GCSE Physics for You, Fifth Edition

Answers to End-of-chapter questions

for Chapter 16, Work, Energy and Power

It is very important that you are able to answer the questions on your own, using your
own knowledge of Physics.
Have a go at the questions first, and then check your answers using this page.
If you get a question wrong, try to work out where you have made an error.

1. a) joules (J), force, distance

b) newton (N), metre, force
c) conservation, transferred, created, destroyed
d) energy
e) thermal, chemical, nuclear, kinetic, gravitational, elastic, electrical, magnetic
f) efficiency = useful energy output ÷ total energy input
g) work; watts (W), joules (J), time
h) joule (J), second

2. work done = force × distance moved

= 5N × 2m = 10 joules

3. Draw Sankey Diagrams (as on pages 106–108) including the following energy
transfers.
a) Kinetic energy store  thermal energy store
b) Elastic energy store  kinetic energy store, thermal energy store
c) Chemical energy store  thermal store, kinetic store, gravitational store
d) Chemical store  thermal store
e) Chemical store  gravitational potential store
f) Chemical store  kinetic store, thermal store
g) Chemical store  kinetic store, thermal store
h) Gravitational store  kinetic store, thermal store
i) Chemical store  thermal store

4. work done = force × distance moved

= 500 N × 40 m = 20 000 joules ( = 20 kJ)
Energy is transferred from her chemical store (food in her body) to a gravitational
potential energy store and to thermal energy (which heats her up).

5. a) See page 108. When the gas is burned, energy in the chemical store of the
gas is transferred to the thermal (energy) store of the steam. This energy is
transferred to the kinetic (energy) store of the rotating turbine and generator.
The energy is then transferred by an electric current to the other end of the
National Grid (eg. to a factory or your home).

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GCSE Physics for You, Fifth Edition

b) See page 349. As the radioactive fuel decays, energy in the nuclear store of
the radioactive fuel is transferred to the thermal (energy) store of the fuel
rods and the steam. This energy is transferred to the kinetic (energy) store of
the rotating turbine and generator. The energy is then transferred by an
electric current to the other end of the National Grid (eg. to a factory or your
home).
c) Energy in a gravitational potential store (in a lake or reservoir) falls under the
force of gravity and the energy is transferred to the kinetic energy store of
the moving water and to the kinetic energy store of the rotating turbine and
generator. The energy is then transferred by an electric current to the other
end of the National Grid (eg. to a factory or your home).

6. See the information on pages 106–111 and whatever you can find on-line.

7. If energy could not be transferred from one store to another then we would not be
able to use energy in the many ways that we do in order to live. The Universe
could not exist.

8. a) Energy from the chemical store of the fuel is transferred to thermal energy
(as the fuel burns and expands) and to kinetic energy by the fuel escaping
from the back of the rocket. This gives a force forwards on the rocket so that
the energy has also been transferred to the kinetic energy store of the
moving rocket. As the rocket moves up against the force of gravity, most of
this energy is transferred to the gravitational store of the rocket, while some
of the energy is transferred to thermal energy because of friction with the air.
b) If air resistance was lower, the frictional forces would be less and less energy
would be lost to thermal energy heating up the skin of the rocket, so the
rocket would have more (kinetic) energy, and it would travel higher.

9. a) Energy input = 3 J + 57 J = 60 joules

b) efficiency = useful energy output ÷ total energy input
= 3 J ÷ 60 J = 0.05 = 5%
c) See page 106 and draw the widths of the arrows to scale (60, 3, 57).

10. It means that the light bulb receives 100 joules in each second, but only 5 joules in
each second appear as useful energy to light up the room. The other 95 J in every
second are wasted as thermal energy.

