Alice science ( Energy )

Vocabulary flashcards covering fundamental concepts of energy, including potential and kinetic energy, forms of energy, chemical reactions, solar, wind, hydro, nuclear power, and environmental impacts.

Law of Conservation of Energy

First created by Albert Einstein in 1907, this law states that energy cannot be created nor destroyed, but only transformed from one type to another.

Energy

The ability to do work as it allows things to move, grow, or change.

Potential Energy

Stored energy that is not being used yet, but has the ability to be used.

Kinetic Energy

Energy in motion.

Matter

Everything around us that has mass and takes up space.

Chemical Energy

Potential energy stored in matter that is released or transformed when a chemical reaction occurs.

Electrical Energy

The form of energy that provides power for machines to work, delivered easily from place to place through wires.

Thermal Energy

Energy that moves between two objects of different temperatures, created when a rise in temperature causes atoms to move faster and collide.

Heat

The flow of thermal energy from a warmer area or object to a cooler one.

Mechanical Energy

The total kinetic and potential energy an object possesses due to its motion or position.

Nuclear Energy

Energy released by splitting atoms in a reactor or fusing hydrogen atoms together.

Atoms

The smallest unit of matter; all solids, liquids, and gases are composed of constantly moving or vibrating atoms.

Nuclear Fission

The process of splitting a uranium atom into two smaller atoms, releasing heat from the nucleus to generate steam and electricity.

Chemical Reaction

A process that occurs when substances combine and transform into a new substance.

Nuclear Fusion

A process taking place in the sun's core where four hydrogen atoms fuse into one helium atom, releasing thermal energy.

Pollution

Any harmful addition to the natural environment caused by human activity or by-products of energy use.

Radioactive Waste

A dangerous, long-lasting by-product of nuclear energy generation that remains radioactive for thousands of years.

Solar Energy

Energy emitted by the sun's rays in the form of light and thermal energy, which can be converted into electricity using solar panels.

Wind Energy

Energy harnessed from the movement of air as it flows from high-pressure areas to low-pressure areas.

Wind Turbine

A structure that uses wind energy to turn blades connected to a generator, converting mechanical energy into electrical energy.

Hydro Energy

Energy harnessed from the natural flow and downhill movement of falling water.

Non-Renewable Resources

Energy sources, such as fossil fuels and uranium, that cannot replenish themselves within a human lifetime.

Renewable Resources

Infinite energy sources, such as solar, wind, and hydro power, that naturally replenish and do not run out.

Geothermal Energy

Renewable energy produced by harnessing heat from deep below the Earth's surface to generate steam and turn turbines.

Biomass

A renewable energy source created by burning plants, crops, and animal waste to produce heat and steam for turbine power.