Energy Transfer & Collisions Playground

Energy never disappears — it just changes form and moves to new places. Discover how rubbing creates heat, how collisions transfer motion, and how the sun's light becomes warmth.

Energy Transfer Explorer

Tap a card to see how energy changes form.

🌡️Heat🔊Sound💡Light🏃Motion⚡Electrical

Tap any card to see how energy moves from one form to another.

🤲
rub hands
🌡️Heat
Tap to explore
👏
clap hands
🔊Sound
Tap to explore
💡
turn on light
💡Light
Tap to explore
⚽
push ball
🏃Motion
Tap to explore
☀️
sun warms skin
🌡️Heat
Tap to explore
🎸
guitar string plucked
🔊Sound
Tap to explore
🔋
phone charging
⚡Electrical
Tap to explore
🔥
fire burns
🌡️Heat
Tap to explore
⚡
thunder heard
🔊Sound
Tap to explore
📡
microwave heats food
🌡️Heat
Tap to explore

Energy never disappears — it just changes form. This is called the Law of Conservation of Energy!

NGSS 4-PS3-2 / 4-PS3-3 | Grades 3-5

Energy Reference

Types of Energy Transfer

  • Heat: energy moves from hot to cold objects
  • Sound: vibrations travel through air or solids
  • Light: electromagnetic waves carry energy from the sun
  • Motion: moving objects transfer energy on contact
  • Electrical: electrons carry energy through circuits

Collisions

When objects collide, momentum is always conserved.

  • Heavier objects have more momentum at the same speed
  • A fast light ball can push a slow heavy ball
  • Elastic: objects bounce off (billiard balls)
  • Inelastic: objects stick together (clay)

Conservation of Energy

Energy cannot be created or destroyed — only converted from one form to another.

  • Rubbing hands: motion energy becomes heat
  • Clapping: motion energy becomes sound
  • A light bulb: electrical energy becomes light
  • A ball collision: kinetic energy transfers between objects

NGSS Connections

  • 4-PS3-2: make observations to show energy transferred from one object to another
  • 4-PS3-3: ask questions and predict outcomes about the changes in energy in a system
  • Applies to grades 3-5 physical science
  • Supports hands-on investigation of heat, sound, light, and motion