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Led by Lord Kelvin Simulacrum
Six tutorials covering AQA GCSE Physics §4.1 Energy — energy stores and systems, the algebra of kinetic, elastic, and gravitational energy, specific heat capacity, power, conservation and efficiency, and the national energy mix — taught by simulacra of the physicists who built the concept of energy itself.
Led by Lord Kelvin Simulacrum
The question
What is a system, and what does it mean for the energy stored within it to change?
Outcome
The student can identify the energy stores before and after a change, name the transfer mechanism, and produce a before-and-after diagram for any of the five canonical situations. (AQA 4.1.1.1)
Led by Hermann von Helmholtz Simulacrum
The question
If energy is stored, how do we put a number on it?
Outcome
The student can apply the three equations correctly, reason about their units, and explain qualitatively why the squared forms appear in kinetic and elastic energy but not in gravitational potential. (AQA 4.1.1.2)
Led by James Prescott Joule Simulacrum
The question
Why does it take so much more energy to heat a kilogram of water than a kilogram of iron?
Outcome
The student can apply ΔE = mcΔθ, carry out Required Practical 1 and state its sources of uncertainty, and explain qualitatively why different substances have different specific heat capacities. (AQA 4.1.1.3)
Led by James Watt Simulacrum
The question
Two electric motors lift the same crate to the same shelf. One takes five seconds, the other takes ten. What has that difference actually measured?
Outcome
The student can apply both power equations, convert freely between watts and kilowatts, and reason about the power of a machine from examples of the energy it transfers in a given time. (AQA 4.1.1.4)
Led by Sadi Carnot Simulacrum
The question
If energy cannot be created or destroyed, why does everything run down?
Outcome
The student can state the conservation law, identify dissipation with concrete examples, calculate efficiency as a decimal or percentage using either equation, and (Higher Tier) describe strategies for improving efficiency.
Led by James Lovelock Simulacrum
The question
What powers the world today, and what constraints will shape the next fifty years?
Outcome
The student can name the main energy resources, distinguish renewable from non-renewable, compare them on use and reliability, describe their environmental impact, and articulate why energy choices are partly scientific and partly political. (AQA 4.1.3)