NGSS · Middle School (6–8)
Develop a model to describe that when the arrangement of objects interacting at a distance changes, different amounts of potential energy are stored in the system.
Clarification statement: Emphasis is on relative amounts of potential energy, not on calculations of potential energy. Examples of objects within systems interacting at varying distances could include: the Earth and either a roller coaster cart at varying positions on a hill or objects at varying heights on shelves, changing the direction/orientation of a magnet, and a balloon with static electrical charge being brought closer to a classmate's hair. Examples of models could include representations, diagrams, pictures, and written descriptions of systems.
Assessment boundary: Assessment is limited to two objects and electric, magnetic, and gravitational interactions.
Why water teaches this standard well
Water lifted into an elevated storage tank is the Earth and an object at a greater height, the standard's own example in a working form. Pumping water up stores gravitational potential energy in the Earth-water system, and that stored energy is what pushes water through the mains and out of taps when the pumps are off, which is why towns build their storage high.
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Grade 8 Math problem set
A grade 8 science problem set where students find the weight and stored potential energy of water in a fictional elevated tank and explain why height sets pressure.