Energy, Matter & Thermodynamics

Energy, Work Done & Power
  • What is the difference between an energy store and an energy transfer?
  • What is the difference between energy and power?
  • What do physicists mean when they use the phrase "work done"?
  • Why are perpetual motion machines impossible?

    • Energy calculations (KE, GPE, etc)
  • How much KE does the fastest animal in the world have?
  • How much higher could you jump on The Moon, compared to The Earth?
  • How can we calculate energy stored while stretching a spring?

    • Matter, Density
  • What did Archimedes do, besides running through the streets naked?

    • Pressure, gases
  • Which would cause more damage if stood on you: a person in stilettos or an elephant?
  • How do the particles behave differently within solids, liquids and gases?
  • How/why do gases and liquids exert pressure around them?
  • How are pressure, temperature, and kinetic energy related (in gases)?
  • How long is the longest possible drinking straw?
  • Why do my ears pop when I fly in an aeroplane?
  • What did Robert Boyle discover in 1662, relating pressure to volume for a gas?
  • Why does a bike pump get warm when you use it?

    • Thermal transfer (conduction, convection, radiation)
  • How does conduction transfer thermal energy?
  • How, and where, does the process of convection happen?
  • What is the worst colour to wear on a hot day? What about on a cold day?

    • Heating substances (specific heat etc)
  • If we heat something, will its temperature always go up?
  • I want a cup of tea! How long will it take to boil the kettle?
  • How much energy would it take to melt Antarctica?