ENERGY STORES & ENERGY

TRANSFER
 ENERGETIC FACTS
 The concept of energy helps us to explain change…
 An object ‘has energy’ - or is an energy store - if it can cause change.
 Objects can STORE energy in a number of ways. See the list below.
 When something happens, energy is transferred from one store to another and possibly one
place to another. There are four mechanisms by which energy is transferred.

ENERGY ENERGY TRANSFER

STORE EXAMPLE MECHANISM EXAMPLE

Thermal Boiling water Applying a force to

Mechanically
Magnetic Two magnets repelling the pedals of a bike
Electrostatic Two charges repelling Electrons transferring
Electrically
Kinetic Moving truck. energy in a circuit
Chemical Petrol; food; battery Heating
(Conduction & Cooking in the oven
Nuclear A nucleus! convection)
Elastic Stretched catapult cord Energy reaching us
Radiation (light &
An object in a gravitational from the sun in the
Gravitational sound) form of light
field
 STORE
Chemical energy in battery
ENERGY STORES &

ENERGY STORES &

TRANSFER MECHANISM
TRANFERS
Electrical energy via wires

TRANFERS
STORE
Thermal energy in hot filament

TRANSFER MECHANISM TRANSFER MECHANISM

Heating via conduction and Light radiation
convection

Store
Thermal energy in surroundings
 ENERGY TRANSFERS
When something happens it can be represented by an energy transfer
diagram… which states what the energy form is and where….
Logs – store of Transferred via
radiation
Thermal
chemical energy energy in
Transferred via
heating
surroundings
Thermal energy in surroundings

Bomb – store of Transferred

mechanically KE of shrapnel
chemical energy
Transferred as
thermal energy Thermal energy in
surroundings

Store of Transferred Store of Transferred Store of

chemical mechanically mechanically KE of
elastic PE
energy in Transferred as in bow Transferred as arrow
muscles thermal energy thermal energy

Surroundings Surroundings
ENERGY CONSERVATION

Energy is
CONSERVED

So whenever anything happens…

TOTAL ENERGY IN = TOTAL ENERGY OUT
 EFFICIENCY
Although energy is conserved, not all the energy does something useful.
The EFFICIENCY measures the PERCENTAGE of the total input energy that is
transferred to where we want it. It is given by the equation...

EFFICIENCY = USEFUL ENERGY OUT X 100

TOTAL ENERGY IN

Elastic PE KE of
in bow arrow
1000J 640 J

Thermal energy
360J

EFFICIENCY OF BOW = 640 x 100 = 64%

1000
 SANKEY DIAGRAMS
This is an energy transfer diagram where the thickness of the arrow
represents the amount of energy transferred…