Exploring Potential Energy
A Grade 5 science worksheet to help students understand potential energy through various examples and questions.
Includes
Standards
Topics
Exploring Potential Energy
Name:
Date:
Score:
Read each question carefully and answer to the best of your ability. Use complete sentences for short answer questions.
Potential energy is stored energy that an object has due to its position or state. For example, a ball held high above the ground has gravitational potential energy.
1. Which of the following objects has the most gravitational potential energy?
A feather on the ground
A bowling ball on a high shelf
A book on a table
A car parked on a flat road
2. What kind of energy is stored in a stretched rubber band?
Kinetic energy
Sound energy
Elastic potential energy
Thermal energy
3. Potential energy is energy.
4. The higher an object is, the more potential energy it has.
5. A compressed spring has potential energy.
6. A moving car has potential energy.
True
False
7. A book on a shelf has gravitational potential energy.
True
False
8. Describe an example of an object with potential energy and explain why it has potential energy.
9. How is potential energy different from kinetic energy?
Look at the energy pyramid below. It shows how energy flows in an ecosystem. While not directly about potential energy of objects, it represents stored energy at different levels.
10. In your own words, explain what the 'Producers' level represents in terms of stored energy.