- KS3 PHYSICS -

Transferring Energy

Lessons 1-2
Types Of Energy
2 MINUTES

Got Energy?
🞂List as many objects as you can, that have energy.
Click to start timer…
 Lesson 1 – Learning Objectives
🞂Describe what energy is, and the unit is measured in.
🞂List different forms of energy.
🞂Explain the law of conservation of energy.
🞂Explain where most of the Earth’s energy comes from.
🞂Describe the main methods of energy transfer.
 Types Of Energy
Energy is stored or transferred by almost all objects; our energy all
originated from the Sun.
Energy may be stored in a device in one of eight
different ways…
MAGNETIC – magnetic domains inside a
magnetic material that create a field;
THERMAL – a hot object stores more thermal
energy;
KINETIC – (movement) – a substance may be
made of vibrating particles;
Sometimes we refer to a system’s INTERNAL energy.
CHEMICAL – energy is stored in the bonds
between atoms in a molecule;
 Types Of Energy
Energy is stored or transferred by almost all objects; our energy all
originated from the Sun.
Energy may be stored in a device in one of eight
different ways…
ELECTROSTATIC – charged particles in an electric
field;
ELASTIC POTENTIAL (EPE) – in stretched
springs, rubber bands, etc;
GRAVITATIONAL POTENTIAL (GPE) – the
higher an object is, the more GPE it has;
NUCLEAR – stored within the nucleus of an atom.
 Types Of Energy
Machines can transfer energy from one form to another in one of four
different ways…
MECHANICAL – this includes kinetic energy,
GPE and EPE;
ELECTRICAL – tiny charged particles
flowing around a circuit;
HEATING – transfer of thermal energy from
one place to another;
RADIATION – energy may be transferred in
waves of light or sound.

You will learn about the individual types of energy

in separate physics topics.
 Circus Of Experiments
🞂Work your way around the room; spend no more than one
minute at each base.
🞂At each base, read the instruction card, then decide the type
of energy put into the device (or stored), and the type(s) of
energy released.
🞂Record your findings in a table:

Name of Device Energy Input / Stored Energy Output

 Machines
A machine is a device that can convert one type of energy to another.
This can be represented by a simple energy flow diagram:

ELECTRICA LIGHT LIGHT

L
BULB
100J 60J

We can measure how much energy is transferred using a unit called the
joule (J).
🞂 Have you noticed something wrong with this
diagram?
 Conservation Of Energy
The CONSERVATION OF ENERGY states that:
🞂
energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only So where did the
be converted from one form to another (or stored). other 40J go?

ELECTRICA LIGHT Some devices release

LIGHT more than one type of
L
energy – sometimes this
BULB 60J is wasted energy,
100J
released to the
THERMAL surroundings.
40J

Some devices are more efficient than others – a higher

proportion of the energy is transferred usefully.
This will be discussed later in the topic.
 Lesson 2 - Summary
🞂EITHER – Complete the ‘Energy Transfers’ sheet.

🞂OR – Complete p7 Q1,3,6,7.

 You should now be able to…
🞂Describe what energy is, and the unit is measured in.
🞂List different forms of energy.
🞂Explain the law of conservation of energy.
🞂Explain where most of the Earth’s energy comes from.
🞂Describe the main methods of energy transfer.
 - KS3 PHYSICS -
Transferring Energy

Lessons 3-4
Comparing Fuels
3 MINUTES

Using Fuels
🞂Draw an energy flow diagram for a human.
🞂Consider how we get our energy, and how we use our
energy. Click to start timer…
 Lesson 3-4 – Learning Objectives
🞂Recall that thermal energy is transferred from a burning
fuel to the object being heated.
🞂Describe an experiment to compare the amount of energy
stored in different foods and/or fuels.
 Using Fuels
All fuels, including the food we eat,
store _________chemical
energy.

When we eat food, the chemical

energy is transferred to our bodies,
where the energy is stored until we
need it.

When fuels are burned, the chemical We can compare fuels and foods
energy is released as _____ and by burning them and use the
________ energy. thermal energy to heat some
light thermal water.
🞂 Watch the demonstration.
🞂 How could you use this The greater the temperature
experiment to see which fuel has increase, the more energy there
is in the fuel.
 Comparing Foods
AIM
To find out which food provides
the most energy.

