Page 216 - Big Ideas Year 9 sciPAD 2025

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216 SCIPAD - BIG IDEAS - BOOK 1
ENERGY AND ITS TRANSFER
Energy Transfer and Transformation
The amount of energy in the universe always stays the same. Energy cannot be created or
destroyed, only transformed or transferred. This is called the Law of Conservation of Energy.
Energy transfer and transformation are fundamental concepts in science. Imagine you’re riding
a bike down a hill. At the top, you have energy due to your height - this is called gravitational
energy. As you start riding down, this energy changes into kinetic energy, which is the energy of
motion. You speed increases because gravitational energy is transforming into kinetic energy.
When you squeeze the brake lever, your bike slows down. The kinetic energy doesn’t just disappear;
it transforms into thermal energy due to friction between the brake pads and the wheels, making
the brakes and wheels warm up.
Energy can also be transferred. When you kick a ball, the ball gains kinetic energy. The kinetic
energy wasn’t created, it was transferred to the ball by kinetic energy in your body. Energy transfer
occurs when energy moves from place to place, or between objects, but the type of energy
remains the same.
Understanding how energy is transferred or converted from one form to another or from one
object to another helps us understand energy as it relates to our everyday lives.
A trampoline transforms elastic
energy into kinetic energy.
Skiing transforms gravitational
energy into kinetic energy.
A petrol engine transforms chemical
energy into kinetic energy.
1. State the Law of Conservation of Energy. 


2. What does it mean when we say that energy cannot be created or destroyed? 


3. What happens to energy when it is transformed? 

4. What happens to energy when it is transferred? 

4. Describe the main energy transformations that occur in the following situations:
(a) A roller coaster at the top of a peak moving down the track.
to
(b) Lighting a match.
to
(c) A wind turbine generating power.
to
(d) A light bulb being switched on.
to
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