Who this is for: Cambridge IGCSE Coordinated Science (0654) students who want energy — stores, transfers and conservation — to become a reliable source of marks instead of a list of undefined terms.
What query it owns: how to understand and revise energy in Cambridge IGCSE Coordinated Science.
Why this is safe: this page owns the energy revision-guide angle, while Tutopiya’s Energy subtopic page owns the learning resource and the free Energy quiz owns the practice.

Energy cannot be created or destroyed — it is stored in different forms and transferred between stores. Cambridge IGCSE Coordinated Science (0654) expects you to name energy stores, describe transfers, apply the conservation principle, and use KE = ½mv² and GPE = mgh. This guide links each form to the calculation and explanation questions examiners set.

Key takeaways

• Energy is measured in joules (J).
• Energy stores: kinetic, gravitational potential, elastic, chemical, thermal, nuclear, etc.
• Energy transfers: mechanically, electrically, by heating, by radiation.
• Conservation of energy: total energy before = total energy after (in a closed system).
• Kinetic energy: KE = ½mv²; Gravitational potential energy: GPE = mgh.

What is energy in Cambridge IGCSE Coordinated Science?

Energy describes the capacity to do work. A moving car has kinetic energy; a book on a shelf has gravitational potential energy; a battery stores chemical energy. When a ball falls, GPE transfers to KE. Energy is never lost — it transfers to other stores (including thermal energy through friction). Understanding stores and transfers is essential for explanation questions.

You can read the full explanation, diagrams and notes on Tutopiya’s Energy subtopic page before you attempt questions.

Energy stores and transfers

Energy store	Example	Typical transfer
Kinetic (KE)	Moving car	Mechanical work, collision
Gravitational potential (GPE)	Object at height	Falling, lifting
Chemical	Food, fuel, battery	Combustion, respiration
Thermal (heat)	Hot object	Heating, friction
Elastic	Stretched spring	Release on spring
Nuclear	Uranium nucleus	Nuclear reactions

Key energy equations

Equation	When to use
KE = ½mv²	Moving object (m in kg, v in m/s)
GPE = mgh	Object at height (g ≈ 10 N/kg)
Conservation	KE lost = GPE gained (ignoring friction)

Example: 2 kg object at 10 m height → GPE = 2 × 10 × 10 = 200 J.

Energy in past-paper wording: command words that matter

Command word / phrase	What the question wants	Typical energy stem
State the energy store	Name store at a point	”State the main energy store of a falling ball.”
Describe the transfer	From store to store	”Describe the energy transfer as the ball falls.”
Calculate	Use KE or GPE equation	”Calculate the kinetic energy of the object.”
Explain	Apply conservation	”Explain why the roller coaster cannot reach a higher point without external energy.”

Worked exam-style stems (how to answer the wording)

1. “A 3 kg object moves at 4 m/s. Calculate its kinetic energy.” KE = ½mv² = ½ × 3 × 4² = ½ × 3 × 16 = 24 J. Mark-scheme reward: correct substitution and unit J.
2. “State the principle of conservation of energy.” Energy cannot be created or destroyed; it is transferred from one store to another. Reward: cannot be created/destroyed + transferred.
3. “Describe the energy transfer when a battery powers a motor.” Chemical energy (battery) → electrical energy → kinetic energy (motor) (+ thermal energy wasted). Reward: correct store sequence.

Test yourself with the Energy quiz once you can name stores, describe transfers and use KE and GPE equations.

How energy connects to the rest of Coordinated Science physics

Energy builds on Work — work done transfers energy — and links to Forces and Motion. Biology links include Respiration (chemical energy release). The Cambridge IGCSE Coordinated Science resource hub links every Work, Energy And Power subtopic.

Common mistakes students make

• Saying energy is lost (it transfers to thermal energy — “wasted” not destroyed).
• Forgetting the ½ in KE = ½mv².
• Using weight instead of mass in energy equations.
• Not converting speed to m/s before calculating KE.
• Confusing power (rate of energy transfer) with energy (total transferred).

When you need more support

If energy questions keep costing marks, work through the Energy quiz, then get focused help from a Cambridge IGCSE Coordinated Science tutor.

Frequently asked questions

Is energy hard in Coordinated Science? Learn the main stores, two equations (KE and GPE), and conservation — that covers most exam questions.

What is the conservation of energy? Energy cannot be created or destroyed; it is transferred between stores (total energy stays constant in a closed system).

What is the formula for kinetic energy? KE = ½mv² — half × mass × speed squared.

How do I revise energy effectively? Practise store-and-transfer descriptions, KE and GPE calculations, then take the Energy quiz.

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