Page 220 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: Science, 2008 (revised)

Grade 12, College Preparation
e1. evaluate the impact on society and the environment of energy-transformation technologies, and propose ways to improve the sustainability of one such technology;
e2. investigate energy transformations and the law of conservation of energy, and solve related problems;
e3. demonstrate an understanding of diverse forms of energy, energy transformations, and efficiency.
E1. Relating Science to Technology, Society, and the Environment
E2. Developing Skills of Investigation and Communication
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | science
By the end of this course, students will:
SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS
By the end of this course, students will:
e1.1 analyse an energy-transformation technology (e.g., wind turbines, refrigerators, telephones, steam engines, coal-fired electrical plants), and evaluate its impact on society and the environ- ment [AI, C]
Sample issue: Fax machines allow documents to be transmitted quickly and securely. Most fax machines use ink cartridges, which can end up in landfill sites. By contrast, thermal fax ma- chines use heat resistors to convert electricity into usable heat. They then apply this heat through a print head onto chemically treated paper to print a document.
Sample questions: What types of energy trans- formations take place in an air conditioner? What impact does the widespread use of air conditioners have on society and the environ- ment? What types of energy transformations occur in incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs? What impact does the difference in en- ergy transformations in these two types of bulbs have on the environment?
e1.2 proposeacourseofpracticalactiontoimprove the sustainability of an energy-transformation technology (e.g., solar panels, internal combustion engines, fuel cells, air conditioners) [PR, AI, C]
Sample issue: Although wind is a renewable source of energy, many windmills are needed to generate a useful amount of energy, and large wind farms can have a negative impact on wildlife and local residents. Researchers are ex- perimenting with modifications to the blades to increase the efficiency of each windmill.
Sample questions: Why are ice-cooling systems more energy efficient than traditional air condi- tioners? How could solar panels be modified to enable them to capture solar energy on a cloudy day? How could a speaker system be improved to maximize its energy use? What modifications could be made to an internal combustion engine so that it used less gasoline?
By the end of this course, students will:
e2.1 use appropriate terminology related to energy and energy transformations, including, but not limited to: work, gravitational potential energy, kinetic energy, chemical energy, energy transforma- tions, and efficiency [C]
e2.2 use the law of conservation of energy to solve problems involving gravitational potential energy, kinetic energy, and thermal energy [AI]
e2.3 construct a simple device that makes use of energy transformations (e.g., a pendulum, a roller coaster), and use it to investigate transformations between gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy [PR]
e2.4 design and construct a complex device that integrates energy transformations (e.g., a mouse- trap vehicle, an “egg-drop” container, a wind turbine), and analyse its operation in qualitative and quantitative terms [IP, PR, AI]
e2.5 investigate a simple energy transformation (e.g., the use of an elastic band to propel a mini- ature car), explain the power and output, and calculate the energy [PR, AI, C]
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e. energy trAnSformAtionS OVERALL EXPECTATIONS