Contents
Key Stage 3
Meaning
An Energy Transfer is when energy moves from one energy store to another energy store.
About Energy Transfers
- Energy can be transferred from one object to another or between energy stores within the same object. For example on a pool table when white ball hits another ball energy is transferred from the kinetic store of the white ball to the kinetic store of the other ball.
There are 4 ways energy can be transferred;
- Mechanically - By the action of a force.
- Electrically - By an electrical current.
- By radiation - By Light waves or Sound waves.
- By heating - By conduction, convection or radiation.
Key Stage 4
Meaning
An Energy Transfer is when energy moves from one energy store to another energy store.
About Energy Transfers
- Energy and be transferred between stores in a system. This may be between the different energy stores of a single object or between the energy stores of different objects within that system.
- When there is an energy transfer energy is neither created, nor destroyed. This means when that when one energy store decreases, one or more others must increase.
- Humans use energy transfers for a number of reasons but they usually result in some energy being transferred to an unwanted store. This is known as Wasted Energy.
There are 4 ways energy can be transferred;
- Mechanically - By the action of a force.
- Electrically - By an electrical current.
- By radiation - By Light waves or Sound waves.
- By heating - By conduction, convection or radiation.
Examples
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| The front brakes of this car are glowing from the high temperature. Energy has been transferred by friction from the Kinetic Energy Store of the car to the Thermal Energy Store of the brakes.
The high temperature of the brakes causes them to heat the air around them. Energy is being tansferred by heating from the Thermal Energy Store of the brakes to the Thermal Energy Store of the air around them. |
Electricity transfers energy into the Thermal Energy Store of the filament inside the bulb.
The high temperature causes the bulb to glow, emitting Visible Light. This Visible Light transfers energy by radiation to the surroundings. |
Going Up
- When an object travels upwards the gravitational potential energy store increases.
The following are examples of energy transfers into the gravitational potential energy store:
- A ball starts moving but eventually stops rising - Kinetic Energy Store → Gravitational Potential Energy Store