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Natural Science Term 3

Potential and Kinetic Energy
Energy works in a system. Energy can be transferred in the system, but the total amount
of energy will remain the same. This is known as the Law of Conservation of energy.
Energy can be in the form of potential or kinetic energy. There are different types of
energy, such as heat, electrical and light energy. Energy can change from one type to
another, such as, when we switch on an oven, electrical energy goes into the oven
through the element and changes into heat energy when the oven is warm.

Sources of energy
Renewable and Non-renewable sources of energy
The word ‘work’ is used to describe a number of different activities. When you sit down at
home to do your homework, you can say that you are ‘working’. When a person leaves
their house in the morning, they might say that they are ‘going to work’. But, in a scientific
context, ‘work’ has a very precise meaning.

What is Kinetic Energy?

Kinetic energy causes a change or movement. A moving object can cause a stationary
object to move. Some examples of kinetic energy are: a stretched elastic band which is
released; a weight that falls off a table; water stored in a dam falls through a chute to drive
a turbine; wind blows and turns a wind pump, a motor car turns the wheels; electricity
flowing through a light bulb (also called electrical energy); the fast-moving water particles
in boiling water (also called heat energy). Sometimes you cannot see the movement
caused by kinetic energy, but you will notice a change in the object.

Different types of potential energy

Elastic potential energy
When we use the word “potential” in everyday life, it refers to something that is not
happening now, but it is likely to happen in the future, like stretching an elastic band
slightly. The elastic band now has potential energy. Stretch it a little more. The elastic
band now has more potential energy. As you keep stretching it, the potential energy
increases. When you release the elastic band, it no longer has potential energy. However,
the energy is not lost; it has simply been converted into another type of energy. Anything
that can be stretched, squeezed (like a rubber ball) or wound up (like the spring of a jack
in a box) has elastic potential energy.

Potential energy in food

If you hold a loaf of bread or a bag of oranges, you are holding potential energy. The food
you eat has potential energy that is released in your body when you eat it. The energy
content in food should be listed on the packaging of the food. Look for the table of typical
information and then look for the energy value. The unit of measurement for energy is the
joule, which is named after James Prescott Joule, an English physicist who worked in the
field of energy and heat. The symbol for joule is J. The joule is quite a small unit of
measurement and so energy measurements for food are generally given in kilojoules (kJ).
One kilojoule is equal to 1000 J.

By law, a food can only be labelled as “low in energy” if it contains than 170 kJ per 100g
(solid foods) or 80 kJ per 100 ml (liquids). A food can only be labelled as “high in energy” if
it contains more than 950 kJ per 100g or 250 kJ per 100 ml.
Energy is needed to make everything work, move or live
When a locomotive pulls a train, it is doing work on the train to make it move. When you
kick a ball, you are doing work on the ball to make the ball move. When you switch on a
light, work is being done to make electricity flow through the bulb. When you run, your
muscles are doing work to make your body move. Now that you have an understanding of
what is meant by ‘work’ let’s examine what is meant by the word ‘energy’? Energy is what
is needed to do work – to make things move, to make things change and to make things
grow or stay alive.

Sources of energy
We call something a ‘source of energy’ when that object or substance has stored energy
that is (dormant/sleeping). Usually, something has to be done to the ‘source of energy’ for
it to release the energy (make something happen). For example, coal is a ‘source of
energy’ because it has energy that is waiting to be used. Its energy is only released when
it is heated enough for it to burn. It then releases energy in the form of heat and light.
Stored energy is called potential energy.

The Sun contains stored energy as well - energy is stored in the hydrogen gas that makes
up most of the Sun. This energy is constantly being changed into heat and light energy in
a reaction that changes hydrogen into helium. We use helium in hot air balloons and party
balloons.

Non- renewable energy sources

Fossil fuels
Fossil fuels are things such as coal, oil and natural gas. Oil and gas supply about one half
of the world’s energy needs and coal supplies about a quarter. More than half the coal in
the world is burnt to produce electricity. A fossil fuel is a non-renewable source of energy.
It has been formed over millions of years and cannot be replenished (replaced).
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Coal
Millions of years ago, the plants in swamps absorbed energy from the sun. As these plants
died, sand rock and other substances covered the remains of the dead plants. Over
millions of years, the weight of the substances lying on the dead matter created pressure
that compressed the substances. A substance called peat was formed as a result of this
pressure. The peat was then pushed towards the hot centre of the Earth and this heat
changed the peat into fossil fuels. The compression process on plant matter resulted in
coal being formed. (The compression of other substances resulted in the formation of
fossil fuels such as natural gas and oil).

