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Wasted Energy

When one store of energy is transferred to another, some energy is wasted (transferred into unwanted stores of energy). This dissipates (spreads out) to anything nearby.

Car engines - noise and heat

Car engines - noise and heat

  • Car engines make a lot of noise and get hot when they are being used to move you about.
  • The useful energy store here is the kinetic store because you want the car to move you from one place to another.
  • The heat and sound energy are wasted energy because they are of no use to you.
Wires - heat

Wires - heat

  • When wires are used in an electrical circuit, they heat up.
  • This is often not useful energy and so it is wasted.
Friction - heat

Friction - heat

  • In almost every energy transfer, friction creates heat energy and this energy is often wasted.
Jump to other topics
1

Forces & Motion

1.1

Basics of Motion

1.2

Forces

1.3

Effects of Forces

1.4

Stopping Distance

1.5

Forces & Elasticity

2

Electricity

3

Waves

4

Energy Resources & Energy Transfers

5

Solids, Liquids & Gases

6

Magnetism & Electromagnetism

7

Radioactivity & Particles

8

Astrophysics

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