AQA GCSE Real Life Energy Transfers(Physics)

Transferring energy mechanically

A man lifts a box from the floor onto a shelf above the ground. State the inital energy store, final energy store and the way in which the energy is transferred.

Man lfing boxes showing the boxes increasing their gravitational potential energy store

Initial energy store will be chemical energy in the man’s muscles

Final energy store will be gravitational potential energy as the box increased in height

Energy transfer method will be mechanical, because the man exerted a force lifting the box up from the ground. 

See below for the energy transfer diagram:

Transfer energy by heating

 

Inital energy store is the hot cooking pan which has a thermal energy store

Final energy store are the eggs which also have a thermal energy store.

Energy transfer method will be heating because the energy is transferring from the hot pan to the cooler eggs. 

Frying eggs in a frying pan to show energy transfer
Thermal energy store of a cooking pan being transferred to thermal energy store of the eggs by heating

Transferring energy electrically

Initial energy store is the chemical energy in the battery of the toy car

Final energy store is the kinetic energy store in the car when it moves forward

The energy is transferred electrically from chemical energy store to the kinetic energy store

Electric car showing an energy transfer from chemical energy store to kinetic energy store, being transferred electrically

Transferring Energy by Radiation

 

Initial energy store is thermal energy of the Sun

Final energy store is the thermal energy store of trees and sand

Energy is transferred by radiation

Sun shining down onto a beach to show an energy transfer from the thermal energy store of Sun to thermal energy store of the beach by radiation

Practice Questions

Draw energy transfer diagrams for the following situations (click this link  for answers)

1.A woman holding a hot water bottle close to her body in order to stay warm during the winter.

2.Using two hands to stretch an elastic band

3. Cooking sausages under an electric grill

4.Battery operated electric motor that spins. 

Need more questions, see our worksheets

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