Oil and gas

Crude oil and natural gas are often found together underground. These fossil fuels can be
extracted by drilling into the ground and then storing the crude oil and gas that rises to the
top. Crude oil is refined to make petroleum (petrol) and diesel for vehicles and jet fuel for
aeroplanes. It is also used to make plastic products. Oil can be burnt to generate electricity.
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Natural gas is pumped from underground and is then processed so that it can be used as
a fuel. Generally, people use gas bottles to store natural gas for use in the home. These
gas bottles are connected to lighting, heating and cooking equipment, which allows the
gas to be burnt. A Bunsen burner is connected to a natural gas source. Some countries
have a natural gas supply, which supplies natural gas directly to households. Natural gas
can also be used to generate electricity.
Interesting Fact
Vaseline is made from petroleum jelly (petrol jelly).

Energy from nuclear fuels

Uranium is a nuclear fuel. Nuclear fuels can convert their nuclear energy into heat energy
without having to be burnt. This energy conversion (change) happens in a special chamber
called a nuclear reactor and the heat that is given off is eventually converted into electrical
energy.

In South Africa, we generate just over five per cent of our electricity using nuclear energy.
Currently, the Koeberg Nuclear power station near Cape Town is South Africa’s only
nuclear power station and it has two nuclear reactors.

Nuclear energy does not cause air pollution, but the waste products are dangerous to
human, animal and plant life. At present, it is difficult to get rid of these waste products.
Nuclear power stations also need uranium, which must be mined. Uranium mining has a
similar environmental impact to gold mining. The fact that uranium is needed for nuclear
energy means that nuclear energy is non-renewable.

Facts about Uranium

Uranium is a very heavy metal which can be used as an abundant source of concentrated
energy. Uranium occurs as common tin in the Earth's crust. Uranium is found in seawater,
and can be recovered from the

oceans. Uranium was discovered in 1789 by Martin Klaproth, a German chemist, in the
mineral called pitchblende. It was named after the planet Uranus, which had been
discovered eight years earlier.

Uranium was apparently formed in supernovas about 6.6 billion years ago. While it is not
common in the solar system, today its slow radioactive decay provides the main source of
heat inside the Earth. Uranium has a melting point of 1132°C. The chemical symbol for
uranium is U. Uranium is a radioactive metal and the radiation that it emits can be very
harmful to plants and animals.

Renewable sources of energy

Energy sources that are naturally restored or replaced, after we use them, are called
renewable sources of energy. These sources cause less or no pollution of the
atmosphere or environment than the use of non-renewable sources. Renewable sources
of energy are continually replenished. They include hydro power (water power), wind,
sunlight and bio-fuel such as wood.

Hydro (water) energy

Water stored in a dam can run through a channel where it turns a turbine which turns a
generator to produce electricity.

A water turbine is made so that it turns when water runs through one side of it.

Wind energy
Different parts of the atmosphere have different temperatures. This causes air currents
(wind). People have used wind as a source of energy for a long time – a windmill is an
example of this type of energy generation. A wind turbine is similar to a propeller which
turns when wind blows through it. It can be connected to a generator to produce electricity.
Solar energy
Sunlight shining on a solar panel provides energy to push electric charge from one part of
the panel to another. Electricity can then flow through a battery to charge it. If there are
sufficient panels and batteries, enough energy can be generated to provide power for a
small house. Heat from the Sun can also heat up water running through black tubing on
the roof of a house. The hot water is fed into a tank and can then provide hot water for a
household.

Bio-fuel
Liquid bio-fuel can be made from crops like maize and soya beans. These crops are
fermented so that the sugars in the crops turn into a substance called ethanol. Ethanol can
be used as a fuel for cars, on its own, or it can be added to petrol or diesel. Bio-fuel is
considered renewable because the supply of crops can be replenished by planting a new
crop each year. Wood is also an example of bio-fuel, because, when it is burnt, it releases
heat. As a naturally occurring fuel, wood is relatively cheap and accessible. Like other bio-
fuels, it can be replenished by planting more trees.