APPARATUS 🞂 List the apparatus

Stand and Clamp required.
Boiling Tube Water
Measuring Cylinder Thermometer Various Foods
Mounted Pin Heat Source Ash Tray

VARIABLES
The independent variable is the type of food.
The dependent variable is the temperature increase.
The control variables are the volume and starting temp-erature of
the water, the mass of food, the distance
 Comparing Foods
METHOD
🞂 Describe the method used.
🞂 Although you haven’t yet done the experiment, we will report it as
though we have – so use PAST tense.
🞂 Avoid lists of instructions, and using ‘I’ and ‘we’.
🞂 Keep to the point – avoid unnecessary statements (eg. “Collect the
apparatus…”)
🞂 A diagram may be useful.
🞂 Ensure your method has enough detail for someone else to follow.
🞂 If you have time, consider completing a risk assessment.
 Comparing Foods
METHOD
A boiling tube was clamped at an angle, and
20cm3 of water were added; the initial
temperature of the water was recorded. A
small piece of food, held on a pin, was set
alight, and immediately placed under the
boiling tube. When the food had stopped
burning, the final temperature of the water
was recorded. The method was repeated for
a selection of different foods.
 Comparing Foods
RISK ASSESSMENT
🞂 Look at the following words – can you identify where the associated
hazard may be, and how you can reduce the chance of an accident?

Spitting Spillage Glass Burn Stab Allergies

🞂 You will now do the experiment, working in pairs – you will be

assigned to a few different foods.
🞂 A few Bunsen burners can be used to ignite the foods.
🞂 Don’t forget to record the starting temperature.
🞂 Remember to quickly measure the final temperature as soon as the
flame goes out.
🞂 Replace the water for each experiment.
🞂 Record the temperature change you measured
on the class spreadsheet.
 Comparing Foods
RESULTS
🞂 Fix in your results table.
🞂 Why is a bar chart more appropriate for this experiment than a line
graph? The independent variable is categoric (has
names rather than numbers).

CONCLUSION
The food that was found to have the most energy was…
This is because…
 Energy Density
🞂 One problem with the food burning experiment is that each piece of
food may have a different mass, so the foods are unfairly compared.

The energy density of a fuel is a measure of

how much energy the fuel provides per unit
of its mass (ie, how many joules provided
per gram of fuel).

eg. 1kg of uranium (used in nuclear power stations)

provides as much energy as 20000kg of coal,
therefore uranium has a much higher energy density.
 Comparing Fuels
AIM
To find out which fuel has the highest energy
density.
🞂 In this experiment, we are heating the
water by burning three different fuels
using spirit burners.
🞂 In this experiment, our fuels will be
ethanol, propanol and butanol.
🞂 Each burner will heat a boiling tube of
water for the same length of time – while
the water in one boiling tube may reach a
higher temperature, may fuel may be
burned to do this.
 Comparing Fuels
VARIABLES
The independent variable is the type of fuel.
The dependent variable is the temperature increase.
The control variablesthe
arevolume and starting tempera-ture of the water,
the heating time, and the distance from the flame to the tube.

METHOD
A boiling tube was clamped at an angle, and 20cm3 of water were added;
the initial temperature of the water was recorded. A spirit burner
containing one fuel was balanced, then placed underneath the boiling
tube and the fuel was ignited. One minute later, the flame was
extinguished, then the final water temperature and final mass of
the burner were found. The method was repeated using
other fuels.
 Comparing Fuels
RESULTS
🞂 Fix in your results table.
🞂 Follow the instructions on the sheet to calculate the energy density of
each fuel, in J/g.
CONCLUSION
The fuel that was found to have the highest energy density was…
This is because…

EVALUATION

🞂 Write a comparison of the two experiments – what were the

drawbacks of the food burning experiment, and how could it be
improved to give a fairer comparison between the
different foods.
 You should now be able to…
🞂Recall that thermal energy is transferred from a burning
fuel to the object being heated.
🞂Describe an experiment to compare the amount of energy
stored in different foods and/or fuels.
 - KS3 PHYSICS -
Transferring Energy

Lessons 5-6
Generating Electricity
3 MINUTES

Using Fuels
🞂Using exactly twenty words, describe where you think our
electricity comes from.
Click to start timer…
 Lesson 5-6 – Learning Objectives
🞂Describe the role of the National Grid in transmitting
electricity across the country.
🞂Explain, referring to energy transfers, how a thermal power
station generates electricity.
🞂Explain the consequences of carbon dioxide emissions on
the Earth’s climate.
 The National Grid
Electricity is generated in power stations (of different types), then it is
transmitted around the country using a network of transformers and
cables called the National Grid.

The transformers are used to increase and decrease the voltage of the
electricity. The power lines carry very high voltages as this stops the
cables becoming too hot and wasting thermal energy to the
surroundings.
You will learn more about this at GCSE.
 Thermal Power Stations
Watch the steam
engine
demonstration.

A thermal power station heats water to create steam. This is often done
by burning a fuel (storing chemical energy) or using nuclear energy.

The steam pushes the blades of the turbine very fast,

which in turn operates the generator, converting
kinetic energy to electrical energy.
Are there any other ways to drive the turbine?
 Task
🞂Draw an energy flow diagram to represent the energy
changes that take place when electricity is generated in a
thermal power station.
 Burning Fossil Fuels
For many years, power stations have burned fossil
fuels (coal, oil and methane gas), but this leads to
problems.

Firstly, the fossil fuels are non-renewable resources

– they take millions of years to form, but they are
being used up at a much faster rate, so we will
eventually run out.

Secondly, burning fossil fuels releases carbon

dioxide to the atmosphere, which causes another
problem…
 The Greenhouse Effect
If the same amount of energy enters
and leaves the Earth’s atmosphere,
the Earth’s temperature remains
constant.
If more energy escapes, the
planet cools down…
…however, more energy enters
and is trapped, so the
planet’s temperature
increases.
Without the greenhouse effect, the Earth’s
average temperature would be about
15°C cooler.
However, the problem is that too much
energy is getting trapped.
 Global Warming
The problem is that the carbon dioxide we release stops some of the
energy being released back into space – the Earth retains the energy,
so the planet gets warmer – this is known as global warming.

If the Earth’s temperature becomes too high, climate change

will occur.

So, what is all the fuss about?

 Global Warming
Why is this problem getting worse?
The Earth’s population is growing, therefore
we need more energy for many purposes –
heating our homes, growing food,
manufacturing, transportation, etc, so more
carbon dioxide is being released.

What could happen next?

Climate change would mean that we can’t
grow the same crops, some species
would struggle to survive, and icecaps
would melt, leading to rising sea levels.

You will learn more about this

in the future.
 Task
🞂Complete p27 Q1-2.
 Lesson 6 - Summary
🞂Complete the ‘Generating Electricity’ loop game.
◦ Listen carefully to see if the answer to the question is on your card
– then give the next question.
◦ How long will it take to return to the first person?
 You should now be able to…
🞂Describe the role of the National Grid in transmitting
electricity across the country.
🞂Explain, referring to energy transfers, how a thermal power
station generates electricity.
🞂Explain the consequences of carbon dioxide emissions on
the Earth’s climate.
 - KS3 PHYSICS -
Transferring Energy

Lessons 7-8
Renewable Energy
4 MINUTES
🞂 Look at the images, and figure out the
What Is It? words they represent.
🞂 Search for a link between the words.

E GEO SO
Click to start timer…

D T
D L
WIND
SOLAR COAL
GEOTHERMAL

GEN SH
E W US
I M
C
HYDROELECTRI WAVE
TIDAL NUCLEAR
They are all methods for generating electricity.
 Lesson 7-8 – Learning Objectives
🞂Describe the different non-renewable and renewable energy
resources, and give some advantages and disadvantages of
each.
 Energy Resources
A number of different sources of energy can be used to generate
electricity.
These sources can be categorised as non-renewable or renewable. The
non-renewable sources will eventually run out because we are using
them faster than they can be created, but renewable sources will last
for a very long time.

NON-RENEWABLE RENEWABLE
Coal Solar Hydroelectric
Oil Wind Tidal
Natural Gas Biomass Wave
Nuclear Geothermal
 Na
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🞂 Divide your book into columns, as shown.

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Research Task – Part One

abl
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🞂 Complete research to help you complete the table.
Advantages

oe
mis
summary of the other topics. sio
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🞂 Each group of four will be assigned to a different topic.

