BC SCIENCE 10 · PHYSICS
Visual, ELL-friendly lessons based on the MOSAIC Physics worksheet. Explore energy, heat, nuclear reactions and Earth's energy systems, one topic at a time.
Choose a topic
Big Question: How does energy support living things?
| Vocabulary | Easy meaning / example |
|---|---|
| Photosynthesis | The process plants use to make food using sunlight |
| Cellular respiration | Breaking down sugar with oxygen to release energy |
Photosynthesis: plants use sunlight to make sugar and store energy.
Cellular respiration breaks down sugar with oxygen to release usable energy.
Big Question: Where does energy move?
The system is the material being studied. Everything around it is the surroundings.
Energy moves between the system and its surroundings.
A pot and kitchen show how heat can enter or leave a system.
Energy moves between a system and its surroundings; it does not disappear.
Big Question: How does heat move during a reaction?
| Vocabulary | Easy meaning / example |
|---|---|
| Exothermic | A reaction that releases heat to its surroundings |
| Endothermic | A reaction that absorbs heat from its surroundings |
Exothermic reactions release heat. Endothermic reactions absorb heat.
Burning wood releases heat to the room: an exothermic example.
Melting ice absorbs heat from its surroundings. This is a heat-absorbing change, not a chemical reaction.
Big Question: Can a machine move forever without new energy?
| Vocabulary | Easy meaning / example |
|---|---|
| Perpetual | Continuing forever |
| Perpetual motion machine | A proposed machine that operates forever without added energy |
Energy makes things move or change.
A perpetual motion machine that operates forever without new energy is impossible.
Big Question: What forms can moving energy take?
The worksheet introduces different types of kinetic energy.
| Type | Example | Visual |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical | A runner moving |  |
| Thermal | Hot tea has fast-moving particles |  |
| Radiant | Sunlight |  |
| Electrical | Electrons moving in a wire |  |
| Sound | Vibrations in air |  |
Examples in the worksheet: mechanical, thermal, radiant, electrical and sound energy.
Big Question: How does stored energy change into motion and heat?
| Vocabulary | Easy meaning / example |
|---|---|
| Gravitational potential energy | Stored energy due to height |
| Kinetic energy | Energy of motion |
| Friction | A force opposing relative motion between surfaces |
A sled starts with gravitational potential energy. As it slides, some energy becomes motion and heat due to friction.
Higher objects have more gravitational potential energy; falling converts potential energy into kinetic energy.
Friction acts against relative motion between surfaces.
As a sled moves downhill, its energy changes between potential, kinetic and thermal forms.
| Vocabulary | Easy meaning / example |
|---|---|
| Gravitational potential energy | Depends on mass, gravity and height |
| Kinetic energy | Depends on mass and speed |
Gravitational potential energy depends on mass, gravity and height. Kinetic energy depends on mass and speed.
In the ideal example without energy loss, starting gravitational potential energy equals final kinetic energy.
Doubling speed makes kinetic energy four times as large.
Energy equations help predict motion and energy changes.
Big Question: How can chemical energy power a vehicle?
| Vocabulary | Easy meaning / example |
|---|---|
| Fuel cell | Device that converts chemical energy into electrical energy |
| Chemical energy | Energy stored in a substance |
| Electrical energy | Energy transferred electrically |
Fuel cells convert chemical energy from hydrogen and oxygen into electrical energy; water is produced.
The worksheet compares hydrogen fuel cells with gasoline vehicles.
Big Question: What happens when unstable nuclei change?
| Vocabulary | Easy meaning / example |
|---|---|
| Neutron | Neutral particle in the nucleus |
| Proton | Positively charged particle in the nucleus |
| Electron | Negatively charged particle |
| Nucleus | Central part of an atom |
Unstable atomic nuclei can release particles or energy as they change.
| Vocabulary | Easy meaning / example |
|---|---|
| Alpha decay | Releases two protons and two neutrons |
| Beta-minus decay | A neutron changes to a proton and releases an electron |
| Gamma decay | Releases electromagnetic radiation |
Alpha decay releases a helium nucleus; beta-minus decay releases an electron; gamma decay releases electromagnetic energy.
Big Question: How do nuclei release energy?
| Vocabulary | Easy meaning / example |
|---|---|
| Nuclei | Plural of nucleus |
Nuclear fission splits a large nucleus into smaller nuclei.
Nuclear power plants use heat from fission to produce steam and generate electricity.
Fusion joins small nuclei and releases energy under extreme conditions.
Fusion powers stars, including the Sun. Scientists are researching fusion power on Earth.
Big Question: Where does Earth get energy?
The worksheet introduces solar, nuclear and gravitational energy.
Solar energy drives weather and the water cycle.
Big Question: How does Earth gain and lose energy?
Sunlight reaches Earth as radiation. Land and water absorb sunlight and warm the air.
| Vocabulary | Easy meaning / example |
|---|---|
| Radiates | Sends out energy as radiation |
Earth receives sunlight and emits energy back toward space. This balance affects temperature.
Big Question: How does energy move water around Earth?
The water cycle includes evaporation, condensation, precipitation and collection.
| Process | Meaning | Visual |
|---|---|---|
| Evaporation | Water heats up and becomes water vapour |  |
| Condensation | Water vapour cools and forms droplets |  |
| Precipitation | Water falls as rain, snow or hail |  |
The worksheet illustrates evaporation, condensation and precipitation.
The Sun heats water, causing evaporation. Energy moves with water through the water cycle.
Big Question: How does heat travel?
| Method | Description | Visual |
|---|---|---|
| Radiation | Heat travels as electromagnetic waves; no contact needed |  |
| Conduction | Heat transfers through direct contact |  |
| Convection | Heat transfers as liquid or gas circulates |  |
Radiation transfers energy through space. Conduction transfers heat through contact. Convection transfers heat through moving fluids.
Examples include a lamp, a warm phone and boiling water.
Big Question: How has energy use changed?
| Use | Example | Visual |
|---|---|---|
| Cooking with fire | Fire cooks food |  |
| Melting metal | Wood fire melts metal |  |
| Steam trains | Coal powers the train |  |
| Batteries | Battery provides electrical energy |  |
The worksheet shows energy use for cooking, metalworking, transport and batteries.
Big Question: How can energy decisions affect communities?
| Vocabulary | Easy meaning / example |
|---|---|
| NWMO | Canadian Nuclear Waste Management Organization |
The worksheet discusses nuclear waste storage and Indigenous perspectives on land and decision-making.
Energy decisions affect land, people and future generations.
Keep learning
Open the complete illustrated 38-page worksheet or save it to study offline.
Test your understanding of energy, nuclear reactions, heat transfer, and Earth's energy systems.
To use a Supabase-hosted PDF instead, replace physics-source.pdf with
the public Supabase Storage URL.