Stores of Energy

Energy Classification

 Energy can be classified into two main groups:

1. Potential energy – depends on the position of an object.

2. Movement energy (Kinetic energy) – depends on the motion

of an object.

Note: We often describe energy as "changing type" (e.g., electrical to light),

but only the way we detect or measure energy changes – not the
energy itself.

Potential Energy

What is it?
Stored energy due to an object’s position or condition.

Types of Potential Energy:

 Gravitational Potential Energy

o Stored when an object is above the Earth's surface.

o Examples:

 Book on a table

 Apple on a branch

 Child at the top of a slide

 Plate on a shelf

o If support is removed, the object falls, and its potential energy

is converted (usually to kinetic energy and then heat or sound).

Understanding Gravity

 Gravity is a force of attraction between all objects in the universe.

 Larger mass = stronger gravitational force.

o Earth has more mass than anything on it, so it pulls objects

towards its center.
 o Even tiny things like ants have gravity, but it is too small to
notice.

Example:
You swing a stone on a string (circular motion). If the string breaks, the stone
flies off.

 While swinging: kinetic energy + centripetal force

 When released: the stone continues in a straight path due to inertia

and gravity begins to pull it down.

1. Why does a book possess potential energy when you hold it or

when it is resting on a table or desk?

The book has gravitational potential energy because it is held above

the ground.

 Energy is stored due to its position in the Earth's gravitational field.

 If the book falls, that stored energy will change into kinetic energy
as it moves downward.

2. What happens if you hold a stone over the mouth of a well and let
it go? Explain.

When you let go of the stone:

 The force of gravity pulls it downward into the well.

 Its gravitational potential energy changes into kinetic energy as

it falls.

 The stone will fall faster and faster until it hits the bottom or water
inside the well.

This happens because gravity always pulls objects toward the center of the
Earth.

What is Strain Energy?

 Strain energy is the energy stored in an object when its shape is

changed (by stretching, squashing, or bending).

 It is also called elastic potential energy.

  When the object goes back to its original shape, the stored energy is
released.

What Are Elastic Materials?

 Elastic materials can be easily stretched, squashed or bent.

 When the force is removed, they return to their original shape.

 While deformed, they store strain energy.

Examples of Strain Energy:

1. Spring – Stores energy when you stretch or squash it.

2. Gas in an aerosol can – Stores strain energy when compressed.

o When you press the nozzle, the gas comes out, and the energy
is released.

When Is Elastic Potential Energy Stored or Released?

Example Energy Stored When Energy Released

When

a) Toy glider Elastic is stretched to pull Released when the

launcher back the glider glider is launched

b) Sun lounger Cords or springs are Released when the

cords/springs pressed down under weight is removed
weight

c) Diving board Bent when a diver stands Released when the

or jumps on it diver leaves the
board

🔹 Kinetic Energy

 The word kinetic comes from a Greek word that means motion.

 Any moving object has kinetic energy.

  The bigger or faster the object, the more kinetic energy it has.

 Example: If you kick a ball, your moving foot has kinetic energy which
makes the ball move.

✅ Examples of things with kinetic energy outside your window:

 Cars on the road

 Leaves blowing in the wind

 People walking or running

 Birds flying

 Clouds moving

🔹 Sound Energy

 Made when something vibrates.

 Example:

o Plucking a guitar string

o Hitting a drum

 Sound can travel through:

o Air (gas)

o Water (liquid)

o Solids (like walls or tables)

🔹 Electrical Energy

 Comes from moving electric charges in wires.

 The energy comes from a battery or electric supply.

 Powers things like:

o Lamps (light & heat)

o Fans (movement)

o TV (light, sound, images)

✅ Examples of electrical energy in the home:

 Lights

 TV

 Fridge

 Washing machine

 Phone charger

🔹 Internal Energy (Thermal Energy)

 All materials are made of tiny particles.

 These particles are always moving.

 When heated, the particles move faster.

 In solids → particles vibrate in place.

 In liquids → particles move past each other.

 In gases → particles move freely at high speed.

✅ Heating = more energy = faster movement

🔹 Electromagnetic Energy

 A form of energy that travels through space at the speed of light.

 Travels in waves called electromagnetic waves.

 These waves have electric and magnetic properties.

 Also called radiation energy.

✅ Electromagnetic waves include:

 Light

 Radio waves

 Infrared

 Microwaves

 Ultraviolet

 X-rays
  Gamma rays

🔹 Wavelength

 The length of one wave from one peak to the next.

 Waves are grouped by wavelength.

 Each group has different uses and properties.

🔹 Light Energy

 A type of electromagnetic energy.

 We can see light with our eyes.

 Unlike sound, light can travel through space.

🔹 Infrared Radiation (Heat from the Sun)

 A type of invisible electromagnetic energy.

 We feel it as heat.

