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4.1 Energy

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

Where does our energy come from, and what are the trade-offs?

Energy resources: the main renewable and non-renewable resources, their uses for transport, heating and electricity, and the environmental and reliability trade-offs.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Physics 4.1.3, covering the main renewable and non-renewable energy resources, how they are used for transport, heating and electricity generation, and the trade-offs in reliability, cost and environmental impact.
8 min answer →

How do we describe energy as it moves between stores in a system?

Energy stores and systems: describing how energy is transferred between stores when a system changes, and the principle of conservation of energy.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Physics 4.1.1, covering the eight energy stores, how energy is transferred between stores when a system changes, and the principle of conservation of energy.
7 min answer →

How do we calculate the energy in moving, raised and stretched objects?

Kinetic, gravitational potential and elastic potential energy: calculating each store and using conservation of energy to link them.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Physics 4.1.1, covering the kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy and elastic potential energy equations and how conservation of energy links them in a transfer.
8 min answer →

How fast is energy transferred, and how much of it is usefully used?

Power and efficiency: power as the rate of energy transfer, the power equations, useful versus wasted energy, the efficiency equation and ways to reduce unwanted transfers.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Physics 4.1.2 and 4.1.3, covering power as the rate of energy transfer, the two power equations, useful and wasted energy, the efficiency equation and methods of reducing unwanted energy transfers.
8 min answer →

How much energy does it take to heat a material, and how do we measure it?

Specific heat capacity: the energy needed to raise the temperature of a substance, the equation linking change in thermal energy to mass, specific heat capacity and temperature change, and the required practical.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Physics 4.1.1, covering the meaning of specific heat capacity, the equation linking thermal energy, mass, specific heat capacity and temperature change, and the required practical to measure it.
8 min answer →