It was pointed out at the outset of this chapter that students' conceptions of energy reflect the use of energy in their life-world contexts. In fact, if one studies written material that is available in the life-world and that is written for the purpose of informing the public about energy issues, the way energy is used there is considerably different from the scientific use and appears to be nearer to the students' conceptions mentioned above. Lijnse's (1990) study supports this impression. Pamphlets, reports and newspaper articles written for the general public were analyzed with respect to the energy situations and concepts used. The conceptions of energy prevalent in the analyzed materials were very similar to th above students' conceptions. The central idea was often that we need energy for technical facilities and that energy is consumed when it is harnessed. Conservation of energy (as this orinciple is used in acience) played no role in the analyzed literature.