4 Potential energy, kinetic energy

and gravity
Answers

Page 55 Critical thinking skills: Observing carefully in order to

recognize problems
If the electricity from the solar panel is used to power a lamp, some energy will
be lost. This might be through electrical resistance heating the wires, or the
lamp getting hot and emitting thermal energy, or from light traveling off in
different directions. The solar panel will not be able to convert all of the light
energy to electrical energy either. As a result, not enough energy will shine on
the solar panel to power the lamp.

Page 56 Data-based question: Units of energy

1. a) 90 × 4,200 = 378,000 J
b) 378,000 ÷ 1.36 = 278,000 foot-pounds
2. a) 3,000,000 × 4.184 × 109 = 1.255 × 1016 J
b) 1.255 × 1016 ÷ 1.6 × 1020 = 7.8 × 10–5 cubic miles of oil
3. a) 4 × 1.6 × 1020 = 6.4 × 1020 J
b) 6.4 × 1020 ÷ 4.184 × 109 = 1.5 × 1011 tonnes of TNT

Page 60 Activity: Identifying energy transfers

1. a) Electrical energy  sound energy
b) Kinetic energy  electrical energy
c) Electrical energy  light energy
2. a) Microphone
b) Electric motor
c) Solar cell

Page 64 What is gravity?

1. Students’ answers will vary – will be student’s mass in kg × 9.8
2. Students’ answers will vary – will be student’s mass in kg × 3.7

Summative assessment
Criterion A: Energy, gravity and cars
1. D
2. B
3. A
4. A
5. D

© Oxford University Press 2019 1

Criterion B: Investigating stopping distances
Independent variable = mass of car
6.
Dependent variable = distance it travels
7. Any sensible, valid control variable e.g. same ramp angle, same
distance/height up the ramp, same surface, same toy car used each time.
8. Pupil will need to measure the mass of the car
9. Ruler/tape measure; balance
10. 1 mark: suitable hypothesis
2 marks: valid hypothesis with explanation
3 marks: scientific explanation for valid hypothesis
For example: Adding more toy putty to the car will increase the distance
that it travels. This is because as more mass is added to the car, the more
gravitational energy it will have at the top of the ramp. This will mean
that it will have a greater kinetic energy at the bottom of the ramp. Since
work done = force × distance, the car will travel a greater distance for the
frictional force to do enough work to stop the car.

Criteria C and D: Speed management

11. Author; year/date of publication; where was it published (e.g. which
book, journal, website address etc…)
12. A greater speed will result in greater kinetic energy
13. Independent variable = speed of car
Dependent variable = probability that crash is fatal
14. Experiment is dangerous/would cause death; experiment is not ethical.
15. 100
probability that crash is fatal

80

60
(%)

40

20

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
speed (km/h)

Suitable axes; axes labelled; points plotted correctly; line of best fit
16. Correct values read from graph
Speed (km/h) Probability (%)
32 13
40 36
48 81

17. Reduction in speed is small; reduction in danger is large; comparison of

importance of these two points; 1 mark for quality of written work.

2 © Oxford University Press 2019