Conservation of energy
What Conservation of energy means in Physics GCSE, as defined for AQA, OCR.
Definitions of Conservation of energy
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
Check what you remember
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Reference: OCR
Total energy is conserved even though useful energy decreases, because dissipated energy is not destroyed but transferred to the surroundings.
Reducing unwanted transfer does not destroy energy, because the total energy is conserved and is kept in the intended store for longer.
In each case the total energy is conserved and the change shows as a rise or fall in a store such as thermal, kinetic or chemical.
Energy is conserved, but it moves between stores; it is not used up or destroyed, only transferred between stores.
Energy is conserved either way, and a generator must be hard to turn or you would be making energy for free.
The law stating that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred from one store to another.
Topics that use Conservation of energy
- Induced potential (HT only) (AQA GCSE)
- Power and efficiency (OCR GCSE)
- Work done (OCR GCSE)
Related terms
- Battery as chemical store versus mains a.c. supply
- changing field
- Closed systems
- Cooling of buildings
- direction of the induced potential difference
- Efficiency
- Efficiency as a ratio and percentage
- Elastic potential energy
Using Conservation of energy in the exam
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