Conservation of Energy
Physics: Edexcel IGCSE, topic 4.1.2
Conservation of Energy
The principle of the conservation of energy says that energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be transformed from one store of energy into another. Energy can be transformed by:
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
- An electrical current transfers energy from one object to another, such as a battery powering a torch.
Heating
- Heating an object transfers energy to the object's internal store of energy (the sum of the energy in the kinetic and chemical stores of its particles).
Waves
- Light and other types of waves can transfer energy from one object to another.
Test yourself on Conservation of Energy
What is the name of the principle stating that energy cannot be created or destroyed?