Never created or destroyed, only transferred between different forms and objects
Forms of energy
Thermal or internal energy
Kinetic energy
Gravitational potential energy
Elastic potential energy
Chemical energy
Magnetic energy
Electrostatic energy
Nuclear energy
Energytransfer
1. Mechanical
2. Electrical
3. Heating
4. Radiation (light or sound waves)
System
Collection of matter
Open system
Can exchange energy with the outside world
Closed system
Separate from the outside world, neither matter nor energy can enter or leave
Work done
Energy transferred
Types of work done
Mechanical
Electrical
Conservation of energy law
Energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be transferred from one form to another.
Coal fire
Coal has a large store of chemical energy (energy within chemical bonds)
When coal is burned the chemical energy is transferred by heating to the thermal energy store of the coal
Hot coals and flames transfer energy to the surroundings by heating and radiation
Car braking
The moving car has kinetic energy
The brakes mechanically do work on the car to slow it down
The kinetic energy of the car decreases and the thermal energy store of the brakes increases
Archer firing a bow and arrow
As the string of the bow is pulled back chemical energy in the archers muscles is transferred mechanically to the elastic potential of the bow
When the archer releases the string of the bow, the elastic potential energy of the string is transferred mechanically to the kinetic energy store of the arrow
Kinetic energy
The energy that an object possesses due to its motion
Kinetic energy
Depends on an object's speed
Depends on an object's mass
Faster an object is moving
More kinetic energy it will have
More mass an object has
More kinetic energy it will have
Calculating kinetic energy
1. Use the equation: E_k = 1/2 m v^2
2. E_k = kinetic energy
3. m = mass (in kg)
4. v = velocity (in m/s)
Particle
Mass = 0.0001 kg
Speed = 4,000 m/s
Kinetic energy = 800 J (or 0.8 kJ)
Even though the particle was traveling much faster, it had less kinetic energy because its mass was much lower
Gravity
A force of attraction between two objects, with the size of the force depending on the mass of the objects and the distance between them
For small objects like apples or buildings, the gravitational force of attraction is tiny as they have relatively low masses
For very large objects that are far away like Jupiter, the gravitational force is also tiny due to the large distance
For very large objects that are close by, such as the Earth or the Moon, gravity is felt more strongly and has a big influence on nearby objects
Gravitational field
The field of influence around an object
Gravitational field strength
The strength of the gravitational field, denoted by the letter g
The gravitational field strength on Earth is around 9.8 Newtons per kilogram
The gravitational field strength on the Moon is 1.6 Newtons per kilogram, as the Moon is much smaller than the Earth
Weight
The force of attraction experienced by an object in a gravitational field
Calculating weight
Mass x Gravitational field strength
Weight and mass are different in physics, where mass is an intrinsic property of an object and weight is the force acting on it in a gravitational field
Gravitational potential energy
The energy an object has due to its position in a gravitational field
Calculating gravitational potential energy
Mass x Gravitational field strength x Height
Energy can be stored in different forms and it can be transformed from one form to another
Transfer between kinetic energy (KE) and gravitational potential energy (GPE)
1. As an object rises, KE is converted to GPE
2. As an object falls, GPE is converted to KE
KE lost
GPE gained
KE gained
GPE lost
Internal energy
The total energy that's stored by the particles making up a substance or system
Components of internal energy
Potential energy stores
Kinetic energy stores
Potential energy stores (like gravitational and elastic potential) are not really related to temperature