 Can be reflected and focused to one point.

✅ Used in:

 Solar furnaces – to melt steel or test materials

 Solar cookers – for cooking without fuel

🔹 Energy Transfers

 Energy changes form when we use it.

 Example:

o Switching on a light → Electrical energy → Light + Heat

o Playing a guitar → Chemical energy from body → Sound +

Movement
🔹 Examples of Energy Transfers

Example Energy Transfer

a. Clockwork toy Elastic potential → Kinetic (movement)

b. Child kicking a Chemical (muscles) → Kinetic

football (movement)

c. Boiling kettle (gas) Chemical (gas) → Heat + Kinetic

(boiling water)

d. Person walking Chemical (body) → Kinetic + Sound

upstairs (footsteps)

🔹 Sound Energy from Falling Objects

 Holding a metal tray gives it gravitational potential energy.

 When it falls, that energy becomes kinetic.

 When it hits the floor, some of it becomes sound energy.

✅ Hypothesis:
The higher the tray, the more gravitational energy it has → Louder
sound when dropped.

✅ Prediction:
A tray held high will make a louder sound than a tray held low.

🔬 Investigation Plan (Simple Idea)

1. Use a metal tray, a hard floor, and a noise meter app.

2. Drop the tray from two different heights (e.g., 50 cm and 100 cm).

3. Record the sound level for each drop.

4. Compare results and draw a conclusion.

Energy transfer diagrams

Energy transfers can be shown by energy transfer diagrams - models that

represent a scientific idea. In these diagrams you need to think about the
energy that you can see, feel, hear or measure. The energy itself does not
change.
There are three parts to an energy transfer diagram:

1 an arrow showing the energy input

2 a box showing where the energy is converted from one form to another
(something which converts energy in this way is also called an energy
transducer)

3 arrows showing energy output.

Below and on the next page are some examples of energy transfer diagrams.

Food (Chemical Energy)

Human Body

↙ ↘

Kinetic Energy Heat Energy

Battery (Chemical Energy)

Torch (Transducer)

↙ ↘

Light Energy Heat Energy

🔹 A. Releasing a Catapult

 Strain energy in the stretched catapult

→ Kinetic energy of the flying object

🔹 B. Burning Gas in a Bunsen Burner

 Chemical energy (gas)

→ Heat energy + Light energy

🔹 C. Blowing Up a Balloon

 Kinetic energy (your breath)

→ Strain energy (stored in the stretched balloon)

🔹 D. A Plant Making Food

 Light energy (from Sun)
→ Chemical energy (in food made by the plant)

🔹 Energy Transfer Diagrams

1. Winding up a Clockwork Car

Hand Movement (Kinetic Energy)

Spring (Strain Energy stored)

3. Letting the Clockwork Car Run

Spring (Strain Energy)

Car Moving (Kinetic Energy)

Spring (Strain Energy)

Car Moving (Kinetic Energy)

3. Letting a Battery-Powered Car Run

Battery (Chemical Energy)

Motor (Transducer)

↙ ↘

Kinetic Energy Heat Energy

🔹 What does a plant use to make chemical energy?

To make its chemical energy, a plant uses:

 Carbon dioxide (from the air)

 Water (from the soil)

 Light energy (from the Sun)

→ This process is called photosynthesis.
🔹 Balloon Investigation Idea

Question: Does more air in a balloon (more strain energy) cause a louder
sound or faster movement when released?

Plan:

1. Blow up 3 balloons – small, medium, large.

2. Let them go one by one.

3. Use a sound meter app to measure loudness OR measure how far each
balloon flies.

Prediction:

 The bigger the balloon, the more strain energy, so it should make
more kinetic energy (flies farther) or sound energy (louder pop).

🔹 1. Energy Transfer Diagram for Respiration

⬇
Chemical Energy (from food/glucose)

⬇ ⬇
Respiration (in cells)

Kinetic Energy (movement) + Heat Energy (keeps body warm)

🔹 2. What might happen if a seedling shoot is planted too deeply?

 The seedling might not reach the surface.

 It could run out of stored energy in the seed before it breaks

through the soil.

 It may become weak or die, especially if there isn’t enough air, water,
or light.

💡 Plants need the right depth to grow properly!

Energy in Food

 Food packets show nutrients and the amount of chemical energy

in 100 g of food.

 Energy units:
 o Joule (J)

o Kilojoule (kJ) = 1000 joules

 These are the same units used in science to measure energy and
work.

🔹 Respiration: Releasing Energy from Food

 The body releases chemical energy from food during a process

called respiration.

 Oxygen from the air is needed for respiration.

 What happens during respiration?

o Chemical energy is released.

o Carbon dioxide and water are made.

o Carbon dioxide is breathed out.

o Water is used in the body or leaves as sweat or urine.

