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GCSE Physics · Topic Test
Energy
FREE Online Physics GCSE Course40minutes
41marks
6questions
How it works
- Answer each question. Type into the boxes or pick an option, and use paper for working and drawings.
- Press Check my answers at the end of the question. Tick-box and number answers are marked for you.
- For written answers, compare yours with the mark scheme and tick each point you made. We highlight the key words we spot, but you decide, just like an examiner.
You will need: paper, a pen, a pencil, a ruler and a calculator. Your answers save automatically in this browser.
1
Question 1
5 marksA weightlifter picks up a barbell.
The weightlifter
(a)
Which type of energy is stored in the barbell when it is held above the weightlifter’s head?
(1 mark)
Mark scheme
Answer: C Gravitational potential
(b)
The weightlifter drops the barbell. Which energy store of the barbell increases as the barbell falls?
(1 mark)
Mark scheme
Answer: D Kinetic
(c)
| Quantity | Value |
|---|---|
| mass of barbell | 50 kg |
| gravitational field strength | 9.8 N/kg |
| height the barbell drops | 2 m |
| maximum speed of the barbell as it drops | 6.2 m/s |
Using the data in the table, which option matches each calculation to the energy change it is calculating?
(1 mark)
Mark scheme
Answer: B 50 × 9.8 × 2 → gravitational potential energy
½ × 50 × 6.2 × 6.2 → kinetic energy
½ × 50 × 6.2 × 6.2 → kinetic energy
(d)
Explain why the weightlifter’s chemical store of energy decreased more when he lifted the bar than the bar’s gravitational potential store of energy gained.
(2 marks)
Mark scheme
Tick each marking point your answer makes:
⚠️ “Energy lost” on its own doesn’t score: say where it goes, e.g. “transferred to the surroundings”.
2
Question 2
8 marksElectricity in the UK is produced from a number of energy resources.
Figure 1 shows the proportion of each energy resource used in 2015. The labels have been removed from the pie chart.
Figure 1
(a)
Complete the table: type the segment label (A–E) for each energy resource.
| Energy resource | Percentage of UK electricity production |
|---|---|
| Coal | 23 |
| Natural gas | 30 |
| Nuclear power | 21 |
| Oil | 1 |
| Renewable fuels | 25 |
(2 marks)
Mark scheme
1 mark for natural gas B, nuclear E and oil D all correct; 1 mark for coal C and renewables A both correct.
Coal: C
Natural gas: B
Nuclear power: E
Oil: D
Renewable fuels: A
(b)
Over the next 10 years, many of the UK’s nuclear power stations are expected to close.
Suggest how this may affect the future balance of energy resources used for electricity production in the UK.
(6 marks)
Mark scheme
Demand, fossil fuels and nuclear: tick each point you made
Renewables: tick each point you made
| 0 | No relevant content. | 0 |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Limited structure. Some discussion of a number of resources, with a limited link to the country’s overall energy needs. | 1–2 |
| Level 2 | Some structure. Some discussion of the country’s overall energy needs. Discusses a range of resources, with advantages and disadvantages, although these may not be coherently linked. | 3–4 |
| Level 3 | Clear, coherently organised answer. Clear understanding of the overall energy needs and of the need for a range of resources. Makes clear points about both renewable and non-renewable resources. | 5–6 |
Your mark:
Show a model answer
- The UK needs the same amount of electricity or more, so the 21% that nuclear provides will have to come from other resources.
- Electricity can be generated from fossil fuels such as gas, which are reliable.
- However, burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming.
- Fossil fuels are non-renewable, so this energy resource will run out.
- Gas power stations are cheap to install because the infrastructure already exists. However, they are expensive to run, as fuel prices are now high.
- Renewables could fill the gap. For example, wind is renewable, so it will not run out.
- However, wind is not reliable, as it is not always windy.
- Wind farms are expensive to set up. However, they are then cheap to run, as the wind is free.
Conclusion
- The solution could be a mix of resources, with gas power stations used when it is not windy and offshore wind farms providing most of the UK’s energy.
3
Question 3
7 marksA student investigated how the extension of a spring depends on the force applied to the spring. Figure 2 shows the spring before and after a force has been applied.
Figure 2
(a)
The distance between each large mark on the rule is 10 cm. Point A is on a large mark.
State the unstretched length of the spring. Then state the extension after the force is applied.
cm
cm
(1 mark)
Mark scheme
Unstretched length: 20 cm
💡 30 cm is the stretched length (A to C). The unstretched spring reaches B.
Extension: 10 cm
💡 Extension is how much longer the spring got: stretched length − unstretched length.
(b)
The stretched spring stores elastic potential energy, given by:
elastic potential energy = 0.5 × spring constant × (extension)²
A particular spring has a spring constant of 25 N/m. Calculate the energy stored when the spring is extended by 15 mm. Give your answer in standard form, to 3 significant figures.
Type standard form like this: 1.23 × 10^-4 (or 1.23 x 10^-4).
J
(3 marks)
Mark scheme
Energy stored: 2.81 × 10−3 J
💡 Right value! For the last mark write it in standard form to 3 s.f.: 2.81 × 10−3 J.
💡 You used 15 instead of 0.015 m. Convert mm to m first. (This scores 2 marks as an error carried through: tick the steps below.)