LAW OF CONSERVATION OF ENERGY

The Law of Conservation of Energy states that:
Energy cannot be created.
Energy cannot be destroyed.
Energy can only be changed from one form into another.

In each system there is an input energy, one or more energy transfers and output energy.
A system is a set of parts that work together. Because a system is a set of parts working
together, a change to one part of the system can affect other parts of the system. In the
torch, the energy is transferred which turns into light.

To explain how energy is transferred in a system you need to answer these 3 important
questions:
Where does the input energy come from? This refers to the potential energy that start the
energy transfer. The boy’s arms, legs and feet.

Where does the energy go? From the boy’s legs into the feet and arms moving. What
energy changes are observed in the system? The boy will start running slowly and then
run faster.

Types of energy systems

Mechanical systems
Example: A pair of scissors used for cutting a paper, a bent ruler can flick a pellet across
the classroom, a cricket ball hit by a bat.

Thermal systems
Example: a candle heating cold water in a can, a cup of tea losing heat to the surroundings.

Electrical systems
Example: a cell/ battery in a circuit can activate a motor, buzzer or a small torch bulb.

Biological systems
The energy being passed along a food chain. Example: a horse eats a plant and can move
or pull a cart.
Heating as a transfer of energy
Heating is a process in which energy is transferred from a hotter body to a cooler body.
Heat transfer involves the transfer of heat from a hotter object to a colder object. The
energy transfer continues until both bodies are at the same temperature. Heat is
transferred in three ways by:

Conduction Convection
Conduction
This is a form of heat transfer that occurs:
between two objects when they are in direct physical contact where heat moves
from the hotter object to the cooler object or
in one object where the heat moves from the hotter part of that object to a cooler part
of the same object.

Convection
Convection is the transfer of heat by the movement of liquid or gas particles. When air is
heated, it moves up, and when it is cooled, it moves down. This creates the convection
currents. An example of convection is when you boil water in a kettle. The water will slowly,
heat up all the liquid and the kettle boils).

Radiation
Radiation carries heat across an empty space (therefore, it has no need for direct contact
for the heating of liquid and gas particles). The sun radiates heat across space to heat up
the earth. Radiated heat can be absorbed or reflected. Dark colours absorb heat whereas
light colours reflect it.

Look at the diagram on the next page. It shows convection currents in a room.
• The radiator heats the air.
• The hot air rises and spreads along the ceiling.
• As it moves along the ceiling, it starts to get cooler.
• The air sinks because it is cool, but also because it is pushed by new hot air coming
from the fire place to heat up the earth. Radiated heat can be absorbed or reflected.
Dark colours absorb heat whereas light colours reflect it. The original air (now cool) is
pushed along the floor by the convection current.
• When the air reaches the fireplace, it warms it up again, expands, and rises. The
convection current continues until the room is heated evenly.

Using Insulation Materials

Heat insulators are good for keeping cold items cold (they slow down heat transfer from
the surroundings) and hot items hot (they slow down heat transfer into the cooler
surroundings). Good insulators are poor conductors and are therefore non- metals.

Uses of insulators
Insulators are used in houses to minimise heat loss in winter or heat gain in summer. Poor
conductors, such as concrete and bricks, are normally used.
Insulating the ceilings of buildings: Ceiling insulation
Insulation in the roof forces hot air to circulate in the house and not escape via conduction
through the roof.

Insulating the ceiling of homes prevents the warm air from escaping through the roof of the
house. Foam can be sprayed above the ceilings in the roof structure or blanket insulation
can be rolled out.
Warm air can escape through cracks or gaps and cold air can enter the same way.
Repairs should always be done to conserve heat. Houses should also be built in a way to
allow the maximum amount of radiated heat from the sun to enter the home. In winter, the
corrugated iron will conduct the heat from inside the home, causing it to become colder.

Insulating cooler boxes and flasks

A cooler box can be used to keep food cold. Usually, an ice pack is frozen and placed in
the cooler box along with the food. The box has a plastic inner wall and outer wall,
separated by an insulating material. This is usually foam with air pockets. Styrofoam and
plastic are good insulators. Vacuum flasks work in the same way, but they trap heat.

Indigenous building design

Indigenous people of South Africa build traditional homes to suit the climate. They use
insulation techniques to retain heat in the winter and keep heat out during the summer.

Roofs are made of grass - an excellent natural insulator. Some walls are also made of
grass. Other walls are made of mud smeared onto a wooden framework – also well
insulated. There are often no windows or openings other than the entrance. Floors are
often made of pressed and smoothed cow dung. It dries to form a hard, water-proof floor
that is well insulated by the air trapped between the undigested grass pieces in the dung.
The cone shaped roof helps to trap the heat.

Useful and wasted energy

Energy cannot be created or destroyed BUT it can be wasted. This happens when energy
is converted into energy that is not needed such as heat energy when the object does not
require heat energy. This wasted energy escapes into the surroundings.

Clothing
You keep warm by wearing “warm” clothing such as a woollen jersey. There is nothing
‘warm’ about a jersey. It is the same temperature as its surroundings. The jersey keeps
you warm by preventing the heat from escaping from your body. To prevent heat loss from
your body, during winter, you make use of coats and

jackets. Heat can be lost from our bodies and from appliances such as electric geysers.
Remember that energy cannot really be lost, so when you hear the term ‘heat loss’, you
should understand that the heat is lost from one object, but that it is transferred
somewhere else, often into the air surrounding the object. Heat loss can occur through
conduction, convection and radiation.

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Conservation of heat in the home
Conservation of heat energy in homes and buildings can be improved by minimising heat
loss in winter and heat gain in summer, by using heaters to warm a house in cold weather
and using air conditioning systems in summer to keep the house cool. In addition to
ceilings, there are four other areas in a house where insulation can reduce heat transfer:
the walls; glass windows; gaps around openings such as doors and windows and metal
water pipes.

Electric geysers use electricity to heat water. Solar geysers use the heat of the Sun to heat
water. Heat can be lost from a geyser (through the casing of the geyser), by convection
(through the air surrounding the geyser) and by radiation. Many homes in informal
settlements are made from corrugated iron. Because iron is a good conductor of heat, the
house will become very hot in the summer.

Using electricity wisely

• Turn off appliances when not in use.
• Turn off lights when not needed or when you are not in that room.
• Make use of energy saving light bulbs.
• Boil only the amount of water required, do not boil a full kettle if you require one cup.
• Use insulating clothing to keep warm rather than using a heater.
• Insulate you house by sealing gaps etc.
• Use solar power, or any renewable energy source, whenever possible

Energy transfers in the National Grid

The national electricity grid is a huge national energy circuit. Electricity first gets generated,
then transmitted across power lines and then distributed among consumers of electricity.

Generating electricity from energy sources

Coal, oil, gas, nuclear material, wind water and solar power can be used to generate
electricity. In coal-fired power stations coal is ground into a powder and burned to release
heat energy to heat up water in a boiler. The water in the boiler turns to steam which then
is used to turn a turbine to generate electricity.

Electricity transmission and distribution

Once the energy has been generated it needs to get to the consumers. This is known as
transmission and distribution. The electricity is carried along large conducting cables,
supported by pylons, across the country (this is the transmission phase). The distribution
phase begins when the electricity reaches a distribution substation where electricity gets
distributed to households, plugs, etc.

Dynamos
Dynamos are small generators which convert mechanical energy into electrical energy.
This is useful when the appliance needs a small current, e.g. when a light on a bicycle gets
charged by the movement of the wheels or a machine for converting mechanical energy
into electrical energy, typically by means of rotating coils of copper wire in a magnetic field.

One way to save electricity is to install a solar geyser that can use the Sun’s energy to
heat water. These solar geyser heating systems are usually placed on the roof of a house.
The system involves the transfer of heat from the Sun to the water in the geyser by
radiation, conduction and convection.
Black tubes absorb the radiant heat from the Sun and conduct the heat to the water in the
tubes. Water, close to the upper surface of the tubes, is heated most. It expands and rises
up to the tube as shown in the figure 2. Cooler water from the tank sinks into a tube.
Convection current is set up with water circulating and getting warmer all the time.

