Energy Stores and Systems

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms about energy stores, transfers, and systems from the lecture notes.

Energy Store

A location or form in which energy is held within an object or system (e.g., a stretched elastic band holds elastic potential energy).

System

A single object or a group of objects in which energy can be stored, transferred, or transformed (e.g., a ball, car engine, or the Earth–Moon gravitational system).

Energy Transfer

The movement of energy from one store to another by mechanisms such as mechanical work, electrical work, heating, or radiation.

Work Done (W)

The amount of energy transferred; calculated using W = F × d, where F is force (N) and d is distance moved (m).

Mechanical Transfer

Energy transfer due to a force causing movement (e.g., wind turning a windmill’s blades).

Electrical Transfer

Energy transfer by moving electric charges through a circuit or conductor.

Heating (Thermal Transfer)

Energy transfer due to a temperature difference, often resulting in thermal energy gain or loss.

Radiation (Energy Transfer)

Energy transfer via electromagnetic waves (e.g., sunlight warming Earth).

Elastic Potential Energy

Energy stored in an object when it is stretched or compressed (e.g., a stretched rubber band).

Chemical Energy

Energy stored in the bonds of chemical substances, released during chemical reactions (e.g., fuel burning in an engine).

Thermal Energy

Energy related to the temperature of an object; the total kinetic energy of its particles.

Gravitational System

A system in which objects interact through gravitational forces, allowing energy to be stored as gravitational potential energy (e.g., Earth and Moon).