Energy for the Future, 3days

Transcription

1 This course links most of the content from Physics Unit B751 into a progressive and practical course in the outdoors. Students will undertake practical and out-of-classroom activities based on: Module P1: Energy for the Home Item P1a: Heating houses Module P1: Energy for the Home Item P1b: Keeping homes warm Module P1: Energy for the Home Item P1c: A spectrum of waves Module P2: Living for the Future (Energy Resources) Item P2a: Collecting energy from the sun Module P2: Living for the Future (Energy Resources) Item P2d: Fuels for power They will have the opportunity to develop their investigative and practical skills by: Using observations, evidence and fundamental ideas to ask scientific questions Designing and carrying out an investigation, including risk assessments Making measurements, selecting data and collecting secondary data Presenting, analysing and interpreting data to form conclusions Evaluating methodology, evidence, data and societal aspects of scientific evidence Please visit For alternative courses covering GCSE OCR Science Fieldwork

2 COURSE LENGTH 3 Days (2 nights with 6 teaching sessions) Monday / Wednesday Tuesday / Thursday Wednesday / Friday Friday Saturday Sunday Arrive for lunch. Afternoon and evening sessions Morning, afternoon and evening sessions Morning session. Depart after Lunch OR Arrive for evening meal. Evening session Morning, afternoon and evening sessions Morning and afternoon sessions. COURSE TIMETABLE DAY MORNING AFTERNOON EVENING Arrival (approx. 12-1pm) 1 Welcome and outline of the course Tour of Centre Settle into rooms Allocate kit (i.e. waterproofs) Energy Efficiency / Building Audits 2 Electricity and Renewable Energy 3 Electromagnetic Waves Depart after lunch Please note: to ensure safe and quality learning experiences for students the timetable may alter depending on weather conditions and local factors at.

3 COURSE CONTENT Energy Efficiency / Building Audits How efficient is your home? This module will require students to test a variety of different materials and record primary data in regards to energy transfer. This will involve planning and carrying out an investigation by constructing a 'model house' and using sensors to measure the temperature with and without various types of insulators. The students will also use the 'model house' to test surfaces of different natures in relation to the absorbance of infra-red radiation and use the centre as an auditable building. During the module the students will use efficiency equations and diagrams of energy transfer to understand what is happening with the investigation. Potential ways to conserve energy and reduce energy consumption will be explored and limitations of the study will be discussed. Electricity and Renewable Energy This module will take students through a journey considering the energy needs of today and tomorrow and how these are going to be met sustainably. The day will involve a full investigation incorporating visits to different locations to determine the optimum position for a renewable energy site. Students will measure a number of different variables at each location and consider the impacts of building a renewable energy site at their chosen location. Students will have the opportunity to construct and interpret Sankey diagrams for various renewable energy sources. There will also be a guided tour of a renewable energy resource either at the centre or at a local site. The day may involve planning, methodology, data collection, data presentation, interpreting secondary data, concluding, evaluating and role play. There will also be an opportunity for students to assess their own environmental impact during their stay at the centre. Electromagnetic Waves The electromagnetic spectrum is one of the fundamentals of the universe and visible light is incredibly important to humans and a vast array of natural organisms. In this session, students will investigate the behaviour and uses of parts of the electromagnetic spectrum within nature. Students will discover the wide range of colours that can be found in their surroundings and this will be used as a starting point for an exploration of why objects appear in the colours that they do. Students will also see how parts of the spectrum invisible to us are used in nature. Having learned how objects are perceived as certain colours, students will use a simple spectrometer to investigate a range of light sources in, and maybe out of, this world to reveal their true nature and discover what the electromagnetic spectrum can tell us about them.

4 SPECIFICATION LINKS Energy Efficiency / Building Audits Module P1: Energy for the Home Item P1a: Heating houses 1. Carry out an experiment to measure the fall in temperature of hot water. P1b: Keeping homes warm 1. Explain why trapped air in a material is a very good insulator 2. Recall that infrared radiation is: reflected from a shiny surface absorbed by a dull or rough surface 3. Understand how absorption and reflection of infrared radiation can be applied in everyday situations 4. Explain how the property that air is a very good insulator is used to keep homes warm: Fibreglass, mineral or rock wool in loft insulation Double glazing in windows Insulation foam or fibreglass in cavity walls Curtains at windows. 5. Describe other energy saving measures: Reflective foil in or on walls Draught-proofing Electricity and Renewable Energy Module P1: Energy For The Home Item P1b: Keeping homes warm 1. Interpret and complete information presented in Sankey diagrams, to show understanding that energy is conserved. 2. Use the equation: efficiency = useful energy output ( 100%) / total energy input to calculate the useful energy output, total energy input or wasted energy, which may be used to complete a Sankey diagram. 3. Efficiency can be expressed in ratio or percentage terms. Module P2: Living For The Future (Energy Resources) Item P2a: Collecting energy from the Sun 1. Recall that photocells: Transfer light into electricity Produce direct current (DC) Can operate in remote locations Have a power or current that depends on the surface area exposed to sunlight 2. Describe how the Sun s energy can be harnessed: Radiation from the Sun can be absorbed by a surface and transferred into heat energy Produces convection currents (wind) to drive turbines 3. Describe some advantages and disadvantages of using photocells to provide electricity: Low maintenance No need for power cables No need for fuel Long life Renewable energy resource No polluting waste

5 No power at night or in bad weather 4. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of wind turbines: Renewable No polluting waste Visual pollution Dependency on wind speed Appropriate space and position needed 5. Describe how light produces electricity in a photocell: Energy absorbed by photocell Electrons are knocked loose from the silicon atoms in the crystal Electrons flow freely 6. Understand how the current and power produced in a photocell depends on: Light intensity Surface area exposed Distance from the light source 7. Explain why passive solar heating works: Glass is transparent to Sun s radiation Heated surfaces emit infrared radiation of longer wavelength Glass reflects this longer wavelength infrared 8. Recall that an efficient solar collector must track the position of the Sun in the sky. Item P2d: Fuels for power 1. Recall that fuels release energy as heat. 2. Recall the common fuels used in power stations: fossil fuels renewable biomass wood, straw and manure nuclear fuels uranium and sometimes plutonium. 3. Describe and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of different energy sources; factors to include availability, risks and environmental impact. Electromagnetic Waves Module P1: Energy for the Home Item P1c: A spectrum of waves 1. Identify and name the main features of a wave 2. Recall that all EM waves travel at the same speed in space or a vacuum 3. Recall that EM waves travel in straight lines through a particular medium 4. Recreate William Herschels experiment to discover infra-red radiation and its link to the visible spectrum Can also prepare Module P5: Space for Reflection - P5f: Nature of waves

6 FSC CENTRES This course is offered at our residential listed below, set in some of the most stunning locations in the UK. FSC Centres that offer this course: BL Blencathra Tel: NC Nettlecombe Tel: OR Orielton Tel: RC Rhyd-y-creuau Tel: TO BOOK THIS COURSE, SIMPLY: 1. Choose the time of the year you would like to attend 2. Pick the centre/ of interest 3. Check availability online or contact head office using the details at the bottom of the page or contact the centre of your choice *Please note to book this course the minimum size of your group must be 12 students and 1 member of staff Please visit For alternative Key Stage 4 courses