Careers in electricity power generation

An artisan specialises in a trade and has the practical skills required for that trade. A
technician operates and maintains technical equipment. Both artisans and technicians
have promising careers in the power generation industry. Jobs include electricians,
boilermakers, fitters and maintenance personnel.
 Activity 1
Answer these questions in your book:
1. Define the word “energy”. (1)
2. Explain what an energy system is. (1)
3. Explain in a sentence using your own words, what potential energy is and give an
example. (2)
4. Define the word “kinetic” energy. (2)
5. What kind of energy is found in a torch battery? (1)
6. If an athlete drinks an energy drink, what happens in the athlete’s body? (2)
7. If a child is sliding down a slide, what energy is used? (1)
Total: 10

Activity 2

Write down the energy values of types of food.

1. Write down the energy values in kJ per 100 g of solid foods or per 100 ml of liquid of at least
five different types of food. Examine the labels on foods that you have at home. Look at
cereal boxes, milk bottles, fruit juice bottles, tinned foods, sweets, chocolates. Try to find a
wide range of foods for this activity (carbohydrates, proteins, fruits and vegetables, fats and
oils, and even junk foods like crisps and fizzy drinks).
2. Draw up a list, and categorise the foods in your sample, of the types of food and their
energy content, ranked from highest to lowest. Compare it with other learners’ lists in the
next lesson. Which food has the highest energy content?

Activity 3
Answer these questions in your books. Peer mark.
1. Explain why fossil fuels and nuclear fuels are regarded as non-renewable. (2)
2. What is a fossil fuel? (2)
3. Name three uses of fossil fuels. (3)
4. Explain, in a point-form list, how fossil fuels are formed. (5)
5. Give a basic explanation of how electricity is generated in a nuclear power station? (4)
6. Give the name of South Africa’s nuclear power station and say where it is located. (2)
7. Say whether you agree or disagree with this statement and explain your opinion: (2)
Nuclear power stations are more environmentally friendly than coal-fired power
stations. Total: 20
 Activity 4
Answer the questions and choose a peer and mark each other’s work
1. What is a renewable source of energy? (1)
2. Give a definition of renewable and non-renewable sources of energy. (2)
3. Make a list of non-renewable energy sources and explain why they are regarded as
non-renewable. (3)
4. We rely on fossil fuels to supply most of our energy needs.
Explain why this is a problem. (2)
5. Give one disadvantage of relying on wind energy for electricity. (1)
6. What is hydropower? Explain. (1)

Total mark: 10

Activity 5
Answer the questions in your workbooks and ask a peer in your class to mark
it according to a given memo
1. Describe how heat is transferred by conduction. (3)
2. Explain how the heat is transferred from a hot stove to the food in a stainless steel pot.
3. What is convection? (2)
4. Explain how heat transfer by radiation occurs. (2)
5. Convection can occur in solids. True or False. Explain your answer. (2)
Explain why it is best to place heaters near the floor and why an air conditioner is best
placed near the ceiling. Draw and label a diagram to explain this. (4)
Total: 15

Activity 6
List the appliances and the input, output and wasted energy
List at least 4 appliances and give ways in which the energy is used correctly for the job
and what energy is created that is not needed. List the input, output and wasted energy.
For example, when I use a drill to make a hole in the wall I am using mechanical energy
BUT the more the drill goes in the wall the hotter the drill becomes. Obviously I do not
need heat to make the hole in the wall and therefore the energy wasted is in the form of
heat energy.
Example
Drill…
Input – electrical energy →
 Activity 7
Answer the following questions in your workbook. Ask a peer, in your class, to
mark it for you, using a given memo
1. Explain why brick and concrete are good building materials to use when building a
house. (2)
2. Explain why spongy or foamy materials are good insulators of heat. (2)
3. How can a thick coat keep you warm on a cold day? (1)
4. Imagine you were building your own house. Name three things you could do to make
sure that the house gets plenty of solar heat. (3)
5. Explain why thatch is a good choice of building material. (1)
6. What could the people living in a corrugated iron house do to make the house warmer
in winter? (3)
7. What is a dynamo? (2)
8. Identify and describe at least 3 ways to conserve energy in your home, school or
community. (6)
9. Describe the structure of a turbine. (2)
10. What is the gas that rises from the cooling towers of a power station? (1)
11. Explain how this gas is formed. (2)
Total: 25