IGCSE Physics Notes
Energy, Work and Power
Energy, Work, and Power
You need to know what energy, work, and power is, and the units for energy and power.
Energy, E is the capacity to perform work.
- Energy is measured in units of joules (J)
- There are many different types of energy
- They can either be stored energies or “moving” active energies.
- Energy can neither be created nor destroyed; rather, it can be transformed from one form to another.
- This is the Law of Conservation of Energy
Type of Energy State Description Found in / Uses
Kinetic (KE) Moving Energy in moving objects, a.k.a movement energy All moving objects have KE
Gravitational Potential (GPE) Stored Energy stored in objects raised from the ground All objects above ground have KE
Sound Moving Energy released by vibrating objects Microphone, voice, etc
Thermal (Heat) Moving Energy of vibrating particles in an object All objects at temperature above 0K
Electrical Moving Energy in moving or static electric charges Electronic device, nervous system
Light Moving Only visible form of energy, part of the ER spectrum. Vision, laser beams
Elastic Potential Stored Energy stored in stretched or squashed objects Springs, rubber bands
Chemical Stored Energy stored in molecular bonds Stored in food, fuels, and batteries
Nuclear Stored Energy stored in the nuclei of atoms Nuclear reactor
Work is done when a force is applied to an object to move it through a distance
- When work is done, energy is transferred
- So the unit of work is also joules, J.
To calculate work done, use the formula:
- The force and the distance moved must be in the same direction
- Work done = force x distance
- W = F x d
- J = N x m
- 1 joule is the energy transferred by a force of 1 newton when it moves through a distance of 1 metre
Power is the rate of doing work (Work done per unit time or energy transferred per unit time)
- Power = work done ÷ time taken
- P = W ÷ t
- W = J ÷ s
The unit of power is the watt (W), and it is equivalent to J/s
- A power of 1 watt means that 1 joule of energy is being transferred every second
Energy Transformations
You need to know energy transformations in simple systems.
According to the Law of Conservation of Energy:
- Energy can neither be created nor destroyed; rather, it can be transformed from one form to another.
When there is an energy transformation, there is an input energy and an output energy.
- Input energy ---transformation--> output energy
For the output energy, there is useful energy, which is what we want to use, and waste energy.
- For example, in a light bulb,
- The goal is to convert electrical energy into light energy
- Electrical energy is the input energy, and light energy is the useful output energy
- However, a light bulb will also produce heat energy which is the waste energy.
- Not all 100% of the input energy is transformed into output energy.
You need to know what efficiency is, and how to calculate efficiency.
Efficiency is the percentage ratio of useful output energy to total input energy
- (Useful Energy ÷ Input Energy) x 100% = Efficiency
No device has an energy transformation of 100% efficiency
e.g. 5000J of electrical energy is put through a light bulb and 3500J of light energy is emitted,
- what is the bulbs efficiency?
- (Useful Energy ÷ Input Energy) x 100% = Efficiency
- (3500/5000) x 100% = 70% efficiency.
You need to know how to draw and interpret Sankey diagrams
Sankey diagrams are a way to show energy transformations, along with efficiency.
- They look like arrows, with input energy coming from the left
- Useful energy continues straight on to the right, whereas the waste energy curves off downwards.
- The thicknesses of the arrows show the percentages.
You should be able to write some iconic energy transformations like:
Filament Lamp :
- Electrical -> Light, Heat
Television :
- Electrical -> Light, Sound, Heat
Microphone to amplifier:
- Sound -> Electrical -> Sound, Heat
Car:
- Chemical -> Kinetic, Heat, Sound
A man jumping off a cliff:
- Gravitational Potential -> Kinetic -> Sound, Heat
MP3 Player with screen:
- Chemical -> Electrical -> Sound, Light, Heat
Coal Power Station:
- Chemical -> Heat -> Kinetic -> Electrical, Heat
Nuclear Power Station:
- Nuclear -> Heat -> Kinetic -> Electrical, Heat
Pendulum:
- Gravitational Potential -> Kinetic, Heat -> Gravitational Potential -> Kinetic, Heat -> etc..
- In a pendulum, the kinetic energy and gravitational potential energy is continuously transformed between one
another with small amounts of energy lost as heat due to air resistance.
Kinetic Energy (K.E.)
You should be able to calculate kinetic energies of moving objects.
An object possesses a certain amount of kinetic energy at a certain speed.
- KE = ½mv2
- Kinetic Energy = ½ x mass x (velocity)2
From this we can see that the kinetic energy is dependant on both the mass and velocity of the object.
- Doubling the mass doubles the kinetic energy
- Doubling the velocity quadruples the kinetic energy.
Gravitational Potential Energy (G.P.E.)
You should be able to calculate gravitational potential energies of objects.
Gravitational potential energy is the stored energy possessed by an object by its position in a gravitational field.
- It is calculated by:
- GPE = mgh
- Gravitational Potential Energy = mass x gravity(acc’n due to gravity) x height
- For acceleration due to gravity, we take the rounded value 10m/s2 (rather than 9.81)
- It is also equal to the energy that is required to move the object against gravity to that position.
The syllabus says you should be able to, (SO check if you can):
- Know that energy and work are measured in joules (J), and power in watts (W).
- Give and identify examples of energy in different forms, including kinetic, gravitational, chemical, strain,
nuclear, thermal (heat), electrical, light and sound.
- Give and identify examples of the conversion of energy from one form to another, and of its transfer from one
place to another.
- Apply the principle of energy conservation to simple examples.
- Demonstrate a qualitative understanding of efficiency.
- Recall and use the equation: efficiency = useful energy output / energy input × 100%
- Demonstrate understanding that an object may have energy due to its motion (kinetic energy, K.E.) or its
position (potential energy, P.E.), and that energy may be transferred and stored.
- Recall and use the expressions
- K.E. = ½mv2
- P.E. = mgh
- Relate (without calculation) work done to the magnitude of a force and the distance moved.
- Describe energy changes in terms of work done.
- Recall and use W = F × d
- Relate (without calculation) power to work done and time taken, using appropriate examples.
- Recall and use the equation P = E/t in simple systems.
