A physicist walks into a hardware store looking for a light bulb. She asks the salesperson if they have any 60-J/s light bulbs. The salesperson says, “What??” The physicist says, “Exactly!!”
I enjoy teaching about energy and power production in my high school classroom. Energy is an abstract concept but is so relevant in today’s society. I’ve implemented several activities on renewable energy that are hands-on and help students to get a better grasp of how these concepts apply in their own lives and in society.
The first activity was presented at an energy modeling workshop1 that I attended several years ago at Arizona State University. I’ve modified it to fit my needs. The basic idea is to have students build a transportation device using a photovoltaic cell as the power source. To build the device, I give students access to my collection of old toys and garage sale...