Energy, Work & Power

Energy Stores
• Energy is the ability to do work
• The International System of Units of measurement of energy is joule
• According to the laws of conservation of energy, “ energy can neither be
created nor destroyed but can only be converted from one form to
another”.
 Energy Conversion: Transfer and Transform
 Energy can be transferred between stores through different energy
transfer pathways

Following are the four ways through which energy can be

transferred:

1) Mechanically – By the action of force

2) Electrically – Electrically
3) By Radiation – By Light waves or Sound waves
4) By Heating – By conduction, convection, or radiation

 The process which results in the energy changing from one form to another is
known as energy transformation
a. For a falling object: Energy is transferred from the gravitational store to
the kinetic store of the object via a mechanical transfer pathway

b. For a battery powering a torch: Energy is transferred from the chemical

store of the battery to the thermal store of the surroundings via a radiation
transfer pathway

c. For a mass on a spring: Energy is transferred from the elastic store to the
kinetic store of the system via a mechanical transfer pathway
Kinetic Energy
The kinetic energy, E , of an object (also known as its kinetic store) is defined as the
energy an object has as a result of its mass and speed

Kinetic energy can be calculated using the equation:

Where:
E = kinetic energy in Joules (J)
m = mass of the object in kilograms (kg)
v = speed of the object in meters per second (m/s)
Gravitational Potential Energy
• The gravitational potential energy, EP , of an object (also known as its
gravitational store) is defined as the energy an object has due to its
height in a gravitational field
• This means:
i. If an object is lifted up, energy will be transferred to its
gravitational store
ii. If an object falls, energy will be transferred away from its
gravitational store

The GPE of an object can be calculated using the equation:

ΔE = mgΔh
Where
ΔE = change in gravitational potential energy, in Joules (J)
m = mass, in kilograms (kg)
g = gravitational field strength in Newtons per kilogram
(N/kg) Δh = change in height in metres (m)
Conservation of Energy
• The law of conservation of energy states that: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it
can only be transferred from one energy store to another

Energy Flow Diagrams

• Energy stores and transfers can be represented using a flow diagram
 At point A:

• The rollercoaster is raised above the ground,

therefore its gravitational potential energy store is
full
• As it travels down the track, energy is transferred to
its kinetic energy store mechanically
At point B:

At point D: • Energy is transferred from the kinetic energy store

At point C:
• Energy is transferred from the gravitational
potential energy store to the kinetic energy store
to the gravitational potential energy store
mechanically
• As the kinetic energy store empties, the
gravitational potential energy store fills

At point D:
• The flat terrain means the rollercoaster only has energy in its kinetic energy store
• The kinetic energy store is full
Sankey Diagrams
Sankey Diagrams are diagrams are used to represent energy transfers

 The end of the arrow pointing to the right represents the energy that ends up in the
desired store (the useful energy output)

 The end(s) that point(s) down represents the wasted energy

Total energy in = Useful energy out + Wasted energy

 Work Done & Energy Transfers
• Work is done when an object is moved over a distance by a force applied in the direction
of its displacement

The formula for work done is:

Work done = force × distance

Work is measured in Joules (J)

1J=1Nm
One Joule is equal to the work done by a force of one newton acting through one metre

Whenever any work is done, energy is transferred mechanically from one store to another

Energy transferred (J) = Work done (J)

 If a force acts in the direction that an object is moving, then the object will gain energy
(usually to its kinetic energy store)

 If the force acts in the opposite direction to the movement then the object will lose energy
(usually to the thermal energy store of the surroundings ie dissipated as heat)
 W=F×d

The work done on the car by the brakes

W = 500 × 23 = 11 500 J
Power
 Power is defined as The rate of doing work

Expressed in equation form as P = W /t or P = ∆E/t

 Two identical cars accelerating to the same final speed will both gain the same amount of
energy in their kinetic store. But if one of them reaches that speed sooner, it will have a
greater power
Efficiency of Energy Transfer
Efficiency is defined as:

The ratio of the useful power or energy transfer output from a system to its total power
or energy transfer input

Efficiency is represented as a percentage, and can be calculated using the equation:

The efficiency equation can also be written in terms of power: