Energy Stores

When energy is transferred to an object, it can be stored in one of

the object’s eight energy stores.

The energy stores in this model are:

• Kinetic
• Thermal
• Chemical
• Gravitational (potential)
• Elastic (potential)
• Electrostatic
• Magnetic
• Nuclear
 Energy Transfers
Energy can be transferred from one store to another by:

• heating (conduction or convection)

• radiation e.g. light /sound
• mechanically
• electrically

Energy does not cause things to happen, but when

something happens energy is always transferred from
one store to another. Physicists say that when energy is
transferred from store to store, then work is done.
 Our energy story

Yogi comes back home after a hard day’s

work. He is starving! He wants to eat a
chocolate bar.
 ORE
F
BE
Before eating the chocolate bar
beaker representing an energy store

orange coloured water representing energy

inside the store

thermal store
chemical store
in the chemical store
inside the chocolate
environment inside Yogi
bar
 ER
After eating the chocolate bar
T
AF

dissipated energy

thermal store
chemical store chemical store
in the
inside the chocolate inside Yogi
environment
bar
Before eating the After eating the
chocolate bar chocolate bar
Chemi Chemic Therm Chemi Chemic Therm
cal al store al cal al store al
store inside store store inside store
Yogi Yogi
inside in the inside in the
the enviro the enviro
chocol nment 1. What do you chocol nment
ate bar ate bar
think an orange
square
represents?

2. Why is this
diagram wrong?

3. How would you

correct it?
Yogi now wants a cup of tea. He boils some
water on his gas stove.
 RE
Before Yogi lights the gas.
FO
BE

thermal store
chemical store thermal store inside
in the
inside the oxygen the kettle and water
environment
and fuel particles
 ER
AF
T
After the water has boiled.
energy transferred by heating

thermal store
chemical store thermal store inside
in the
inside the oxygen the kettle and water
environment
and fuel particles
Before lighting the gas. Just after the
water has boiled.
Chemi Thermal Therm Chemi Thermal Therm
cal store al cal store al
store inside store store inside store
the the
inside kettle/ in the inside in the
kettle/
the water enviro the water enviro
fuel nment fuel nment
and
Suggest what the and
oxyge diagram would look oxyge
n after the water has n
boiled.

Assume there is no
energy left inside the
chemical store of the
fuel and oxygen
particles.
After drinking his tea, Yogi puts his cup back
on the shelf, high above the cooker.
 RE
The cup is on the table.
FO
BE

Why is there already some energy in the

gravitational store of the cup?

thermal store
chemical store in the gravitational store
inside Yogi environment inside the cup
 ER
AF
T
The cup is on the shelf.
energy transferred…

mechanically
by heating
thermal store
chemical store In the gravitational store
inside Yogi environment inside the cup
Cup is on the table. Cup is on the shelf.

Complete the energy

diagram to show what
happens to each
energy store.

You will need to

identify the stores
first.
Yogi knocked the cup off his shelf.
 How would you use this model to
show what happens when Yogi’s cup
is knocked off the shelf?
before: Yogi’s cup is on the shelf
after: cup falling at a constant speed

? ?
?
Practice
When a bullet is moving there
is energy located inside the
___________ store of the bullet.

When the bullet hits the wood,

energy is transferred from the
_____________ store inside the
____________ to the thermal store
located in the _______________.
At first when the archer is
pulling on the bow string,
____________

Then, when the arrow is

travelling through the air,
_______________
__________________.

Words to use: transferred,

store, kinetic, elastic, stretched,
moving