This simulation helps GCSE Physics students understand the concept of a system — an object or group of objects chosen as the focus when studying energy transfers — and how the system boundary separates it from the surroundings.
Five scenarios can be explored:
- Ball — the ball alone is the system; Earth and air are the surroundings. The ball bounces, transferring energy between kinetic and gravitational stores.
- Ball + Earth — both the ball and Earth form the system together; gravitational potential energy is now stored within the system rather than transferred across the boundary.
- Kettle — the kettle and water form the system; electricity and air are the surroundings. Bubbles animate to show the water heating.
- Car — the car is the system; road, air, and fuel are the surroundings. The car drives across the scene showing motion against external forces.
- Pendulum + Earth — the bob and Earth together form the system; the pivot support and air are surroundings. The pendulum swings continuously, exchanging energy between kinetic and gravitational potential stores within the system.
In every scenario, the dashed green boundary marks the system, with surroundings labelled outside it — directly reflecting the way systems are represented in GCSE Physics.
This supports the AQA, OCR, and Edexcel GCSE Physics specification points that students should be able to describe and identify systems, define system boundaries, and explain how the choice of system affects where energy transfers are said to occur.