Electricity Generation and Circuit Resistance Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering electrical resistance, circuit factors, and methods of electricity generation in South Africa including nuclear, solar, wave, and coal power.

Fuel

A substance that can burn.

Nuclear Fission

The process in which a uranium nucleus splits apart, releasing huge amounts of energy used to boil water into steam to turn a turbine and generator.

Radioactive Waste

A byproduct of nuclear power generation that remains radioactive for many hundreds of years, disposed of by mixing with sand and cement and burying it in geologically stable areas like the Western Cape.

Solar Power

An economical and environmentally friendly home power generation method using roof solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity, providing sufficient power for $3$ to $4\,\text{hours}$ a day and $1\,000\,\text{liters}$ of hot water.

Wave Power

A power generation method that uses the movement of waves to drive a turbine and generate electricity, offering a continuous, reliable, and potentially unlimited energy supply.

Coal-Fired Electricity Generation

The process in South Africa where coal is burned to heat water into steam at $5\,000\,^\circ\text{C}$, driving a steam turbine to rotate generator magnets and coils, converting chemical energy into electrical energy.

Resistance (Type of Material)

A factor affecting electrical resistance where different conducting materials have different resistances; for example, copper wire provides a larger current than an equal length of nichrome wire of the same thickness.

Resistance (Thickness of Conductor)

A factor affecting electrical resistance where thinner wires have more resistance than thicker wires, meaning a wire with a larger diameter has less resistance than one with a smaller diameter.

Resistance (Length of Conductor)

A factor affecting electrical resistance where longer wires have more resistance than shorter wires.

Resistance (Temperature of Conductor)

A factor affecting electrical resistance where hotter conductors generally have higher resistance than colder conductors.