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🞂 Leave plenty of space - later, you will add a

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 Research Task – Part Two
🞂Arrange yourselves into new groups; each group must
consist of one student from each topic.
🞂In turn, you will spend a maximum of three minutes
describing your energy source to your new group.
🞂While you are listening, summarise the key points of the
other energy resources in your table.
 Lesson 8 - Summary
🞂Complete p20-3 Q1-4, and p24 Q2,3,6a, then answer the
questions below:

1.Give an advantage that is common to both solar and wind energy

(other than that they are both renewable).
2.Give a disadvantage that is common to both biofuels and fossil fuels.
3.Give two advantages that nuclear power has over fossil fuels.
4.Name a renewable source of energy that is easy to set up anywhere
(the location is not important).
5.Name an energy source we could never use in the UK.
Lesson 8 - Homework
CHALLENGE TASK
‘Use My Electricity’
◦ Imagine that you work for a renewable energy company – produce
a leaflet to promote your energy resource.
◦ Decide on an energy resource, then decide what type of community
would benefit from it the most (your target audience).
◦ Remember to discuss how it is used to generate electricity and the
benefits of using that resource.
◦ READ THE SHEET CAREFULLY, AND ENSURE YOU MEET THE
CRITERIA TO REACH YOUR TARGET GRADE!
 You should now be able to…
🞂Describe the different non-renewable and renewable energy
resources, and give some advantages and disadvantages of
each.
 - KS3 PHYSICS -
Transferring Energy

Lessons 9-10
Work, Power and Efficiency
🞂 Which does more work…?
A: Adult standing
A B
A: Car travelling 5km
A: Car travelling 10km
A: Pushing a trailer 50m
🞂 Which is more powerful?
A: Cyclist accelerating for 5s
A: Crane lifting heavy load
A: Running 200m in 30s
A: Climbing stairs in 20s
OR ?
B: Child standing
B: Truck travelling 5km
B: Car travelling 5km
B: Pulling a suitcase 500m
B: Car accelerating for 5s
B: Crane lifting small load
B: Running 200m in 20s
B: Climbing stairs in 10s
🞂 So, which variables affect
work and power?
 Lesson 9-10 – Learning Objectives
🞂Explain the difference between work and energy, and state
the unit for both.
🞂Recall the definition of power, and state the unit.
🞂Complete calculations involving work, power and time.
🞂Understand what is meant by ‘energy efficiency’.
🞂Represent energy transfers using Sankey diagrams.
 What Is ‘Work’?
WORK is the process of TRANSFERRING
ENERGY. We say that an object has energy, but
the object does work when it transfers that W
energy to another form.
We do more work if we have to apply a larger
force, or move for a larger distance.
F d
WORK DONE = FORCE x
WORKDISTANCE
is measured in JOULES,
FORCE is measured in NEWTONS,
DISTANCE is measured in METRES.
🞂 Make sure you are able to rearrange this equation.
🞂 Do not forget to show your working
 What Is ‘Power’?
POWER is the RATE at which WORK is done.
A more powerful object can do the same amount of
work in less time, or more work in the same time,
as a less powerful object.
W
WORK
POWER =
DONE P t
TIME
POWER is measured in WATTS,
WORK is measured in JOULES,
TAKEN
TIME is measured in SECONDS.
🞂 Make sure you are able to rearrange this equation.
🞂 Do not forget to show your working and
give the correct units.
 Task
🞂 Time to test your problem-solving skills.
🞂 Work individually – select a question from the side bench (the challenging
questions have more stars).
🞂 Take the question to your place, tear off one question tab and fix it in. Solve
the question in your book, showing every stage of your calculation.
🞂 Write your name and your answer on the back of the large question slip.
🞂 If you are the first person to answer that question, or your answer agrees
with everyone else’s, return the slip to the side and take another.
🞂 If your answer disagrees with the previous person, find that person and
discuss the problem until you agree an answer.
🞂 How many questions can you complete in the time allowed, and how
many stars will you gain?
 Energy Efficiency
For a machine to be considered as efficient, it must convert most of the
input energy into useful forms, and waste little energy.

For example: ELECTRICA LIGHT LIGHT

L
BULB
150J 90J
This device has an efficiency of THERMAL
60% (which can also be written as 60J
0.6).
So 40% of the energy entering the
device was wasted.
A machine can never be more
than 100% efficient.
 What Is ‘Efficiency’?
EFFICIENCY is a measure of how much energy put into a device is
transferred to a useful form.

USEFUL ENERGY
EFFICIENCY = OUTPUT
If you wish, you can multiply TOTAL
your answerENERGY INPUT
by 100% to give the
efficiency as a percentage. There are no units for efficiency.

You may use ‘power’ instead of ‘energy’ if necessary.