Final answer not right? You can still earn method marks. Tick each step you wrote down (max 2):
(c)
Another student calculated that the energy stored in her spring was twice the amount in part (b), for half the extension. Calculate the spring constant of this spring.
N/m
(3 marks)
Mark scheme
Spring constant: 200 N/m
💡 Remember to halve the extension too: 7.5 mm = 0.0075 m.
💡 Check both changes: the energy is doubled and the extension is halved.
Final answer not right? You can still earn method marks. Tick each step you wrote down (max 2):
4
Question 4
8 marksThe miners working in a salt mine use smooth wooden slides to move quickly from one level to another.
The slide
(a)
A miner of mass 90 kg travels down the slide. Calculate the change in gravitational potential energy of the miner when he moves 15 m vertically downwards. (gravitational field strength = 9.8 N/kg)
J
(2 marks)
Mark scheme
Change in GPE: 13 230 J
💡 Use g = 9.8 N/kg as the question says, not 10.
Final answer not right? You can still earn method marks. Tick each step you wrote down (max 1):
(b)
Calculate the maximum possible speed that the miner could reach at the bottom of the slide. Give your answer to an appropriate number of significant figures.
m/s
(3 marks)
Mark scheme
Maximum speed: 17 m/s (accept 17.1), to 2 or 3 significant figures
💡 Right value, but too many significant figures. Round to 2 or 3 s.f. (17 m/s) for the last mark.
💡 17.3 m/s comes from g = 10 N/kg. With 9.8 N/kg the answer is 17 m/s. (If your part (a) used g = 10, this is an error carried through: award it.)
Final answer not right? You can still earn method marks. Tick each step you wrote down (max 2):
(c)
The speed of the miner at the bottom of the slide is much less than the calculated maximum possible speed. Explain why.
(3 marks)
Mark scheme
Tick each marking point your answer makes:
5
Question 5
8 marksA wood burning stove is used to heat a room. The fire in the stove uses wood as a fuel. The fire heats the matt black metal case of the stove.
(a)
Burning 1 kg of wood transfers 15 MJ of energy to the stove. The stove then transfers 13.5 MJ of energy to the room. Calculate the efficiency of the stove.
(2 marks)
Mark scheme
Efficiency: 90% or 0.9(0)
💡 90 on its own scores 1 mark: write 90% (with the % sign) or 0.9.
💡 Upside down! Efficiency = useful output ÷ total input = 13.5 ÷ 15.
Final answer not right? You can still earn method marks. Tick each step you wrote down (max 1):
(b)
Some of the energy from the burning wood is transferred wastefully as the hot gases leave the chimney and warm the air outside the house. Name one other way energy is wasted by the stove.
(1 mark)
Mark scheme
Answer: (producing) light (allow sound)
(c)
Some people heat their homes using electric heaters. Others use a wood burning stove. Give two environmental advantages of using a wood burning stove rather than heaters that use electricity generated from fossil fuels.
(2 marks)
Mark scheme
Tick each marking point your answer makes (max 2):
⚠️ “Cheaper” or “saves money” isn’t an environmental advantage, so it doesn’t score.
(d)
The metal case of the stove gets hot when the fire is lit. Here is some information about the stove.
| Quantity | Value |
|---|---|
| Mass of metal case | 100 kg |
| Starting temperature of metal case | 20 °C |
| Final temperature of metal case | 70 °C |
| Specific heat capacity of metal case | 510 J/kg °C |
Calculate the energy required to raise the temperature of the metal case to 70 °C. Give the unit.
(3 marks)
Mark scheme
Energy required: 2 550 000
💡 You used 20 °C. Use the temperature change: 70 − 20 = 50 °C.
💡 You used 70 °C. Use the temperature change: 70 − 20 = 50 °C.
💡 If that’s in kJ, it’s right: tick the “means the same” box and write kJ as the unit.
Unit: J (accept kJ / MJ if the number matches)
Final answer not right? You can still earn method marks. Tick each step you wrote down (max 1):
6
Question 6
5 marksA student used an electric heater to heat a metal block. The student measured the energy input to the heater with a joulemeter.
Before starting the experiment, the student reset the joulemeter to zero. The student switched the power supply on for exactly 10 minutes. During this time, the reading on the joulemeter increased to 14 400.
The experiment
(a)(i)
Calculate the energy transferred each second from the power supply to the heater.
J/s
(2 marks)
Mark scheme
Energy each second: 24 J/s
💡 You divided by 10 (minutes). Convert to seconds first: 10 minutes = 600 s.
Final answer not right? You can still earn method marks. Tick each step you wrote down (max 1):
(a)(ii)
What is the power of the heater?
W
(1 mark)
Mark scheme
Power: 24 W (or your answer to (a)(i))
(b)(i)
The student measured the temperature of the metal block every minute. The data is displayed in the graph.
Temperature of the metal block
What range of temperatures did the student measure?
°C
°C
(1 mark)
Mark scheme
From: 20 °C
to: 45 °C
(b)(ii)
Before starting the experiment, the student had calculated that the temperature of the block would go up by 36 °C. The student’s data shows a smaller increase. Which one of these statements gives the most likely reason?
(1 mark)
Mark scheme
Answer: B The block transfers energy to the surroundings.
Your results
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| Question | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q5 | Q6 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Out of | 5 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 41 |
| Your mark | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 |
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