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GCSE Physics for You, Fifth Edition

11. work done = force × distance moved

= 300 N × 2 m = 600 joules
power = work done ÷ time taken
= 600 J ÷ 6 seconds = 100 watts (= 100 W)

12. a) 100 W = 100 joules per second. So in each second 100 J are transferred.
b) During 100 seconds there will 100 times as much transferred
= 100 × 100 J = 10 000 J transferred.

13. a) Useful power output of the filament lamp = 5% of 60 W

= 5/100 × 60 = 3 W
Useful power output of the CFL bulb = 20% of 15 W
= 20/100 × 15 = 3 W
b) Same power output, so
efficiency of LED bulb = useful power output ÷ total power input
= 3 W ÷ 10 W = 0.3 = 30%
c) See page 107 and draw the widths of the arrows to scale (10, 3, 7).

14. See details on pages 107–111, and whatever you can find on-line.

15. See page 111.

16. 1st frame : elastic to kinetic

2nd frame : chemical to elastic
3rd frame : chemical to thermal and kinetic and gravitational

17. a) It is a straight-line graph [with points at (0 m, 0 m/s), (7 m, 10 m/s),

(14 m, 20 m/s), (21 m, 30 m/s)].
b) It is a curved graph, curving upwards [with points at (0 m, 0 m/s),
(8 m, 10 m/s), (32 m, 20 m/s), (72 m, 30 m/s)].
The braking distance depends on the kinetic energy of the car (which has to
be transferred to thermal energy in the brakes by frictional forces). The
kinetic energy depends on the speed squared (see page 113) so the graph is
a curve.
c) It is a curved graph, curving upwards [with points at (0 m, 0 m/s),
(15 m, 10 m/s), (46 m, 20 m/s), (93 m, 30 m/s)].
d) 28.5 metres

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GCSE Physics for You, Fifth Edition

18. a) work done = force × distance moved

= 1000 N × 5 m = 5000 joules
power = work done ÷ time taken
= 5000 J ÷ 10 seconds = 500 watts (= 500 W)
b) Energy in a chemical store (in the man’s body) is transferred to a kinetic
energy store (as he moves) and a gravitational energy store (as he moves up
the stairs against the pull of gravity) and to a thermal energy store (as he
heats up).

19. a) work done = force × distance moved

= 3000 N × 10 m = 30 000 joules
power = work done ÷ time taken
= 30 000 J ÷ 4 seconds = 7500 watts (= 7500 W)
b) 7.5 kW

20. a) kinetic energy = ½ × mass × speed2

= ½ × 1000 kg × 302
= ½ × 1000 kg × 900 = 450 000 joules
b) kinetic energy = ½ × mass × speed 2

= ½ × 1000 kg × 102
= ½ × 1000 kg × 100 = 50 000 joules
c) change in energy = 450 000 J − 50 000 J = 400 000 J (= 400 kJ)
d) work done = energy transferred
force × distance moved = energy transferred
braking force × 80 m = 400 000 J
∴ braking force = 400 000 J ÷ 80 m = 5000 N

21. Initial kinetic energy (½ m v2) = final gravitational potential energy (m g h)

½ × mass × (10 m/s)2 = mass × 10 N/kg × height
∴ height = ½ × 100 m2/s2 ÷ 10 N/kg =5m

22. a) kinetic energy = ½ × mass × speed2

= ½ × 60 kg × (8.0 m/s)2
= ½ × 60 kg × 64 m2/s2
= 1920 joules

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GCSE Physics for You, Fifth Edition

b) kinetic energy = gravitational potential energy

1920 J = mass × g × height
1920 J = 60 kg × 10 N/kg × height
∴ height = 1920 J ÷ (60 kg × 10 N/kg)
= 1920/600 m = 3.2 m (if there was no friction)
c) In reality there is friction (air resistance or drag, and friction at the wheels).
Some of his kinetic energy is transferred to thermal energy by this friction, so
there is less energy to raise his gravitational potential energy, so he will reach
a lower height.

23. Search on-line to find out about when these scientists lived and what they
discovered. See also page 375.

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