Essence of this Lesson

[Bernard NebelKeymaster]

Misconceptions regarding the distinction between matter and energy are the source of all sorts of erroneous thinking and confusion later on. Therefore, it is critically important to insert this lesson as soon as kids have had some exposure to matter and energy. Key is having kids apply their own experience to the recognition that all forms of matter (gases, liquids, and solids) have two attributes in common: they take up space, and they have weight. Forms of energy, on the other had, cannot be described in terms either taking up space, or in having weight. (Have kids try it, and they will readily find that it doesn’t work.) Energy can only be defined in terms of its ability to make things go, work, or change.

Kids can also apply their experience to recognizing that one form of matter can be changed into another form of matter, e.g., water can be changed to solid or vapor with change in temperature. Likewise, they recognize that one form of energy can be readily changed to another form of energy, e.g., electricity (light bulb) > light > heat.

The big stumbling block is the fact that matter is never turned into energy nor is energy turned in matter an any biological or chemical reaction. This is not self-evident. For example, in burning a piece of paper it is easy to adopt the erroneous nation that the paper is turning into energy. And, in light being required for plant growth, it easy to adopt the erroneous notion that light energy is being turned into biomass.

It will be necessary to keep an eye and ear out for such false notions and call them to task immediately as they occur. For example, in burning something emphasize and reemphasize that the matter remains matter. Only the particles are rearranged. (The rearrangement is: paper + oxygen –> carbon dioxide + water vapor.) Potential energy in the paper is being released as heat and light. In photosynthesis light simply supplies the energy to run chemical machinery that constructs the particles of carbon dioxide and water into biomass.

Please post any questions that come up. Dr. Bernie Nebel

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