5.

1 Basics of energy

1. There are different forms of energy, including sound energy, chemical energy,
light energy, thermal energy, kinetic energy, potential energy and electrical
energy.
Form of energy Daily life example

Sound energy

The guitar string vibrates as When we sing, we give out

it is plucked. When it sound energy. We can feel
vibrates, it gives out sound our throats vibrate when we
energy. sing.

Chemical energy

When charcoal is burned, The chemical energy stored

the chemical energy stored in food helps us stay alive,
in it is released. grow and carry out our
activities.

Light energy

The Sun gives out light Street lamps give out light
energy. energy which enables us to
see the road at night.
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Form of energy Daily life example

Thermal energy

An electric iron releases The flame of gas stoves

thermal energy. releases thermal energy.

Kinetic energy

The children have kinetic The moving lorry and cars

energy when they move. have kinetic energy.

spring

Potential energy
When the handles are
The boy gains potential
squeezed, potential energy is
energy when he walks up
stored in the spring of the
the stairs.
pilers.

Electrical energy

The television and electric Lightning carries a huge

fan need electrical energy amount of electrical energy.
from the power stations to
work.
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2. Energy can be measured in joules (J) or calories (cal). The large units are
kilojoules (kJ) and kilocalories (kcal).

1 kJ = 1000 J
1 kcal = 1000 cal

5.2 Energy conversion

3. Energy can be converted from one form into another. This is called energy
conversion.

Example Energy conversion

electrical energy  thermal energy

(released by the electric toaster)
Switch on
an electric toaster

chemical energy  light energy + thermal energy

(stored in the candle)
Burn a candle

light energy  chemical energy

(from the Sun) (stored in the plant)
Put a plant
under the Sun

electrical energy  kinetic energy

(stored in the batteries) (of the fan)
Switch on
a small electric fan
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4. The law of conservation of energy states that energy can be converted from one
form into another, but it cannot be created or destroyed.

5. We can use a Sankey diagram to show an energy conversion process.

Energy input
electrical energy
(100 J)
light energy
(10 J)

Energy
output

thermal energy
light bulb
(90 J)

The Sankey diagram for the light bulb on the left

 The light bulb converts the energy input (electrical energy) into two energy
outputs: light energy and thermal energy. The Sankey diagram divides into
two energy output arrows. One arrow represents light energy and the other
represents thermal energy.
 The widths of the arrows in the Sankey diagram are proportional to the
amount of energy they represent. The Sankey diagram shows that the light
bulb converts most of the electrical energy into thermal energy and only a
little of it into light energy.
 The Sankey diagram also shows that energy is conserved in the energy
conversion process. The sum of the widths of the two energy output arrows
is equal to the width of the energy input. No energy is created or destroyed in
the process.

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E 6. The devices or appliances that are used to convert energy from one form into
another form of useful energy are energy converters (e.g. electric fan and lamp).

E 7. The efficiency of an energy converter is a measure of how much energy input is

converted into useful energy output.

useful energy output

Efficiency =  100%
total energy input

Sankey diagram for a filament light bulb Sankey diagram for a compact fluorescent lamp

electrical energy electrical energy

(100 J) (100 J)
light energy
light energy
(10 J)
(75 J)

thermal energy thermal energy

(90 J) (25 J)

10 J 75 J
Efficiency =  100% = 10% Efficiency =  100% = 75%
100 J 100 J

5.3 Heat transfer

8. Conduction can take place in an object or between two objects in contact. It

transfers heat through an object from the hot end to the cold end.

heat is conducted in this direction

wax
metal rod When the metal rod is heated, heat is
conducted along the rod and also
from the rod to the wax. When the
wax melts, the paper clips fall off,
one-by-one.

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9. In general, metals are good conductors of heat and non-metals are poor
conductors of heat (or insulators of heat).

Good conductors of heat Poor conductors of heat

Description They conduct heat fast. They conduct heat slowly.

copper aluminium glass

Example

iron stainless steel

plastic wood

10. In general, liquids (e.g. water) and gases (e.g. air) are poor conductors of heat.

11. In daily life, we make use of both good and poor conductors of heat.
Application

Good conductor
of heat

Some cooking utensils (e.g. an iron wok and a frying

pan) are made of iron, stainless steel or copper.

plastic handles
Poor conductor
of heat
Most handles of cooking utensils Fur or down jackets keep
are made of plastic or wood. us warm by trapping air
inside them.
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12. Convection is the transfer of heat from one place to another by the movement of
a liquid (or a gas). This kind of heat transfer cannot take place in solids.

