Energy from the Sun
Class 6 Science · Chapter 11: Nature's Treasures · NCERT Curiosity section 11.3
Learn
The Sun is the main source of energy on Earth. Plants use sunlight to make food, and animals (and we) eat plants, so the energy in our food came from the Sun!
The Sun's heat makes water evaporate and brings rain, and it makes winds blow. We dry clothes, grains, papads and pickles in the sun. Solar cookers and solar panels turn sunlight into heat and electricity.
Sunlight will keep shining for billions of years, so it is a renewable source of energy. Using solar energy also does not pollute the air.
Explore: use the Sun to dry papads (or clothes) quickly.
- Choose the fastest way to dry them.
Remember
- The Sun is the main source of energy on Earth, even for our food.
- Solar energy is renewable and clean.
Quick check
Where does the energy in our food finally come from?
- The Sun
- The Moon
- The soil only
- The fridge
Answer
The Sun. Plants capture sunlight to make food; animals eat plants.
Think about it
Name three things in your home that use energy that came from the Sun, directly or indirectly.
One answer
Examples: food (plants grew in sunlight), clothes dried on a line, a solar water heater or lamp, even firewood or cooking gas (formed from plants that once grew in sunlight).
Practice
Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.