🔹 How Your Body Uses the Energy

 Most of the energy is used for:

o Movement

o Keeping your body warm

Draw an energy transfer diagram for the human body. The energy input is
the stored chemical energy in food.

Stored chemical energy in food

(Human body as the converter)

Kinetic energy (movement)

Heat energy (body warmth)

Old Idea About Energy:

 Long ago, scientists thought energy was a liquid called caloric.

 They believed caloric flowed out of hot things (like a hot cup) into
your hand.

 Everything was thought to have this "caloric liquid" inside it.

🔬 Benjamin Thomson’s Discovery (1789):

 He saw metal getting hotter while drilling a cannon.

 He thought: If caloric was flowing out, it would run out.

 He did an experiment using a blunt drill to make heat:

o Drilled metal underwater for 2.5 hours.

o The water boiled!

💡 New Understanding:

 Benjamin Thomson showed that movement (kinetic energy) of the

drill was transferred into heat energy.

 The metal didn’t melt, so it didn’t have caloric inside.

 This helped prove:

🔁 Energy is not a liquid – it is transferred from one form to
another.

🔄 Today:

 We now use energy transfer diagrams to show how energy moves

and changes form

🔄 What is Wasted Energy?

 When energy changes form, more than one type of energy is made.

 Usually, only one type is useful.

 The other types are called wasted energy (or dissipated energy).
💡 Example – A Lamp:

 Useful energy: Light

 Wasted energy: Heat (warms the air)

🎧 Wasted Energy Can Cause Problems:

 Example: Noisy machines create sound energy we don’t need.

 People may need ear protection.

⚠️Not Enough Energy?

 Devices like phones or computers won’t work if the battery is low.

 This is because there’s not enough chemical energy to run them.

 Same in real life – if you push a book softly, it won’t move. Push harder
= more energy used.

🧠 Keywords:

 Dissipated energy = spread-out energy you can’t use

 Wasted energy = energy that isn’t useful in the situation

 Useful energy = the form of energy you want

✅ Summary:

 Gravity is a force that pulls objects toward each other. The bigger
the mass, the stronger the pull.

 Energy transfers happen when something moves, heats up, makes

sound, or gives off light.

 Dissipated energy is energy that spreads out and becomes less

useful (like wasted heat or sound).

❓End of Chapter Questions:

1. Name three forms of stored energy.
✔ Chemical energy
✔ Gravitational potential energy
✔ Strain (elastic) energy

2. When you raise your hand to turn the page of this book, what
kind of energy does your hand have?
✔ Kinetic (movement) energy

3. What form of energy are radio waves?

✔ Electromagnetic energy

4. What happens to energy during the dissipation of energy?

✔ Energy spreads out into the surroundings, often as heat or sound,

and becomes less useful.

5. Why is dissipated energy also called wasted energy?

✔ Because it's not helpful for the task we want to do.

✔ It can’t be easily used again, like heat from a light bulb or noise from
a machine.

6. About the nail and clay experiment:

a. How do you think they measured the depth of the indent in the
clay?

✔ They probably used a ruler or measuring scale to measure how deep

the nail tip went into the clay.

b. Plot a graph of their results:

Here is the data from Table 14.1:

Height of Nail Depth of Indent

(cm) (cm)

25 0.9

50 1.6

75 2.3
Height of Nail Depth of Indent
(cm) (cm)

100 3.0

To plot the graph:

 X-axis = Height of Nail (cm)

 Y-axis = Depth of Indent (cm)

 Plot the 4 points and draw a smooth curve or straight line (it may
be close to a straight line).

How could you use the graph to predict the indent from a height
greater than 1 meter?

✔ Use a ruler to extend the line on your graph beyond 100 cm.
✔ Find the new point (like for 125 cm) and read the depth from the Y-
axis.
Here’s how we can answer each part based on the graph and data:

a. How do you think the students measured the diameter of the

indent?
They likely used a ruler or a caliper to measure the widest part of the
indent made by the brass sphere in the clay.

b. Graph
(Displayed above — shows how the diameter of the indent increases with
height.)

c. How do these results compare with the results of the

experiment described in Question 6?
Both experiments show that the higher the object is dropped from, the
greater the effect on the clay (either depth or diameter of indent).
However:

 In Question 6, depth was measured.

 In Question 7, diameter was measured.

d. Suggest a reason for any differences you describe.

 The shape and material of the object (nail vs. brass sphere) affect how
it interacts with the clay.
 The nail has a sharp point, which causes deeper indents.

 The sphere spreads its impact over a wider area, making broader but
shallower indents.

e. Can the graph be used to predict indentations from heights

>70 cm?
Not reliably. The graph shows signs of leveling off (between 50 and 70
cm), suggesting the clay may be reaching a limit in how much it can be
indented by that sphere. Extrapolating beyond 70 cm might not give
accurate predictions.