Home School Household Energy Projects

How can home school compete with the expensive laboratories of the public school science classroom? Actually, in many respects, we can do a better job. And we can do it with very little expense. In this study you will use your home for a study of how you use energy. This is not just an observation study; this is a study of taking measurements, applying physics, making calculation, learning how to use spreadsheets for making calculations and graphs, writing a scientific report and giving a technical presentation. In many regards, this study far exceeds what is offered in most public high schools. If your son or daughter is thinking about pursuing a technical career, such as engineering, this study approach will begin to prepare them for advanced pursuits in the scientific arena. There are four household energy studies presented. You will analyze the gas mileage of one or more of your vehicles over time. You will perform an energy study of your home and determine where energy is used and how much. You will determine the cost of a shower versus a bath, and quantify the effects of temperature, flow rate and length of shower. You will also learn about heat transfer by measuring how much heat is lost from an insulted mug, thermos and large cooler over time. This book includes detailed instructions for each study, as well as a full report for example purposes. The studies are simple, but very challenging. Each study is set up as though the student was hired to solve a real life problem with scientific and mathematical methods and to formally report back to their customer with a written and oral reports with conclusions and recommendations.