# A cyclist freewheels down a hill and then gradually comes to a stop on a flat road. Describe the energy transfers that take place from the moment the cyclist begins to freewheel down the hill until they come to a complete stop, referring to useful and waste energy transfers.

> OCR GCSE Physics A: Gateway Science (J249) — P7 Energy · Describe · 4 marks

> A cyclist at the top of a hill stops pedalling and freewheels down the slope. At the bottom of the hill the road becomes flat and the cyclist eventually comes to a complete stop.

## Mark scheme (4 marks)

1. Gravitational potential energy is transferred to kinetic energy as the cyclist moves down the hill
2. As the cyclist travels along the flat road, kinetic energy is transferred to thermal/heat energy due to friction (between brakes/wheels and road / air resistance)
3. The thermal/heat energy produced by friction is a waste energy transfer because it does not serve the purpose of moving the cyclist forward
4. The total energy is conserved throughout — energy is not created or destroyed, only transferred between stores

## Key terms

- [waste energy transfer](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/waste-energy-transfer)

## Related

- [Revision notes for OCR GCSE Physics A: Gateway Science (J249)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/learn)
- [How to answer "Describe" questions](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/tools/command-word-cheatsheet)
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Source: [GradeNine](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/q/a-cyclist-freewheels-down-a-hill-ea9aca16) · Published by Druglandscape Ltd.