Nonrenewable energy

Energy

Ability to do work or cause a change

Energy needed to change the _ of something

position, structure, or temperature

Energy of motion

kinetic

Stored energy due to position or shape

potential

Energy that has to do with both kinetic & potential

mechanical

Type of mechanical energy found in a stretched rubberband

potential

Type of mechanical energy found in a moving rubberband once someone lets go

kinetic

Energy of electrical charges

electrical

Using your cell phone converts _ energy into _

potential (stored in battery) into kinetic (using the phone)

Energy of heat

thermal

How does thermal energy get produced in an object

Movement of an object's atoms and molecules (ex: heated water)

Wave energy

electromagnetic

Stored potential energy found in bonds between atoms

chemical

2 common things that have chemical energy in them

food & fossil fuels

What energy conversion takes place when you exercise

chemical energy in food -> kinetic energy of movement

Energy conversions that take place as you use your computer to study for the science test

1) Electrical to thermal- electricity in the battery gets converted to thermal heat as computer parts generate heat (hot to the touch)

2) Electrical to electromagnetic- battery powers the monitor, which produces light waves for you to see what you're studying

3) Electrical to mechanical- As you use your computer, fans move inside to keep temperature consistent so it doesn't overheat

Nuclear energy

Type of chemical energy that has to do with forces within atoms vs between them, which would be chemical

Energy conversions that happen in the human body

1) Chemical to thermal- energy stored in food is broken down to help maintain a specific body temperature

2) chemical to mechanical- muscles turn energy stored in food to movement as you walk or run

3) chemical to electrical- nerve cells turn energy stored in food to electrical signals so your body's organs can talk to each other & your heart can beat

combustion

burning something turns chemical energy into thermal & electromagnetic energy

combustion equation

CH4 (methane) + 2 O2 (oxygen) -> CO2 (carbon dioxide) + 2 H2O (water)

True/false: the process of combustion creates greenhouse gases that warm the planet

True- carbon dioxide is that greenhouse gas. The other is water vapor, which doesn't add to the warming planet

Does combustion happen in the human body because we 'burn' fat or food?

No- cell respiration happens in the human body, which turns chemical energy in food into chemical energy in a molecule called ATP.

energy efficient of something means

how much energy comes out of a system to use when you put energy into it

Examples of highly energy efficient products we see everyday

LED light bulbs, electric vehicle chargers, heat pumps, smart thermostats

A product that is very energy efficient

Puts A LOT of energy that goes into it to use vs losing it. Ex: an LED bulb uses A LOT of the electrical energy that goes into it to produce light and thermal energy for a longer time than regular light bulbs, which aren't as energy efficient

Energy resource are split up into 2 types

renewable & nonrenewable

Renewable energy

Replaced faster than it is used because it is so easily available. Ex: wind, solar, heat inside Earth (called geothermal), water (called hydroelectric)

Nonrenewable energy

Can't be replaced faster than it's used because it takes MANY years to form. Ex: fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) and nuclear energy

Energy resource that's better for the environment

renewable

4 ways energy is used in the US

1) Commercial (businesses)

2) Residential (us!)

3) transportation (cars, trucks, planes)

4) industrial (factories & corporations)

3 main examples of fossil fuels

oil, coal, natural gas

Energy found in oil, coal, and natural gas (chemical) first came from the

Sun

How did energy from the Sun get stored into fossil fuels for us to use when we burn them

Photosynthesis, which plants turned the Sun's solar energy into chemical over millions of years

Where are fossil fuels typically made and dug for?

1) Beaches

2) Forests

3) On glaciers

3) Deep underground in lakes and swamps

Deep underground in lakes and swamps, where there it little to no oxygen & lot of pressure

Oil (a nonrenewable fossil fuel) comes from

Remains of tiny animals & algae, which is why oil is extracted (dug for) in oceans and seas

Coal (a nonrenewable fossil fuel) comes from

Dead plants that are squeezed together due to high pressure, which is why coal is extracted from underground or surface mines in mountains vs the ocean (oil)

Why is coal such a popular fossil fuel option vs oil or natural gas

1) Found almost everywhere

2) Easy to get to

3) Very cheap since it's almost everywhere

4) Easy to store and transport

2 main methods for extracting coal

strip & subsurface mining

what happens during strip mining

People mine for coal at Earth's surface vs underground. Ex: blasting a mountaintop to get to the coal stored within that mountain

What happens during subsurface mining

Coal is extracted deep underground vs at the surface

Why is oil such a popular fossil fuel option vs coal or natural gas

1) Has more energy stored within it than coal

2) Can be turned into many different products, from gas and diesel fuel to plastics

3) Easier to store and transport than coal since it's a liquid (ex: flows through pipelines)

