Energy Systems

What Energy Systems covers

Energy Systems is examined in Component 1, Scientific principles of physical education. It covers forms of energy and ATP, the ATP-PC and glycolytic systems, the aerobic system and fuel use and the energy continuum and priming exercise.

The 4 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

• Forms of energy and ATPChemical, kinetic, potential, mechanical and electrical energy, the energy conversions in a pole vault and a sprint stride, ATP and its breakdown, how long muscle ATP lasts, ATP resynthesis, coupled reactions, and fat and glycogen as fuels.Open →
• The ATP-PC and glycolytic systemsPhosphocreatine and creatine kinase, the ATP-PC system's yield, duration, advantages and drawbacks, the stages of anaerobic glycolysis in the sarcoplasm, its net ATP yield and duration, what limits it, and the events that rely on each.Open →
• The aerobic system and fuel usePyruvic acid, the Krebs cycle and the electron transport chain, the total ATP yield, beta-oxidation of fat, the fuel mix by intensity, the respiratory exchange ratio, by-products, and the three pathways ranked by speed, amount and force.Open →
• The energy continuum and priming exerciseThe energy continuum and thresholds, the 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, 1500 m, 5,000 m and marathon, the football midfielder and intermittent recovery, and priming exercise and the timing of a sprinter's warm-up.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take Energy Systems further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• ATP-PC system vs Glycolytic system

  ATP-PC system: the anaerobic pathway that breaks down phosphocreatine for up to about ten seconds. Glycolytic system: the anaerobic pathway that breaks glucose down to lactic acid.

• Krebs cycle vs Electron transport chain

  Krebs cycle: the reactions in the mitochondrial matrix that oxidise acetyl coenzyme A and release carbon dioxide. Electron transport chain: the series of reactions on the cristae that yields 34 ATP and water.

• Kinetic energy vs Potential energy

  Kinetic energy: the capacity for work a body has because of its motion. Potential energy: the capacity for work stored because of position or deformation.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What is energy, and in what unit is it measured?

   Model answer

   Energy is the capacity to do work. Energy is measured in joules (J).

2. 2

   What is chemical energy, and where does a performer get it from?

   Model answer

   Chemical energy is energy stored in the bonds of compounds. A performer obtains it from food and stores it as glycogen, fat and ATP.

3. 3

   What is kinetic energy? Give a sporting example.

   Model answer

   Kinetic energy is the energy a body or object has because it is moving. A sprinter at full speed and a struck cricket ball both have kinetic energy.

4. 4

   What is potential energy? Give a sporting example.

   Model answer

   Potential energy is energy stored because of an object's position or deformation. A diver on the 10 m board and a bent vaulting pole both store potential energy.

5. 5

   What is meant by mechanical energy in the body?

   Model answer

   Mechanical energy is the energy of movement and position, the sum of kinetic and potential energy. Muscles produce mechanical energy when they contract and pull on bones.

6. 6

   Where is electrical energy used in the body during exercise?

   Model answer

   Electrical energy carries nerve impulses from the brain to the muscles. Electrical impulses also spread through the heart's conduction system to trigger each beat.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

Energy Systems revision questions

What does Energy Systems cover in Edexcel A-Level Physical Education?

4 subtopics: forms of energy and atp, the atp-pc and glycolytic systems, the aerobic system and fuel use and the energy continuum and priming exercise. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is Energy Systems organised?

By the Edexcel 9PE0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.