Energy transfer diagrams

Energy transfer diagrams may be used to show the locations of energy stores and energy transfers. For
example, consider the energy transfers in this simple electrical circuit:

Circuit with a battery and two lamps connected in series

We can show the transfers like this:

Battery (store of chemical energy). Energy is transferred as electrical energy to a lamp. Energy is
transferred as light energy to the surroundings

The battery is a store of internal energy (shown as chemical energy). The energy is transferred through
the wires to the lamp, which then transfers the energy to the surroundings as light. These are the useful
energy transfers - we use electric lamps to light up our rooms.

But there are also energy transfers that are not useful to us. In the example above, the lamp also
transfers energy to surroundings by radiation as infrared light, which increases the temperature of the
surroundings. If we include this energy transfer (shown as thermal energy in the diagram), the diagram
looks like this:
 Battery (store of chemical energy). Energy is transferred as electrical energy to the lamp. Some energy
from the lamp is transferred as light energy to the surroundings, and some energy is transferred as
thermal energy to the surroundings

Electrical power
Power is the rate of transfer of energy between energy stores.

One watt (W) is equal to one joule per second (J/s).

Energy transferred
The energy transferred can be calculated using the equation:

This is when:

 power is measured in watts (W)

 energy is measured in joules (J)
 time is measured in seconds (s)
Example
When a lamp is switched on for 60 s, 3,000 J of energy are transferred. Calculate the power of
the lamp.
 The energy transferred can be calculated using the same equation but with different units:

 energy is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh)

 power is measured in kilowatts (kW)
 time is measured in hours (h)
This is normally used when considering domestic electricity usage.

Example
A 500 W television set is switched on for 4 hours. Calculate the energy transferred.

Rearrange the equation:

Energy, voltage and charge

When a charge moves through a potential difference, electrical work is done and energy
transferred. The energy transferred can be calculated using the equation:

energy transferred (work done) (J) = charge (C) × potential difference (V)

This is when:

 energy (E) is measured in joules (J)

 potential difference (V) is measured in volts (V)
 charge (Q) is measured in coulombs (C)
One volt is the potential difference when one coulomb of charge transfers one joule of energy.

Example
How much energy is transferred when 3 C of charge moves through a potential difference of 6
V?