning without a significant transfer of energy in the context of demonstrating energy principles.)

To summarize:

• Does Show Energy Transfer: Throwing trash, dropping a book.
• Does NOT Show Energy Transfer: Waiting for students, pushing markers (subject to interpretation).