Pearson Edexcel · GCSE · Physics
Course version: 1PH0 · Version from Sept 2016
Describe how, in different domestic devices, energy is transferred from…
Full specification wording
Topic 10 – Electricity and circuits: 10.32 Describe how, in different domestic devices, energy is transferred from batteries and the a.c. mains to the energy of motors and heating devices
Domestic devices transfer energy from a supply to a useful output.
Checked against the Pearson Edexcel 1PH0 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 30 of 39
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
Domestic devices transfer energy from a supply to a useful output. Batteries store chemical energy and deliver direct current; the a.c. mains supplies alternating current at about 230 V in the UK. In a device with a motor, such as a battery-powered toy or a mains food mixer, electrical energy is transferred to kinetic energy of the motor and its moving parts. In a heating device, such as a battery torch bulb filament or a mains kettle, electrical energy is transferred to thermal energy, warming the surroundings. Some devices do both: a hairdryer uses a motor to drive a fan and a heater to warm the air. Describe the supply, the device and the energy transfer chain, for example: mains a.c. → heater element → thermal energy of the water.
What earns the marks
- Identifies the supply as a battery (chemical store, direct current) or the a.c. mains (alternating current).
- Names the device and the component that produces the useful output, such as a motor or a heating element.
- Describes the transfer from electrical energy to kinetic energy for a motor.
- Describes the transfer from electrical energy to thermal energy for a heating device.
- Gives a clear energy transfer chain from supply through device to output.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Says energy is 'used up' rather than transferred.
Put it right: Describe the transfer from electrical energy to kinetic or thermal energy.
Confuses the supply type.
Put it right: State that batteries give direct current and the mains gives alternating current.
Names only the device without the energy transfer.
Put it right: Include the input and output energy forms.
Treats a motor as a heater or a heater as a motor.
Put it right: Match the component to the output energy.
Exam tips
- Structure the answer as supply → device component → output energy.
- Use the correct energy store names: chemical, kinetic and thermal.
- Give a specific device example for each transfer to make the description concrete.
Try the lesson
The start of the Topic 10 – Electricity and circuits: 10.32 Describe how, in different domestic devices, energy is transferred from batteries and the a.c. mains to the energy of motors and heating devices lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
A battery-powered electric toothbrush is switched on. Describe the main energy transfer that occurs in the toothbrush's motor.
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