Systems in Physics
In physics, a system is defined as:
An object or group of objects
An apple sitting on a table can be
defined as a system
Defining the system in physics is a
way of narrowing the parameters to
focus only on what is relevant to the
situation being observed
When a system is in equilibrium,
nothing changes and so nothing
happens
When there is a change in a system,
things happen, and when things
happen energy is transferred
If the table is removed, the apple will
fall
As the apple falls, energy is
transferred
Energy is measured in units of joules
(J)
A thermodynamic system can be
isolated, closed or open
o An open system allows the
exchange of energy and matter to
or from its surroundings
o A closed system can exchange
energy but not matter to or from its
surroundings
o An isolated system does not allow
the transfer of matter or energy to
or from its surroundings
A system can be open, closed or isolated
1. Energy Stores & Transfers
2. Energy Stores
3. Energy is stored in objects
4. When a change happens within a
system, energy is transferred between
objects or between stores
5. The principle of conservation of
energy states that:
6. Energy cannot be created or
destroyed, it can only be transferred
from one store to another
7. This means that for a closed system,
the total amount of energy is constant
8. There are many different energy
stores that objects can have, these are
shown in the table below:
9. Energy Stores Table
10. Ener
11. Description
gy Store
13. Moving objects have
12. Kinet
energy in their kinetic
ic
store
15. Objects gain energy in
their gravitational
14. Gravi
potential store when
tational
they are lifted through a
gravitational field
16. Elasti 17. Objects have energy
c in their elastic potential
store if they are
stretched, squashed or
bent
19. Magnetic materials
18. Magn interacting with each
etic other have energy in
their magnetic store
21. Objects with charge
(like electrons and
20. Elect protons) interacting with
rostatic one another have energy
in their electrostatic
store
23. Chemical reactions
22. Chem transfer energy into or
ical away from a substance's
chemical store
25. Atomic nuclei release
24. Nucle energy from their nuclear
ar store during nuclear
reactions
26. Ther 27. All objects have
mal energy in their thermal
store, the hotter the
object, the more energy
it has in this store
28. Energy Transfer Pathways
29. Energy is transferred between
stores via transfer pathways
30. Examples of these are:
a. Mechanically
b. Electrically
c. By heating
d. By radiation
31. These are described in the table
below:
32. Energy Transfer Pathway Table
33. Trans
fer
34. Description
Pathwa
y
36. When a force acts on
35. Mech
an object (e.g. pulling,
anical
pushing, stretching,
working
squashing)
37. Elect 38. A charge moving
rical through a potential
working difference (e.g. current)
39. Heati 40. Energy is transferred
ng (by from a hotter object to a
particle colder one (e.g.
s) conduction)
41. (Heat
42. Energy transferred by
ing by)
electromagnetic waves
radiatio
(e.g. visible light)
n
43. An example of an energy transfer is
a hot coffee heating up cold hands.
