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