Lesson 2: Electric Fields and Potential Energy
Duration of Days: 3
Lesson Objective
Map electric field lines around various charge configurations and model the changes in electric potential energy when a charge moves through a field.
How can an object exert a force on something else without ever touching it?
What does the density of electric field lines tell us about the strength of a force at a given point?
How is pushing two like charges together similar to compressing a mechanical spring?
Electric Field
Test Charge
Electric Potential Energy
Electric Potential
HS-PS2-5: Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that an electric current can produce a magnetic field and that a changing magnetic field can produce an electric current.
HS-PS3-2: Develop and use models to illustrate that energy at the macroscopic scale can be accounted for as a combination of energy associated with the motions of particles (objects) and energy associated with the relative position of particles (objects).
Shift from the concept of "action-at-a-distance" forces to a "field model," showing that space itself is altered by charges and stores potential energy.
How a defibrillator saves lives: A defibrillator stores a massive amount of electric potential energy across a field in a capacitor. When discharged, it pushes a controlled field through the patient's heart, forcing the cardiac cells to depolarize and reset their rhythm.
MPS Science Differentiation Strategies
https://tinyurl.com/5n6c24k7
Unit 8 Assessment