Think about the following questions. How would you answer them? Do not worry if you cannot answer the questions yet. You will come back to them after you have completed this module.
Erica said that if she could buy an electric car, this would help reduce the use of fossil fuels. But Peter said that it would not reduce the use of fossil fuels. Who is right?
Lee said he got his energy from sleeping. Barry said he got his energy from the food he ate. Who is right?
John said that if he has white-coloured roof tiles on his house, it would help keep it cool. Barry said he preferred chocolate-coloured roof tiles because this colour stopped the heat passing through the tiles. What do you think?
Susan said that the Earth appeared to be heating up as a result of the greenhouse effect. Mary said there was a hole in the ozone layer and this was causing the Earth to heat up. What do you think?
Alice uses reverse cycle air conditioning in winter to warm her house because it is cheaper. Stephen said he used an oil heater. Who is doing their best for the environment?
When Faisal went skiing near Mount Kosciuszko, he still put on a sunscreen. Jack did not use a sunscreen. He said it was too cold to get sunburnt? Who is right?
Challenge
The word 'energy' has two parts. It comes from the Greek words 'en' and 'ergon'.
What do the Greek words mean?
Explain why were they chosen to form the word energy.
The questions on the student page are designed to elicit prior knowledge and possible misconceptions. There are no right or wrong answers at this stage.
Students will be asked to return to these ideas at the end of the module.
