AQA · GCSE · Physics

    Course version: 8463 · Version from Sept 2016

    Heating changes the energy stored within the system by increasing the…

    Full specification wording

    Internal energy: Heating changes the energy stored within the system by increasing the energy of the particles that make up the system.

    Heating transfers energy into a system, and that energy ends up with the particles.

    Checked against the AQA 8463 specification (opens in a new tab) on .

    • Point 3 of 4
    • 4 key terms

    Study notes

    From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    The idea

    Heating transfers energy into a system, and that energy ends up with the particles. Which part of their energy rises depends on what the substance is doing. While the temperature is rising, the extra energy goes to the kinetic store, so the particles vibrate or move faster and their mean kinetic energy increases. While the substance is changing state, the temperature holds constant and the extra energy goes to the potential store instead, weakening the attractions that hold the particles close together, so their potential energy increases while their kinetic energy stays the same. Either way the internal energy of the system increases, because the energy is not lost, only stored differently.

    What earns the marks

    • Heating increasing the energy of the particles in the system.
    • The mean kinetic energy of the particles increasing while the temperature rises.
    • The potential energy of the particles increasing during a change of state.
    • The kinetic energy of the particles staying the same while a substance melts at constant temperature.

    Common mistakes and how to put them right

    • Saying the particles move faster while a substance melts, even though the temperature is constant.

    • Stating that the potential energy of the particles decreases as a solid melts.

    • Claiming the particles expand or gain mass when they are heated.

    • Treating a constant temperature as evidence that no energy is being transferred in.

    Exam tips

    • Check the temperature first, because constant temperature means potential energy and rising temperature means kinetic energy.
    • In tick-box questions with a row for kinetic and a row for potential, give one tick per row only.
    • Write 'mean kinetic energy' rather than 'speed' when describing a whole system of particles.

    Try the lesson

    The start of the Internal energy: Heating changes the energy stored within the system by increasing the energy of the particles that make up the system. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    Have a go first

    What happens to the energy of the particles in a system when the system is heated?

    Listen

    Heating transfers energy into a system, and that energy ends up with the particles. Which part of their energy rises depends on what the substance is doing. While the temperature is rising, the extra energy goes to the kinetic store, so the particles vibrate or move faster and their mean kinetic energy increases. While the substance is changing state, the temperature holds constant and the extra energy goes to the potential store instead, weakening the attractions that hold the particles close together, so their potential energy increases while their kinetic energy stays the same. Either way the internal energy of the system increases, because the energy is not lost, only stored differently. A strong answer earns marks for these points. heating increasing the energy of the particles in the system. the mean kinetic energy of the particles increasing while the temperature rises. the potential energy of the particles increasing during a change of state. the kinetic energy of the particles staying the same while a substance melts at constant temperature. Exam tip: Check the temperature first, because constant temperature means potential energy and rising temperature means kinetic energy.

    See it

    A top-down flowchart. Heating a system leads to the energy of the particles increasing, which leads to the internal energy of the system increasing. From the same point a decision asks what the substance is doing. One branch, labelled temperature rising, leads to the extra energy going to the kinetic store, then to particles vibrating or moving faster, then to mean kinetic energy increasing. The other branch, labelled changing state, leads to temperature holding constant, then to the extra energy going to the potential store, then to attractions holding particles close together weakening, then to potential energy increasing while kinetic energy stays the same.
    It shows how heating raises the internal energy of a system, with the extra energy going to the kinetic store while the temperature rises and to the potential store during a change of state.

    Key words

    Say what each word means before you turn the card.

    heating a system

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    kinetic energy of particles

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    potential energy of particles

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    constant temperature during melting

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    See every definition
    heating a system
    Changes the energy stored within the system by increasing the energy of the particles that make up the system.
    kinetic energy of particles
    Increases while the temperature is rising, so the particles vibrate or move faster and their mean kinetic energy increases.
    potential energy of particles
    Increases during a change of state, weakening the attractions that hold the particles close together while their kinetic energy stays the same.
    constant temperature during melting
    While the substance is changing state the temperature holds constant and the extra energy goes to the potential store instead.

    Label the diagram

    Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.

    The diagram again, with 3 boxes numbered instead of named. A top-down flowchart. Heating a system leads to the energy of the particles increasing, which leads to the internal energy of the system increasing. From the same point a decision asks what the substance is doing. One branch, labelled temperature rising, leads to the extra energy going to the kinetic store, then to particles vibrating or moving faster, then to mean kinetic energy increasing. The other branch, labelled changing state, leads to temperature holding constant, then to the extra energy going to the potential store, then to attractions holding particles close together weakening, then to potential energy increasing while kinetic energy stays the same.

    • 1Box 1

    • 2Box 2

    • 3Box 3

    0 of 3 labelled

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