NEWTONIAN MECHANICS – Energy, Work & Power

To study smart and ace your exams, you should study with the understanding of what you would be specifically tested on, and what are the expected learning outcomes as set by the GCE O-level Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board.

Below is some key information about “Energy, Work & Power” as an O-level Physics exam topic, and the desired learning outcomes.

NEWTONIAN MECHANICS – Energy, Work & Power

Mechanics is the branch of physics that deals with the study of motion and its causes.

The greatest contribution to the development of mechanics is by one of the greatest physicists of all time, Isaac Newton. By extending Galileo’s methods and understanding of motion and gravitation, Newton developed the three laws of motion and his law of universal gravitation, and successfully applied them to both terrestrial and celestial systems to predict and explain phenomena. He showed that nature is governed by a few special rules or laws that can be expressed in mathematical formulae. Newton’s combination of logical experimentation and mathematical analysis shaped the way science has been done ever since.

Content

• Energy conversion and conservation
• Work
• Power

Learning Outcomes

O-level Physics candidates should be able to:

• show understanding that kinetic energy, potential energy (chemical, gravitational, elastic), light energy, thermal energy, electrical energy and nuclear energy are examples of different forms of energy
• state the principle of the conservation of energy and apply the principle to new situations or to solve related problems
• calculate the efficiency of an energy conversion using the formula efficiency = energy converted to useful output/total energy input
• state that kinetic energy Ek = 1/2 mv² and gravitational potential energy Ep = mgh (for potential energy changes near the Earth’s surface)
• apply the relationships for kinetic energy and potential energy to new situations or to solve related problems
• recall and apply the relationship work done = force × distance moved in the direction of the force to new situations or to solve related problems
• recall and apply the relationship power = work done /time taken to new situations or to solve related problems

[Source: Above information is extracted from the Singapore Examinations & Assessment Board Singapore-Cambridge O-level Physics Syllabus 6091 for the Year 2022 – https://www.seab.gov.sg/docs/default-source/national-examinations/syllabus/olevel/2022syllabus/6091_y22_sy.pdf ]

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