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Year 7

Transferring energy

I can identify when stores of energy change, and describe causes of energy transfer between stores.

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New
New
Year 7

Transferring energy

I can identify when stores of energy change, and describe causes of energy transfer between stores.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Energy cannot be created or destroyed.
  2. Energy can be transferred by forces that change the properties of an object (or system).

Common misconception

Energy can be used up.

Describe mechanisms that transfer energy from an object to other objects or systems as the energy it has decreases - or vice versa.

Keywords

  • Store of energy - A store of energy describes the reason that something has energy.

  • Surroundings - An object’s surroundings include everything that is around it.

  • Energy transfer - There is an energy transfer when the amount of energy in some stores goes down and in other stores it goes up.

Many of the images or situations included in the slide deck could be demonstrated by the teacher, or set up around the room for pupils to explore in person.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which picture shows an elastic store of energy?
a moving toy car
Correct answer: a stretched spring
a hot cup of tea
Q2.
Objects that are moving have a store of energy.
Correct Answer: kinetic
Q3.
If an object gets hotter, its store of energy increases.
Correct Answer: thermal
Q4.
Match each action with the energy store that increases as a result of the action.
Correct Answer:Moving an object higher up ...,increases the object's gravitational store of energy.

increases the object's gravitational store of energy.

Correct Answer:Increasing an object's speed ...,increases the object's kinetic store of energy.

increases the object's kinetic store of energy.

Correct Answer:Increasing an object's temperature ... ,increases the object's thermal store of energy.

increases the object's thermal store of energy.

Correct Answer:Squashing an object with more force ...,increases the object's elastic store of energy.

increases the object's elastic store of energy.

Q5.
Which of these can cause the temperature of an object to increase?
Correct answer: friction
Correct answer: electrical devices
Correct answer: the human body
gravity
Correct answer: chemical reactions (e.g. combustion)
Q6.
A car drives downhill whilst also using the engine to get faster. Match each process that happens to the correct energy store that changes.
Correct Answer:Fuel burning in the engine ...,decreases the car's chemical store of energy.

decreases the car's chemical store of energy.

Correct Answer:The car getting faster ...,increases the car's kinetic store of energy.

increases the car's kinetic store of energy.

Correct Answer:The car getting further down the hill ..,decreases the car's gravitational store of energy.

decreases the car's gravitational store of energy.

Correct Answer:The engine heating the surroundings ...,increases the surrounding's thermal store of energy.

increases the surrounding's thermal store of energy.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
When energy moves from one store to another, this is called an energy ...
Correct Answer: transfer, pathway, transfer process, transfer.
Q2.
Only one of these statements about energy is true and the other two are false. Choose the correct statement.
Energy can be created.
Correct answer: Energy can be transferred.
Energy can be destroyed.
Q3.
Which energy store do 'the surroundings' around an object always have?
a gravitational store
Correct answer: a thermal store
an elastic store
a kinetic store
Q4.
Match each situation to the correct reason why energy is transferred.
Correct Answer:A rolling ball slows down because ...,friction and drag forces act (in the opposite direction).

friction and drag forces act (in the opposite direction).

Correct Answer:A hot cup of tea cools down because ...,the surroundings are at a lower temperature.

the surroundings are at a lower temperature.

Correct Answer:A ball thrown upwards slows because ...,a gravitational force acts downwards (in the opposite direction).

a gravitational force acts downwards (in the opposite direction).

Correct Answer:A torch battery runs out because ...,a chemical reaction causes an electric current to flow.

a chemical reaction causes an electric current to flow.

Q5.
A person is sitting still next to an unstretched spring. They then stretch the spring and hold it in the new stretched position. Which statement describes the main energy transfer?
The person's chemical store decreases and the spring's kinetic store increases.
Correct answer: The person's chemical store decreases and the spring's elastic store increases.
The person's kinetic store decreases and the spring's kinetic store increases.
The person's kinetic store decreases and the spring's elastic store increases.
Q6.
A person is sitting still next to an unstretched spring. They then stretch the spring and hold it in the new stretched position. Identify two statements that explain why energy is transferred.
Correct answer: Chemical reactions occured in body cells,
Correct answer: The person exerted a force on the spring.
Gravitational forces were acting.
The surrounding air was the same temperature as the spring.