Energy

Question 1

Approximately what percentage of the energy used to support our current lifestyle comes from fossil fuels?

Answer 1

over 85%

Question 2

What percentage of the electricity produced in the world today comes from nuclear fusion?

Answer 2

0%

Question 3

The first law of thermodynamics is sometimes called the law of

Answer 3

conservation of energy

Question 4

Approximately what percentage of electricity generated in the United States is hydroelectric?

Answer 4

7%

Question 5

Which problem do all electric power plants have in common?

Answer 5

thermal pollution

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT a fossil fuel?

Answer 6

wood

Question 7

The SI unit of energy is the

Answer 7

joule

Question 8

The efficiency of current solar cells is approximately

Answer 8

15%

Question 9

Pure isooctane would have an octane rating of

Answer 9

100

Question 10

All of the following examples are classified as potential energy EXCEPT

Answer 10

A) energy of a moving object.*
B) energy in nuclear particles.
C) energy stored by position.
D) energy in chemical bonds

Question 11

Approximately what percentage of the chemical energy of a fossil fuel electrical power plant is “lost” as heat energy?

Answer 11

60%

Question 12

Which of the following petroleum fractions has the highest boiling point?

Answer 12

lubricants

Question 13

Approximately what percentage of the total solar radiation that falls upon the earth is immediately reflected back into space?

Answer 13

30%

Question 14

The thin film of air, water, and soil in which all life exists is only about 15 km thick and is called the

Answer 14

biosphere

Question 15

The United States is estimated to have approximately what percentage of the world’s coal reserves?

Answer 15

25%

Question 16

The fastest growing energy source in the United states is

Answer 16

wind power

Question 17

Photovoltaic cells convert

Answer 17

solar energy into electrical energy

Question 18

The fraction from the distillation of crude petroleum that is slightly heavier than gasoline is called

Answer 18

kerosene

Question 19

An advantage of natural gas as a fuel is that it is

Answer 19

the cleanest of the fossil fuels

Question 20

Petroleum is best described as a(n)

Answer 20

complex mixture

Question 21

Another name for the first law of thermodynamics is

Answer 21

the law of conservation of energy

Question 22

Which of the following is a fuel?

Answer 22

A) C*
B) HCl
C) CO2
D) H2O

Question 23

When coal containing sulfur is burned, the sulfur is converted to

Answer 23

gaseous sulfur oxides that go up the smokestack

Question 24

Approximately what percentage of U.S. electricity is generated by the burning of coal?

Answer 24

50%

Question 25

The yield of gasoline from crude petroleum can be increased by

Answer 25

catalytic cracking of heavier fractions

Question 26

The highest grade of coal is

Answer 26

anthracite

Question 27

Control rods in a nuclear reactor are used to

Answer 27

absorb neutron and slow down fission

Question 28

Pure heptane would have an octane rating of

Answer 28

0

Question 29

The major components of petroleum is/are

Answer 29

hydrocarbons

Question 30

Which of the following situations would be an example of kinetic energy?

Answer 30

a nuclear explosion

Question 31

For most uses, the most convenient form of energy is

Answer 31

electrical

Question 32

The solar energy absorbing molecules of plants that power photosynthesis are called

Answer 32

chlorophylls

Question 33

What metal, when added as a compound, increases octane rating of gasoline?

Answer 33

Pb

Question 34

The principal fuel(s) for nuclear fusion would be

Answer 34

deuterium and tritium (2H and 3H)

Question 35

Which physical state has the lowest entropy?

Answer 35

a solid

Question 36

A gasoline with an octane rating of 90 would give the same performance in a standard test engine as a mixture of

Answer 36

90% isooctane and 10% heptane.

Question 37

The most abundant fossil fuel in the United States is

Answer 37

coal

Question 38

The petroleum fraction that has the lowest boiling point (distills first) is

Answer 38

natural gas

Question 39

Which of the following forms of energy is the dirtiest?

Answer 39

coal

Question 40

To make crude petroleum more useful, it must be

Answer 40

distilled