Forms of Energy Part 4 - Types of Motion Energy

We've had lots of discussion in UE1 about different types of "motion energy" and whether they should all be classified as one type of energy or as different types. I think they first started using the phrase "motion energy" because it was in Eleanor's table on Tuesday afternoon. She said that another term for this is "kinetic energy" and the definition they came up with matched the definition of kinetic energy, but the term motion energy stuck. After the teachers determined that there is no sound without the motion of molecules, they've been tempted to call sound energy motion energy, although they've been bothered by the difference between vibration and translation (my words, not theirs).

On Wednesday afternoon, they worked on doing energy theater for a seed growing. Our group got completely hung up on whether growth is motion energy. Here is Bill bringing up the question:

Sadly, his fantastic gestures are mostly hidden behind Brian's hands.

Although it sounds like it's resolved at the end of this two minutes, the conversation actually continues for another 20 minutes and then the issue continues to come up throughout the rest of the day. They are paralyzed by it, and avoid doing energy theater of anything past germination in order to avoid the issue. In later discussion, it seems like the other teachers don't really get Bill's objection. The way I see it is, his concern is that growth is about expansion rather than translation or even vibration. But others seem to think his concern is about growth happening on too long a time scale, or too long a distance scale, or not being powerful enough. Brian tries to convince him it is motion by talking about his hedge growing through a chain link fence - surely if it is powerful enough to bust through a chain link fence it must be motion. But Bill is unconvinced because this really doesn't get at his concern.