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8th grade Stored (potential) energy worksheet

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

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Stored (potential) energy

Grade 8 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

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

  1. Ari lifts a 2 kg backpack onto a shelf 3 m above the floor. Use PE = m × g × h with g = 10 N/kg. How much stored energy does it gain?

  2. A teacher helps Esme raise a 3 kg bucket 5 m with a pulley. Use PE = m × g × h with g = 10 N/kg. How much stored energy does it gain?

  3. Jun puts the same ball on a low shelf (A, 0.5 m) and a high shelf (B, 2 m). Which stores more energy?

    • B, the higher shelf
    • A, since it is easier to reach
    • Neither: a still ball has no energy
  4. Kira holds a skateboard still at the top (P) and middle (Q) of a ramp. Where does it store more energy?

    • At Q, where it would move faster
    • Neither, since it is held still
    • At P, the higher point
  5. Luz has two copies of the same book: one on the floor and one on a desk. Which stores more energy from gravity?

    • Both store no energy, since both are still
    • The one on the desk
    • The floor book, since it could slide fastest
  6. Milo stretches a rubber band and holds it still. What kind of energy does it store?

    • Elastic stored energy
    • Sound energy
    • No energy, since it is still
    • Motion energy, since it could fly off
  7. Noah holds a ball above the ground. What kind of energy does the ball store?

    • Motion energy
    • No energy, since it is not falling
    • Light energy
    • Gravitational stored energy
  8. Pia holds two magnets a little apart; they pull toward each other. What kind of energy do they store?

    • No energy until they snap together
    • Thermal energy
    • Magnetic stored energy
    • Motion energy
  9. Ren drops a ball. Read the bar chart. How much motion energy does it have just before landing?

    • 0 J
    • 15 J
    • 30 J
  10. Zee swings at the park. How much motion energy does Zee have at the lowest point?

    • 100 J
    • 200 J
    • 0 J
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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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