GCSE Physics resources
AQA GCSE Energy
Energy questions become easier when you name the system, track the stores that change and identify the transfer pathway. Then choose an equation only when the physical change requires it.
Topic overview
Use the resource cards below to revise one idea at a time. Each page includes worked examples, mini quizzes, practice questions, exam language and a visual or simulation when it adds learning value.
Knowledge map
Use this overview to find the part of the topic that needs attention; the focused guides below teach and assess each idea in depth.
Energy is stored in thermal, kinetic, gravitational potential, elastic potential, chemical, magnetic, electrostatic and nuclear stores. It is transferred mechanically, electrically, by heating or by radiation. The total energy of a closed system is conserved.
Light, sound and electricity describe ways energy is transferred, not stores. In a written answer, name the store that decreases, the store that increases and the pathway between them.
A strong explanation links the physical change to an energy model. “The energy is lost” is incomplete: say which store increases and where the energy is dissipated.
Focused revision
Each guide combines explanation, a diagnostic check, misconception repair, worked examples and exam-style practice.
A bouncing ball redistributes energy even when each bounce reaches a lower height. Choose the ball, Earth and surroundings as the system, then account for every changing store.
The changing quantity chooses the energy equation: speed, height, extension, displacement or time. A faster transfer and a larger transfer are different claims.
Useful output is chosen by the purpose of the device. The “wasted” part is still present in the full energy account, usually spread through thermal stores.
The experiment estimates energy needed per kilogram per degree. Measure the electrical input and temperature rise, then examine the assumption that all input heats the block.
A fair cooling comparison starts with the same water and surroundings. The best insulator gives the smallest temperature fall over the same time.
A resource is a source available for an energy transfer, rather than another name for an energy store. Electricity, transport and heating impose different constraints.
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