Allow about 5 mins

Emphasise that energy calculations allow us to:

• predict limits on outcomes (e.g., the maximum speed of a rollercoaster car)
• make calculations of resources required to perform a task (e.g., boil a kettle)
• make calculations relating to global issues and future sustainable energy provision.

They do not explain why things happen; they reveal constraints on what is possible. Therefore, don’t imply that energy changes are the cause of a process. Separate an explanation of a physical process or mechanisms from an energy analysis of the situation.

Use phrases like:       

“The force of gravity makes a rollercoaster accelerate. At the bottom of the slope, the energy stored gravitationally has decreased and the energy stored kinetically has increased.”

Avoid phrases like:    

“A rollercoaster accelerates because gravitational energy is converted to kinetic energy.”