In this chapter, you will learn to: / describe, measure and calculate the energy required to do work
/ distinguish between different forms of energy / explain how energy is conserved and changes form / use Sankey diagrams to represent and calculate energy efficiency and dissipation
/ design, build and test a device that transforms energy from one form to another.
In this chapter, you will learn to: / xx
Energy To do anything – walk, drive, lift or even think – energy is required. Energy is the ability to do work. The SI unit of energy is the joule (J).
Calculating energy To calculate the energy required to do work, the following formula is used:
work = force × distance EXAMPLE
Question Calculate the energy required to move a 20 N box 5 metres. Solution work = force × distance work = 20 N × 5 m work = 100 J
Question Calculate the energy required to lift a 250 N person 0.5 metres up in the air. Solution work = force × distance work = 250 N × 0.5 m work = 125 J
CONCENTRATE! Note: work is calculated in the same way whether something is being moved along the ground or lifted up in the air.