13. The diagram below shows the movement of water when the convection tube is
heated.

hot water rises cold water sinks

the cold water takes the place

of the risen hot water

When the water on the bottom left corner of the convection tube is heated, the
hot water rises. At the same time, the cold water in the tube sinks to take the
place of the risen hot water. This movement of water forms a convection
current of water.

14. The diagram below shows the movement of air around a burning candle.

hot air rises

cold air cold air

sinks sinks

When the air above the candle flame gets hot, it rises. The cold air from the
surroundings sinks to take the place of the hot air. The movement of the air
forms a convection current of air.

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15. The following shows the applications of convection in some electrical

appliances.

hot air
rises

hot water rises,

cold air
cold water sinks
sinks

The heating element of an electric kettle An air conditioner is usually installed

is placed at the bottom so that heat can near the ceiling. Cold air is blown out
be transferred by a convection current. and sinks while hot air rises to replace
it. A convection current is formed and
the room is cooled.

16. The following table summarizes the medium required for conduction and
convection to transfer heat.

Solids Liquids Gases

Conduction   
Convection   

17. Heat can be transferred through a vacuum by radiation.

Sun

radiation

Earth
vacuum

Heat is transferred from the Sun When we sit near an electric heater,
to the Earth by radiation. we feel warm. Heat is transferred
to us mostly by radiation.

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18. All objects absorb radiation. In general, the temperature of an object increases
when it absorbs radiation.

19. In general, dull black surfaces are good absorbers of radiation while shiny
silver surfaces are poor absorbers of radiation.

Light-coloured clothes help us Dark-coloured clothes help us

stay cool in summer. keep warm in winter.

20. All objects also emit radiation. Dull black surfaces are good emitters of
radiation while shiny silver surfaces are poor emitters of radiation.

21. The following shows the applications of radiation in daily life.

The heat radiator behind this Shiny, light-coloured pot

refrigerator is painted black. It surface helps keep food hot.
loses heat easily by radiation.

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E 5.4 Energy sources

22. Fossil fuels are our main energy sources today. They take a very long time to
replenish after they are used. They are called non-renewable energy sources.
Coal, crude oil and natural gas are fossil fuels.

Coal is a black solid fuel. Crude oil is a thick, dark Natural gas is stored in
liquid. tanks.

23. There are some concerns about using fossil fuels:

 The reserves of fossil fuels are limited and will soon be used up.
 The burning of fossil fuels causes harm to our health and our environment.

24. The table below shows the harmful effects of some substances released from the
burning of fossil fuels.

Substance Harmful effect

 It can cause global warming by trapping more heat in

Carbon dioxide
the atmosphere.

 It can irritate our eyes and throat.

Sulphur dioxide
 It can cause acid rain.

 It can cause acid rain.

Nitrogen oxides  It can cause global warming by trapping more heat in
the atmosphere.

25. Nuclear power is a non-renewable energy source because the supply of the
nuclear fuel is limited. A small amount of nuclear fuel can be used to generate a
large amount of electricity. However, nuclear fuels and the waste produced in
nuclear power stations are highly dangerous.

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26. Renewable energy sources can be replenished in a short period of time. They
cause less pollution than non-renewable energy sources. They can serve as
alternatives to fossil fuels.

27. Solar energy, wind power, hydroelectric power and biomass energy are
examples of renewable energy sources. There are some limitations in using them.

Limitation
Solar energy
 The energy supply is affected by day length and
sunlight intensity.
 Special equipment is needed to collect sunlight and
convert it into electricity. This equipment is
expensive.

Wind power  The supply of wind power depends on the

availability and speed of wind.
 Wind turbines cause noise pollution and may kill
flying animals such as birds.
 Some people feel that wind turbines make the
landscape look unsightly.
Hydroelectric power
 The construction of large dams destroys local land
and water habitats. This causes damage to local
species. People living near a dam site may need to
move away.

 A large area of land is needed to grow crops used

Biomass energy
for the production of biofuels. The use of
agricultural plants as biofuels may increase the
prices of crops.
 If food waste for making biofuels is not treated
properly, it may release gases with a foul smell
and attract pests such as rats and flies.

28. We can reduce the use of fossil fuels by saving energy and developing
energy-saving technologies.

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