It is impossible for the efficiency of a machine to be greater than 1 (or

100%).
 Sankey Diagrams
A Sankey diagram is a more sophisticated version of the energy flow
diagram.
Its arrows are drawn to scale, so the efficiencies of two devices can be
easily compared.
THERMA KINETIC

ELECTRICA
CHEMICAL

L
LIGHT THERMA
L
& SOUND
🞂 What could the two devices shown here be?
🞂 Which of these devices is more efficient?
🞂 How can you tell?
 Sankey Diagrams
To draw a Sankey diagram:
• work on squared paper…

ELECTRICAL
• …and decide on a scale.

1.8s

90J
• Start by drawing the ‘input’

q=
150
3sq
arrow… LIGHT

J
The length of the arrow doesn’t matter, but
the width does!
• …then continue the ‘useful 1.2s
output’ arrow. q=
60J
This will be narrower than the input
arrow.
THERMAL
• Finally, draw the ‘waste’ arrow 1sq = 50J
downwards. Check that the total widths of the two output
arrows add up to the width of the input arrow.
Don’t forget to add some labels.
 Lesson 10 – Summary
🞂Complete the ‘Efficiency and Sankey Diagrams’ sheet.
◦ (This can be tricky, but try your best!)
 You should now be able to…
🞂Explain the difference between work and energy, and state
the unit for both.
🞂Recall the definition of power, and state the unit.
🞂Complete calculations involving work, power and time.
🞂Understand what is meant by ‘energy efficiency’.
🞂Represent energy transfers using Sankey diagrams.
 - KS3 PHYSICS -
Transferring Energy

Lessons 11-12
Electrical Power
and Electricity Bills
 HIGHE OR LOWE ?

R of electrical
🞂You will be shown some cards
with pictures R
appliances you may find in your
home.
🞂You must predict whether the
next one will be more or less
powerful.
🞂Hold up your coloured card to
answer.
 Lesson 11-12 – Learning Objectives
🞂Recall the definition of power, and state the unit.
🞂State that large currents and voltages in a circuit lead to
more electrical energy being transformed to other forms by
the device.
🞂Complete calculations involving current, voltage and
power.
🞂Calculate the cost of using electrical appliances.
 Electrical Power
A more powerful device transfers energy at a faster
rate (POWER = ENERGY ÷ TIME), but we can P
calculate the power in an electrical appliance using
a different equation:
I V
POWER = CURRENT x VOLTAGE
POWER is measured in WATTS (W),
CURRENT is measured in AMPERES (A) - NOT ‘amps’,
VOLTAGE is measured in VOLTS (V).
If more current is flowing in a circuit, and it carries more energy (a
higher voltage), then the energy is transferred at a greater
rate (more power).
 Task
🞂Complete the ‘Calculating Power’ sheet.
◦ Remember to show every stage of each calculation.
 Electricity Bills
We must pay for our electricity – the fuel costs money, and the power
stations and National Grid must be maintained. The more we use, the
more we must pay.
The electrical meter in our home tells us
how many kilowatt-hours electricity we
have used since our last bill.
Remember – we also pay for wasted energy!
1kWh of energy is transferred by a device
with a power of 1kW being used for one
hour.
Why don’t the meters measure our energy
usage in joules?
 Electricity Bills
The energy company compares our current reading
to the previous reading to determine how many
kilowatt-hours of energy we have used, then they
calculate the bill based on the number of
kilowatt-hours used.

eg. The meter currently reads ‘35879’, and the previous reading was
‘35451’. How much energy was used?

35879 – 35451 = 428kWh

If 1kWh of energy costs 20p, how much will the electricity bill
be?
428 x 20p = £85.60
 Electricity Bills
If we know the power of an appliance (in kilowatts) and the time it was
used for (in hours), we can determine how many kilowatt-hours of
energy were used, then calculate the cost of using the appliance.

eg. A 1500W lawnmower is used for 30min If 1kWh

of energy costs 16p, how much does it cost to
cut the grass?

ENERGY = POWER x TIME

= 1.5kW x 0.5h = 2.25kWh
Power MUST be in kilowatts Time MUST be in hours

COST = 2.25kWh x 16p = 36p

 Lesson 12 - Summary
🞂Complete the ‘Calculating Electricity Bills’ sheet.
◦ Remember to show every stage of each calculation.
 Lesson 12 - Homework
🞂Ensure that all work from this topic is finished.

🞂Revise for the End-Of-Topic Test.

 You should now be able to…
🞂Recall the definition of power, and state the unit.
🞂State that large currents and voltages in a circuit lead to
more electrical energy being transformed to other forms by
the device.
🞂Complete calculations involving current, voltage and
power.
🞂Calculate the cost of using electrical appliances.