4) Can be readily used in transportation unlike coal

Oil is mostly extracted

From underground like subsurface mining of coal

Primary extraction

Oil rises from underground, where it's extracted, to the surface of an oil rig

secondary extraction

chemicals are used to dissolve the oil that rushed to the surface of an oil rig

Why is natural gas such a popular fossil fuel option vs oil or coal

1) Burns cleaner

2) Produces more energy when burned

3) Lower greenhouse gas emissions when burned

4) Can be used for many things such as generating electricity, heating homes, used in transportation, and industrial processes

5) Also found everywhere & is pretty easy to get to

Natural gas is usually found

Above oil and coal deposits

Current issue facing fossil fuels

Demand has gotten so high for fossil fuels due to more people being on Earth that the locations where they're found are harder, and more expensive, to get to

What are some other fossil fuel options the world can explore besides oil, coal, and natural gas

1) Oil sands- wet sand & clay are extracted for bitumen, which is a rock that has petroleum in it

2) Oil shale- Rock filled with petroleum

3) Methane hydrate- Found deep in the ocean, these icelike solids have the greenhouse gas methane trapped within them, which can be burned for energy

Biggest issue with relying on any fossil fuels

Burning them (combustion) releases greenhouse gases in the air that affect our health and continue to warm our planet

Main greenhouse gas released when burning fossil fuels

Carbon dioxide (CO2)- main cause of rising temperatures

Other greenhouse gases released when burning fossil fuels

Nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide, both causing smog and acid rain

Water can also be polluted from fossil fuel burning. How does oil from homes and cars get into the ocean

Cities -> local streams -> rivers -> oceans

Main parts of the body affected by the burning of fossil fuels

Eyes, nose, throat lungs

How does acid drainage occur

Mining releases toxic minerals once stuck in rocks -> minerals react with oxygen in the air and water to produce sulfuric acid -> acid removes metals from rocks as it runs off -> both acid and metals contaminate surface and ground water

Besides drilling, what other environmental problems come from oil and gas extraction

1) Habitat destruction- Land has to be cleared to make space for roads and houses, leading to deforestation

2) Oil spills- contaminates soil and water

3) Earthquakes- shooting water at rocks underground to get the oil and gas can cause local earthquakes

Energy conservation

the practice of finding ways to use less energy or to use energy more efficiently

How can YOU conserve energy in transportation as a teenager

1) Purchase a fuel efficient gas car

2) Purchase a hybrid or electric car that relies less on fossil fuels

3) Take public transit

4) Carpool with your friends

5) Opt for a scooter or bike vs a car if you live near the high school

Tiny particles in matter

atoms

Middle of an atom where all the potential energy is for nuclear energy

nucleus

Conversion of nuclear energy

Nuclear -> thermal energy -> electrical energy

Nuclear fission

Reaction that releases all that stored energy in a nucleus

Main element used for nuclear energy

uranium-235

Process of getting all the nuclear energy out of a nucleus

Uranium bombarded with neutrons -> uranium nucleus breaks apart, releasing energy and more neutrons -> those neutrons go on and split more nuclei, releasing more neutrons, heat, and light

Each time a nucleus is split,

More energy and neutrons are released than the last split

Steps of getting energy in a nuclear reactor

1) Fission starts in fuel rods containing uranium-235, releasing heat

2) Heated water surrounding rods goes through a pipe into a steam generator

3) Steam generator boils water into steam

4) Steam travels through another pipe to a turbine

5) Steam turns turbine to make electricity (kinetic -> electrical)

6) Steam flows into a condenser that cools the steam back into liquid water which is then reused

How does the typical energy factory work

Water is heated into steam by burning fossil fuels (chemical energy to thermal) -> steam moves a turbine (kinetic energy to mechanical) -> movement of turbine generates electricity (mechanical to electrical)

Pros/benefits of nuclear energy

1) Doesn't release greenhouse gases

2) VERY efficient (a lot of the energy from the process is available to use vs lost)

3) Unlike solar or wind, nuclear power plants can work 24/7 and don't rely on unpredictable weather

4) Produce A LOT more energy than the same amount of coal

Cons of nuclear energy

1) Waste from it is radioactive (NOT good for us) and hard to get rid of

2) Nuclear accidents

3) VERY expensive at the start

4) Can be used for bad (ex: nuclear weapons)

5) Destroys local habitats as uranium has to be mined

nuclear fusion

The process by which two or more small nuclei fuse to make a bigger nucleus, producing more energy than fission

Recent nuclear meltdowns include

1) Chernobyl Disaster (1986, Ukraine) - A reactor explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant released massive amounts of radiation, leading to long-term environmental and health consequences

2) Fukushima Daiichi Disaster (2011, Japan) - Triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami, this meltdown caused widespread radioactive contamination and led to evacuations

3) Three Mile Island Accident (1979, USA) - A partial meltdown at a Pennsylvania nuclear plant resulted in the release of radioactive gases, though no immediate deaths were reported