Many students also associate energy with fuels and with electricity

Energy and Thermal Physics

Misconception RESEARCH REVIEW

Resources to Address This

  • Burning fuels gets jobs done (11-14)

    Fuels are chemicals we burn to accomplish tasks, such as petrol, snack bars, or camping gas. They react with oxygen to get things done. This thermal energy can be harnessed for electricity generation.

    View Resource
  • Energy and generating electricity (11-16)

    Mains electricity is a common topic when discussing energy in daily life. It transfers energy from power stations to our everyday devices. The conversation may extend to renewable resources like wind, sunlight, and waves. Instead of using "energy," it's more accurate to refer to "wind power" and "solar power" as they denote the transfer of energy per second.

    View Resource

References

  • Trumper, R. () A Longitudinal Study of Physics Students' Conceptions on Energy in Pre-Service Training for High School Teachers, Journal of Science Education and Technology, 7, (4)

    311-318.

    Paper digest

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