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8th grade Stored (potential) energy worksheet

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Stored (potential) energy

Grade 8 Science Worksheet

NameDate

Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.

  1. Ari carries a 0.5 kg water bottle up to a balcony 6 m above the ground. With g = 10 N/kg, how much stored energy does it gain?

  2. Bo lifts a 6 kg backpack onto a hook 1.5 m above the floor. With g = 10 N/kg, how much stored energy does it gain?

  3. Esme and a parent lift a 12 kg box of games into a loft 2.5 m up. With g = 10 N/kg, how much stored energy does it gain?

  4. Luz wants a ball on a shelf to store twice as much energy. Which change works?

    • Painting it a darker color
    • Doubling the mass or the height
    • Raising it higher, since mass does not count
    • Making it roll faster
  5. Milo stretches the same exercise band 10 cm, then 20 cm, holding it still each time. When does it store more energy?

    • At 20 cm
    • Neither, since it is held still
    • At 10 cm, since it is easier to hold
    • The same both times
  6. Noah holds two attracting magnets 2 cm apart, then 6 cm apart. When do they store more energy?

    • Neither, while held still
    • The same at both
    • At 2 cm, since the pull is stronger
    • At 6 cm
  7. Pia squeezes a jumping toy's spring 2 cm, then 5 cm. Which squeeze stores more energy?

    • 5 cm
    • 2 cm, since a small squeeze is quicker
    • Neither, since the toy is still
    • The same, since it is one spring
  8. Ren drops a ball from 2 m. Which bars fit halfway down?

    • Stored 0 J, motion 20 J
    • Stored 40 J, motion 40 J
    • Stored 20 J, motion 20 J
    • Stored 20 J, motion 0 J
  9. Read this first

    Use this

    Energy bar chart (example data), one bar per energy store, height in J. Toy car at the top of the track: stored 2 J; motion 0 J. At the bottom: stored 0 J; motion ?. A transfer arrow goes from stored to motion, labeled rolling down. Friction and sound are small enough to leave out.

  10. Tala's toy car rolls down a track. Which describes its energy at the bottom?

    • No energy left; it was used to roll
    • 2 J of motion energy
    • 4 J of motion energy
    • Most stored energy, since it moves fastest
  11. Zee's class pulls a pendulum aside and lets go. What is true at the lowest point?

    • 5 J of motion energy
    • No energy, since the push is gone
    • 10 J
    • 5 J of stored energy, since it is fastest
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8th grade Stored (potential) energy worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Stored (potential) energy. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can find stored energy from height with PE = m × g × h (g rounded to 10 N/kg), and work back to the height.
  • I can say what stores energy: height, stretch or squeeze, and magnets or charges held apart.
  • I can follow stored energy as it moves to motion energy and to heat, with the total staying the same.

Standard: MS-PS3-2

Words to know

potential (stored) energy: Energy an object has because of its position, stretch or squeeze

gravitational stored energy: Stored energy from height above the ground

elastic stored energy: Stored energy in something stretched or squeezed

joule (J): The unit of energy

g: Gravity's pull on each kilogram: about 9.8 N/kg, rounded here to 10

energy store: A place energy is kept: stored, motion, thermal

Common mistakes

Your child multiplied mass by height and left out gravity. Say the rule together: stored energy is mass times g times height.

Your child put a ½ into the stored-energy rule. The ½ belongs to motion energy (½mv²); stored energy from height is m × g × h.

Your child mixed up stored energy and motion energy.

What to say

Ask: is this energy from where it is (height, stretch) or from how fast it moves?

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with stored (potential) energy?

Your child multiplied mass by height and left out gravity. Say the rule together: stored energy is mass times g times height.

Are these 8th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

More grade 8 science

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