ALTERNATOR ENERGY INVESTIGATIONS KAREN LATCHANA KENNEY Lerner Publications Minneapolis
INTRODUCTION 2 DROPPING IN ou're standing on a skateboard about to drop into a half pipe You lean forward your skateboard's nose drops and you fly down the wall of the ramp You reach the bottom and begin gliding up the other wall Soon you're coasting back and forth riding the walls Have you ever wondered how a skateboarder speeds up and down a half pipe Or why sunlight feels warm Or why your body needs food It all has to do with energy Energy is what allows a skateboarder to continue moving up and down a pipe half
Sunlight is one of the most important kinds of energy Sunlight gives plants energy and supports life on Earth or the ability to do work Over the centuries scientists have wondered about energy They've formed theories and tested their ideas to come up with answers based on evidence This process is known as scientific inquiry Sometimes it took scientists years of research lots of experiments and even a few wrong ideas to answer their questions about energy First they noticed the energy of motion Then they discovered that there's energy in heat and sunlight Later scientists learned about the energy of electricity and fuel Through questions tests and theories scientists have discovered a lot about how energy powers our world 5
