Sankey diagrams

To meet its energy-saving targets, the government needs millions of drivers to switch from petrol to electric cars.

In this activity, students are challenged to interpret energy data presented as Sankey diagrams and produce an advert to persuade drivers to switch to electric vehicles.

Learning objectives

• Use the idea that energy is conserved to describe what a Sankey diagram shows.
• Use a Sankey diagram to calculate the efficiency of an energy transfer.

Blueprint curriculum link

• Unit: Energy transfers
• Concept: Wasted energy: Energy can change from one form to another, although in the process some energy is always converted into heat.
  Some systems transform energy with less loss of heat than others
• Skills: Numbers: Use ratios, fractions and percentages
• Learning stage: Analyse

Activity contents

• Teachers guide
• Powerpoint presentation

The activity is delivered as a zip file. After you checkout, you will be sent an email with the link to download it.