KS3 · Physics

Energy and where it is stored

Is an ice cube full of energy? What about someone fast asleep? Surprisingly, yes to both. Let's find out why.

Physics · Energy stores

Which store does it have?

What is the object doing, or what is it made of? Let that property decide the store. (Objects can have more than one store, but you're only sorting by the highlighted property here.)

Still to sort

Kinetic (0)

The object is moving.

Where the line is: Kinetic is about moving right now. Sitting high up or sitting stretched is a different property.

Gravitational (0)

The object is raised up.

Elastic (0)

The object is stretched or squashed.

Chemical (0)

The object contains chemicals that can react.

Where the line is: Nothing has to be burning or flowing yet. The store comes from having chemicals that can react.

Thermal (0)

The object has a temperature.

Where the line is: Thermal is about temperature, not movement. A hot radiator isn't going anywhere, but it is hot.

12 of 12 still to sort.

Every object below comes with one highlighted property. Pick an object, then pick the store that property gives it.

Physics · One object, several stores

Tick every store

Read each description, then tick every store it gives the object. Use only what the description tells you.

A passenger aeroplane flying high, with fuel in its tanks
A cyclist rolling along a flat road
A bow with its string pulled back, held still
A battery inside a switched-off torch
A sandwich in a lunchbox

Relationship matrix

Tap any cell to reveal it. Tap a column header to read one property down every item.

Gets bigger with…Also affected by…
Kineticmoving
Gravitationalraised up
Elasticstretched or squashed
Chemicalchemicals that can react

Each cell hides a short answer and the reason behind it. Predict before you tap.

Predict, then check: the thermal store

Three things on a kitchen counter: a small cup of very hot tea, a bath full of warm water, and one ice cube. Commit before you reveal.

Which statement about their thermal stores is true?

Physics · What is energy, really?

Which idea is closest to yours?

After a long day, Sam collapses on the sofa and says, "I've got no energy left." Then Sam falls fast asleep.

Which is closest to what you think right now?
How sure are you?

WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED

A quick recap of today's lesson.

Look at the object. Spot the property. Name the store.

What you need to know

  • An energy store is the name for one way an object can have energy.
  • Objects have energy because they are moving, raised, hot, stretched or squashed, or contain chemicals that can react.
  • The five stores are kinetic, gravitational, elastic, chemical and thermal.
  • One object can have more than one store.
  • Energy is not a force and not a substance. It is a label for properties, and every object has energy in some store.

The big picture

An energy store is the name for one way an object can have energy: it is moving, raised up, hot, stretched or squashed, or it contains chemicals that can react. Find the property and you've found the store. One object can have several stores, and every object has energy in at least one.

Key points

1Moving objects have a kinetic store, raised objects a gravitational store, and stretched or squashed objects an elastic store.
2Objects that contain chemicals that can react have a chemical store. Food, fuels, batteries, the human body and plants are five key examples.
3Objects have a thermal store because of their temperature, and any temperature, hot or cold, means some energy is stored.
4Speed and mass affect kinetic stores. Height, mass and the strength of gravity affect gravitational stores. Distance stretched or squashed, and how hard the object is to stretch or squash, affect elastic stores. Type and amount of chemicals affect chemical stores. Temperature, mass and material affect thermal stores.
5Burning is a chemical reaction, and a chemical reaction happens inside a battery when it provides electricity to a circuit.

Worked example

Problem

Maya carries a hot, freshly baked pizza up the stairs. Which energy stores does the pizza have, and what gives it each one?

⚠ Watch out

Deciding that something has no energy because it looks still, cold or asleep. Every object has energy in at least one store, so ask all five questions before you decide.

🧠

Memory hook

Ask five questions of any object: Is it moving? Raised up? Stretched or squashed? Full of chemicals that can react? Does it have a temperature (it always does)? Kind Giraffes Eat Cheese Toasties = Kinetic, Gravitational, Elastic, Chemical, Thermal.

✓

Check yourself

A jar of jam sits on a high shelf in a warm kitchen. Name three stores it has, and say which property gives it each one.

Flashcards

(12)
What is an energy store?
The name for one of the ways an object can have energy, such as being moving, raised, hot, stretched or squashed, or containing chemicals that can react.
Name the five energy stores you meet in Year 7.
Kinetic, gravitational, elastic, chemical and thermal.
Name the store a moving object has, and the property that gives it.
Kinetic. The property is that the object is moving. (Raised up gives gravitational, and stretched or squashed gives elastic.)
Name the five key examples of things with a chemical store.
Food, fuels, batteries, the human body and plants.
Why does a fuel have energy?
It contains chemicals that can react by being burnt, and burning is a chemical reaction.
What happens inside a battery when it provides electricity to a circuit?
A chemical reaction.
Why does an object have a thermal store?
Because of its temperature. Any temperature, hot or cold, means some energy is stored.
What makes a kinetic store or a gravitational store hold more energy?
Kinetic: a higher speed or a greater mass. Gravitational: being raised higher, a greater mass, or stronger gravity.
What makes an elastic store or a chemical store hold more energy?
Elastic: stretching or squashing further, and how hard the object is to stretch or squash. Chemical: the type and amount of chemicals.
What affects the amount of energy in a thermal store?
Temperature, mass and material.
Can one object have more than one energy store? Give an example.
Yes. Food has a chemical store and a thermal store. A flying aeroplane has a kinetic store and a gravitational store.
Is energy a force or a substance?
Neither. Energy is a label for having certain properties. A force is a push or a pull, and substances are solid, liquid or gas.

Tap any card to flip it, or use Study as deck to go through them one at a time. In the full lesson these run as a spaced-repetition deck — you rate each card Hard, Good or Easy and the tricky ones keep coming back until they stick.

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