Energy Management
Primary 6 · Science and Elementary Technology
Energy Management
Lesson 1 of 6
15 min
Let's begin
It is 6 o'clock in the morning in Huye. Niyonzima's mother lights the charcoal stove for tea. His big brother kicks the moto into life. The radio begins the morning news, and the sun climbs over the hills.
Fire, movement, sound and light: all of them need the same thing. Today you will find out what it is.
Energy is the ability to do work, that is, to make something happen. Energy makes things move, heat up, light up, make sound and grow. Scientists measure energy in joules (J).
You get your energy from food. Machines get theirs from fuels such as petrol and charcoal, from electricity, or from sunlight.
| Form | What it is | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Kinetic energy | Energy of anything that is moving | A rolling ball, a running child, wind, the flowing water of the Nyabarongo |
| Potential energy | Stored energy, because of an object's position or because it is stretched or squeezed | A jerrycan on a high shelf, water held behind a dam, a stretched rubber band on a catapult |
| Chemical energy | Energy stored in substances, released when they burn or react | Food, firewood, charcoal, petrol, dry cells (batteries) |
| Thermal (heat) energy | Energy of hot things | A cooking fire, hot tea, the warm sun |
| Light energy | Energy we can see | The sun, a bulb, a torch, a flame |
| Sound energy | Energy carried by vibrations | A beating drum (ingoma), a radio, your voice |
| Electrical energy | Energy carried by electricity through wires | Power from the EUCL grid, a solar panel, a battery |
| Magnetic energy | Energy of a magnet's pull and push | A magnet lifting pins |
| Nuclear energy | Energy stored in the centre of atoms | Used in nuclear power stations in some countries |
Energy helps a country grow richer: when shops, farms and factories have reliable energy, they can make more goods and give people jobs.
Some forms of energy do a job better or more safely than others. To light a room for homework, an electric or solar LED lamp is better than a kerosene lamp, which gives off smoke and can start a fire. To cook, an improved cookstove, biogas or cooking gas is better than an open fire, which wastes wood and fills the kitchen with smoke.
Tip
Moving, hot, bright or noisy? Energy is at work!
Whenever something moves, heats up, lights up or makes a sound, look for the energy behind it.
Try each one on your own first, then tap Show answer to check.
What is energy?
Answer: The ability to do work, that is, to make something happen (move, heat, light, make sound).
Which form of energy does a moving bicycle have?
Answer: Kinetic energy.
Which form of energy is stored in charcoal?
Answer: Chemical energy.
Give two ways a hospital uses energy.
Answer: Any two: lighting, machines, fridges for vaccines, heating water, computers.
Mutesi studies at night with a kerosene lamp. Suggest a better choice and explain why.
Answer: A solar or electric LED lamp, because it gives bright light without smoke or fire danger.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
Quick check
Match each example to its form of energy.
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
