Energy Stores and Systems Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards defining key energy stores, system types, and energy transfer mechanisms from the physics lecture transcript.

System

A single object (e.g. the air in a piston) or a group of objects (e.g. two colliding vehicles) that you are interested in.

Closed system

A system where neither matter nor energy can enter or leave, resulting in a net change in total energy that is always zero.

Work done

Another way of saying energy transferred. Work can be done when current flows or by a force moving an object.

Thermal energy store

Also called internal energy store; an energy store that increases when temperature rises, such as in water heated by a kettle.

Kinetic energy store

An energy store associated with moving objects, such as a moving ball or the wheels of a car.

Gravitational potential energy store

An energy store held by an object raised off the ground or dropped and accelerated by gravity.

Elastic potential energy store

An energy store involved when objects deform, stretch, or compress, such as the body of a car during a collision.

Chemical energy store

An energy store contained within chemical bonds, such as in a person's arm prior to throwing a ball upwards.

Mechanical energy transfer

Energy transferred by a force doing work.

Electrical energy transfer

Energy transferred by moving charges (work done against resistance in a circuit).

Heating energy transfer

Energy transferred into thermal energy stores due to a temperature difference, such as from a heating element to water.

Radiation energy transfer

Energy transferred by electromagnetic waves (e.g. light) or mechanical waves (e.g. sound).