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Physics Paper 1 · P3 · Lesson 3.6

Internal energy and temperature

Separate the energy of movement from energy due to arrangement.

Key ideas1 of 3

What is internal energy?

Internal energy is the total kinetic energy and potential energy of all the particles in a system. Kinetic energy is linked to motion; potential energy is linked to particle positions and interactions.

Internal energy is the total kinetic energy of particle movement plus the potential energy associated with their positions and interactions.

Internal energy is measured in joules, J.

Next: Heating and specific heat capacity →
Topic resources and sources

Daily 5 · Exam practice · A4 revision sheet

All P3 content here is shared by Foundation and Higher Tier. Stretch questions combine the core ideas; they are not additional Higher Tier-only content.

AQA Combined Science Trilogy specification · 6.3.2.1. Original notes, questions and diagrams. Particle diagrams are simplified; animation speeds and experimental numbers are illustrative.

Photographs: Melt by Kathy Jantz, CC BY 4.0; Menisco 18mL-2 by Leandro Maranghetti Lourenço, CC BY-SA 3.0 (chosen from the licences offered); Bicycle Pump foot operated by Scott Ehardt (SCEhardt), Public domain, released worldwide by copyright holder. Images displayed without cropping or alteration; a resized source image is used for the ice.