3.1.23

Conservation of Energy

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Conservation of Energy

The principle of the conservation of energy says that energy cannot be created or destroyed. Energy can only be transferred from one store of energy into another. Energy can be transferred by:

Mechanical work

Mechanical work

  • Energy transferred from one object to another via a force is an example of mechanical work.
    • When an object falls from a building, the weight does mechanical work to transfer energy from the gravitational potential store to the kinetic store.
    • When you push a wheelchair, energy is transferred to the kinetic store of the wheelchair.
Electrical work

Electrical work

  • An electrical current transfers energy from one object to another.
  • Example: a battery powering a torch.
Heating

Heating

  • Heating an object transfers energy to the object's internal store of energy.
    • The internal store of energy is the sum of the energy in the kinetic and chemical stores of its particles.
Waves

Waves

  • Light and other types of waves can transfer energy from one object to another.
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