(STE) Toys and Chemical Energy Lesson

Toys and Chemical Energy

Chemical energy is a type of potential energy that is released when atoms or molecules react with each other. Many toys utilize this form of energy to operate. For instance, a toy that uses batteries to function uses chemical energy. Chemical energy is also used in some toy rockets or model airplanes when they use chemical reactions to produce thrust or to run their engines. Without the input of energy from a battery or a combustion reaction, many toys will not function. The energy necessary for a toy to function is ultimately brought to the Earth by the radiant energy of the sun. This energy goes through many changes as it is converted to useful energy to run our toys. It is hard to believe that the energy in a battery originated in the sun, but most energy on Earth ultimately had its origins in the nuclear reactions that produce sunlight.

You can think of a battery as a small power plant that converts chemical energy into electrical energy. In an alkaline battery chemical reactions occur that produce electrons that are collected by a brass pin. The brass pin acts as a conductor and carries the electrons to the outside circuit in the toy. Batteries are able to store chemical energy so that it can be used at a later time. This is the reason toys that utilize battery power have an on and off switch. This allows the user to turn on the power, use the toy and then shut it off to save battery power for a later use.

Model rockets utilize a combustion reaction to produce thrust that propels it into the air. The chemicals in the rocket motor are oxidized when an igniter is activated by a battery. When a rocket is launched, chemical energy in a battery is converted to electrical energy, the electric current travels down a wire to a powder coated terminal. Here the electrical energy is converted into thermal energy that causes the powder to ignite. During the ignition the chemical energy in the powder is converted to thermal energy and a combustion reaction is initiated in the rocket motor. With nowhere to escape but a small hole, gasses released from the reaction build up immense pressure. As this pressure leaves the hole in the engine thrust is produced. A model airplane also takes advantage of a combustion reaction. This reaction is contained inside a combustion engine that drives a piston that turns a shaft connected to the propeller. As long as there is a supply of fuel the plane can stay in the air by utilizing its chemical energy.

Toys and Elastic Energy

Another form of energy utilized by toys is elastic energy. Elastic energy is a type of potential energy that is stored in an elastic material or a spring that has been stretched or compressed. Toys that utilize elastic energy include rubber band powered balsa planes, wind-up toys, jack in the box and toy cars. When a material is stretched or compressed energy is stored that can be converted into mechanical energy that makes the toy move, fly or spin. As the spring or rubber band decompresses or retracts, the energy that it contains is transferred to the toy to provide motion. The initial energy that is provided to the rubber band or spring comes from the user of the toy. When you use your finger to wind a propeller on a toy plane you are converting the chemical energy in your body to mechanical energy to wind up the rubber band. This energy is stored until you release the plane and the propeller spins carrying the plane through the air. The same energy transfer occurs when you wind up a toy car or jack-in-the-box. As you crank the lever or wind the key on the toy you are adding energy to a spring that can be released as the toy operates.

Toys and Magnetic Energy

Magnetic energy can also be used to operate a toy. You may not be as familiar with this type of energy, but many of the toys children play with contain magnets. Magnets are often used in toys that levitate objects, move objects or stick one object to another. There are also toys that use metal shavings and magnets to create designs, such as an Etch a Sketch or the bald man that you can put hair on using a magnetic pen.

Other toys that use magnetic energy are race car tracks, magnetic dart boards and magnetic construction kits. Many of these toys simply use energy from the attractive properties of a magnet to carry out the toy's function, but some toys use magnets in a different way. Magnets that are used in electric motors act by the energy of repulsive forces rather than attractive forces. The magnets are placed around an electric field that creates an opposite polarity. This causes the motor to rotate moving the wheels of a car, the arms and legs of a robot or creating other movements. Most toys contain some kind of magnet to make it function properly. A lot of times the magnets that are used in toys are hidden from view, but they are present none the less. The next time you look at a toy, investigate further and see if a magnet is part of its assembly.  

Toys and Multiple Energy Types

Some toys use several different energy types that are very useful for illustrating how one energy type can be converted to another. For instance, motorized toys use batteries to power a magnetic field where chemical energy from the battery is converted to magnetic energy. Some toys even use the energy from the sun to operate.

Sunlight is captured by a photoelectric cell, where photons of light strike a metal surface and electrons are removed creating an electric current. In this case, radiant energy is transformed into electrical energy and the electrical energy is then converted to mechanical energy

As you can see, energy can change forms but is never destroyed during an energy transfer. Most toys utilize some form of energy in order to operate. While utilizing energy many transformations occur where one form of energy is converted to another. Whether chemical energy is converted to electrical energy or electrical energy is converted to mechanical energy; toys are a great example of energy transformations. No matter how old we get, toys will always be part of our lives. They entertain us and captivate our imagination with motion and lights. As we get older we still usually play with toys; they just get more complicated and utilize more forms of energy. We may grow up but we always will have a soft spot for our favorite toys whether it is a toy car from our childhood or the new sports car that we drive every day.

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