SCIENCE 8

LEARNING SEGMENT KIT

Quarter 1- Week 3-Lesson 3
Potential and Kinetic Energy
Grade Level Standard: The Learner demonstrates understanding of work using constant force,
power, gravitational potential energy, kinetic energy, and elastic potential energy
Most Essential Learning Competency: Identify and explain the factors that affect potential and
kinetic energy
Learning Outcomes:
 Recognize that people need to understand the many different forms of energy in order to
design useful products.
 Explain the concepts of kinetic and potential energy.
 Understand that energy can change from one form into another and can be described by
equations.

Direction : Encircle the letter of the correct answer.

1. The following situations demonstrate potential energy EXCEPT:
A. a bullet fired from a gun C. a car parked at the top of a hill
B. a child at the top of a slide D. river water at the top of a waterfall
2. The potential energy is the energy an object has due to its __________.
A. mass C. position
B. motion D. weight
3. The following conditions exhibits kinetic energy EXCEPT:
A. water inside a glass D. dancing kids in the living room of the
B. rolling stone from the hill house
C. running athlete on the field
4. Which of the following quantities, when doubled, has the greatest effect on the amount of kinetic energy?
A. mass C. speed
B. size D. weight
5. If a green ball is higher from the ground than a yellow ball and both have the same mass, which ball has
more potential energy?
A. green ball C. both has the same PE 1. A
B. yellow ball D. both has the same KE 2. D
3. A
4. C
5. A
6.

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you master potential and
kinetic energy. The scope of this module permits it to be used in many different learning situations. The
language used recognizes the diverse vocabulary level of students. The lessons are arranged to follow
the standard sequence of the course. But the order in which you read them can be changed to
correspond with the textbook you are now using.

The word energy is used very often in our daily life. In science, there are many forms of energy
however; this module shall only focus on Potential Energy and Kinetic Energy.
Let us consider the following situations: A fast-moving softball hit a stationary, open door which
caused it to move. An object lifted to a certain height using a rope, elevated the object from the ground. A
hammer struck on a nail that was placed on a piece of wood, pushed the nail into the wood. A toy car’s
key was twisted, placed on the floor and started to move. In all these situations, forces acting on the
objects are doing work.
An object requires energy to do work. Consider two objects A and B that are about to interact with
each other. When object A is pushed, an applied force is doing work on it. Object A possesses kinetic
energy while moving towards a stationary object B. In this situation, object A loses energy while object B
gains energy. When this happens, energy is transferred from object A to object B. This indicates that any
object that has energy can do work.

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 Energy is the ability or capacity to do work. Its unit is the same as the unit of work, expressed in
joule (J) in the SI system. One (1) J is the energy needed to accomplish one (1) joule of work. A larger
unit of energy called kilojoule (kJ) is sometimes used. One (1) kJ is equal to1000 J.
Potential Energy
In the previous lesson, you were asked if the man lifting the box is doing work on it.
Which or who is doing work in Figure 1? Is it the table, the box, or the man? Yes, you are correct!
The man is doing work on the box. Specifically, the force he applied while lifting is doing work on the box.
What is the direction of the force exerted by the man on the box? What is the direction of the motion of
the box? Yes, both are directed upward. Work, as discussed earlier, is a way to transmit energy. Hence,
when the man exerted force in lifting the box, he loses energy. Work is done on the box, and the box
gains energy.
You have learned that force of gravity is the force exerted by the Earth on all things. It is always
directed downward or towards the center of the Earth. Consequently, when an object is raised from the
Earth, the force exerted in lifting the object is equal to its weight,
F = Weight = mg
The work done in lifting the object is:
W = Fd
where, the displacement (d) is the height (h) the object is raised. Thus, the work done in lifting the object against
the gravitational force is given by
W=mgh
The work performed in lifting an object is equals to the potential energy the object gains. An object
absorbs energy when lifted from the ground and when allowed to fall, it loses energy. The energy that the
body gains or losses with respect to its position is called potential energy (PE) and is given by
PE=mgh
where:
PE is the potential energy in joules (J);
m is the object's mass in kilograms (kg);
g is the acceleration due to gravity which is 9.8 m/s²;
and h is the height of the object from the reference point (e.g., ground) in meters (m).
Kinetic Energy
What is common in the following situations? A running athlete on the track, a flowing water on the
ground, a falling coconut from its tree, a rolling rock on the seashore, and a soaring airplane into the air.
They are all moving and are acted upon by forces. Any object that moves possesses energy and can do
work. An object that moves quicker can do more work than an identical object that moves slowly. How
much energy does a moving object possess? We say that the kinetic energy of an object moving at a
certain speed is equal to the work done to make it acquire that speed.
The energy of a moving object is called energy of motion or kinetic energy (KE). The word kinetic
comes from the Greek word kinetikos which means moving. Kinetic energy measures the amount of work
the object can do because of its motion.
This can be computed using the formula:
KE = ½ mv²
where:
KE is the kinetic energy in joule (J),
m is the object's mass in kilogram (kg),
and v is the object's speed in meter per second (m/s).

From the formula, the kinetic energy of an object depends on its mass and speed. What will
happen to the KE of an object if its mass is doubled but the speed remains the same? The KE of an
object is also doubled. How about if the speed is doubled but the mass remains the same? The KE of an
object increases four [Link] means that the greater the mass, the greater the kinetic energy; and the
faster the speed the higher the kinetic energy as well.

Activity: Potential Energy and Kinetic Energy

Identify whether the objects in the given situations possess Potential Energy or Kinetic Energy. Write
your answers on a separate sheet of paper.
1. Bird flying
2. Log in a fireplace
3. Watermelon on a desk
4. Car travelling on the highway
5. Car sitting in a driveway
6. Bunch of coconut stick on a table
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 7. Ball bouncing on the floor
8. Child jumping on his bed
9. Child sleeping on the crib
[Link] rolling down the ramp

Kinetic & Potential Energy Energy

 Kinetic & Potential Energy Energy is the ability to do work. An object doesn’t have to be in motion to
possess energy. Potential energy is energy that’s stored in an object. (In fact, it’s also referred to as
stored energy.) An object’s position or circumstances give it potential energy. A spring on the bottom of a
pogo stick has potential energy when someone is standing on the pogo stick. The coil of the spring
compresses when pressure is applied, storing up energy that will later be released. The more height and
mass an object has, the more gravitational potential energy it has. Once an object is in motion, it has
kinetic energy. When the spring compresses and releases, the kinetic energy of the spring pushes the
pogo stick and its rider up into the air. When the person jumps on the pogo stick and the spring
compresses again, more potential energy is stored in the spring. When the spring releases, the kinetic
energy of the spring pushes the rider up once again.

ADDITIONAL LEARNING GUIDE: Practical Science 8 Textbook Page 38 to 54.

 Practical Science 8 Textbook

 [Link]
 motion activity [Link]
 science8_q1_mod3_potential%20and%20kinetic%20energy_
 Understanding science in our daily times

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