Energy Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
1
Q

What was the concept of energy originally used for?

A

Emerged in the 19th century and used to explain the work output of steam engines and then generalised to understand other heat energies. Became a key tool for understanding chemical reactions.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What are critical energy problems for this century?

A

The use of fossil fuels and global warming.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What is a system?

A

An object/ group of objects

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What happens when a system changes?

A

When a system changes, energy is transferred either into or away from the system, between different objects in the system or between different energy stores.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What are the 8 energy stores?

A
Thermal energy
Kinetic energy 
Gravitational potential energy 
Elastic potential energy 
Chemical energy 
Magnetic energy 
Electrostatic energy 
Nuclear energy
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

When an object is projected upwards how is energy changed?

A

Energy shifts from chemical energy stores if the body to the GPE store if the objects via the work done by forces.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

When a moving object hits an obstacle how is energy changed?

A

Energy shifts from kinetic energy store of object to the thermal and elastic potential energy stores via work done by forces.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

When an object accelerates by a constant force how is energy changed?

A

Energy shifts from chemical store of fuel to the kinetic store of the object.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

When a vehicle slows down how is energy changed?

A

Energy shifts from kinetic store of the vehicle to thermal store of the breaks via friction between a car’s brakes and its wheels.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

When a water is brought to the boil in an electric kettle how is energy changed?

A

Energy shifts from chemical store of the fuel (at the power station) to the thermal store of the water.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is internal energy?

A

The total kinetic and potential energies of all the particles that make up a system.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What does doing work on a system increase?

A

The energy stored in a system.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What does heating a system do?

A

It increases the energy of the particles within it.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What happens as energy in a system increase?

A

It either increases the temperature or produces a change of state.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What does an increase of temperature in a system depend on?

A
  • The mass of the substance heated
  • What the substance is
  • The energy input
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is specific heat capacity?

A

The specific heat capacity if a substance is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1kg of the substance by 1 degree Celsius.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is power?

A

The rate at which energy is transferred or at the rate at which work is done.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What is the power of 1 watt equal to?

A

1 joule per second.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is a closed system?

A

A system where neither matter nor energy can enter or leave. The net change in the total energy of a closed system is always zero, but the energy can be transferred from one store to another.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Energy can not be created or destroyed but…

A

Transferred usefully, dissipated or stored.

21
Q

What happens when a lift raises in the lift carriage?

A

It transfers electrical energy to GPE
Some energy is dissipated into the surroundings as heat and sound
This wasted energy is no longer available for useful transfers

22
Q

What is wasted energy caused by?

A

By unwanted energy transfers

23
Q

How can unwanted energy transfers be reduced?

A
  • lubrication reduces friction that causes heat.
  • tightening any loose parts- prevents unwanted vibrations that waste energy as sound
  • Thermal installation reduces heat walls.
24
Q

How do cavity walls (thermal insulation) reduces heat loss?

A

They are made up of inner and outer wall with an air gap in the middle- the air gap reduced the amount of energy lost by conduction. Cavity wall installation is where the gap is filled by foam can reduce energy transfer by convection.

25
Q

What is conduction?

A

The process where vibrating particles transfer energy to neighbouring particles.

26
Q

What is convection?

A

Where energetic particles move away from hotter to cooler regions.

27
Q

How does loft insulation (thermal insulation) reduce heat loss?

A

It can be laid out across the loft floor and ceiling. Fibreglass wool is often used which is a good insulator and has packets of trapped air. Reduced energy loss by conduction and also prevents convection currents.

28
Q

How do double glazed windows work?

A

They work in the same way as cavity walls.

29
Q

How do fraught excluders work?

A

They are put around doors and Windows to reduce unwanted energy transfers by convention.

30
Q

The higher the thermal conductivity of a material…

A

The higher the rate of energy transfer by conduction across the material.

31
Q

What does the rate of cooling depend on?

A

The thickness and thermal conductivity of the walls, thin walls with high thermal conductivity will heat the quickest and the building will cool down rapidly.

32
Q

What makes a device efficient?

A

The less energy ‘wasted’, the more efficient the device. No device is 100% efficient.

33
Q

How can you improve the efficiency of energy transfers?

A
  • insulating objects
  • lubricating objects
  • making objects more steam lined
34
Q

What are the main energy resources available for use on the earth?

A
Fossil fuels 
Nuclear fuel
Biofuel
Wind
Hydroelectricity 
Geothermal 
Tidal
Solar
Water waves
35
Q

What are the main uses for energy resources?

A

Transport, electrical generation, heating

36
Q

What are renewable energy resources?

A

Resources that are being or can be replenished as it is used.

37
Q

What are non-renewable energy resources?

A

Resources that will one day run out.

38
Q

Biofuel

A

Category: renewable
Main uses: Transport and electricity generation
Environmental impacts, reliability, other info: large areas of land are needed for growing fuel crops which can be at the expense of food crops in poorer countries.

39
Q

Wind

A

Category: renewable
Main uses: electricity generation
Environmental impacts, reliability, other info: does not provide a constant source of energy. Turbines can be noisy/ dangerous to birds. Some people think they ruin the appearance of the countryside.

40
Q

Water (hydroelectricity)

A

Category: Renewable
Main uses: electricity generation
Environmental impacts, reliability, other info: requires large areas of land to be flooded, altering ecosystems and displacing the people that live there.

41
Q

Geothermal

A

Category: Renewable
Main uses: electricity generation and heating
Environmental impacts, reliability, other info: only available in a limited number of place where hot rocks can be found close to surface e.g. Iceland

42
Q

Tidal

A

Category: Renewable
Main uses: electricity generation
Environmental impacts, reliability, other info: variations in tides affect output. Have a high initial set up cost, can alter habitats/ cause problems for shipping.

43
Q

Solar

A

Category: Renewable
Main uses: electricity generation and some heating
Environmental impacts, reliability, other info: Depends in light intensity so no power produced at night. High cost in relation to power output.

44
Q

Water waves

A

Category: Renewable
Main uses: electricity generation
Environmental impacts, reliability, other info: output depends on waves so can be unreliable, can alter habitats

45
Q

Nuclear fuel

A

Category: non renewable
Main uses: electricity generation and some military transport
Environmental impacts, reliability, other info: produces radioactive waste but no other emissions. Costly to built and decommission, reliable output.

46
Q

Coal

A

Category: non renewable
Main uses: electricity generation, heating and transport
Environmental impacts, reliability, other info: burning produces greenhouse gases and contributes to acid rain. Reliable output.

47
Q

Oil

A

Category: non- renewable
Main uses: transport and heating
Environmental impacts, reliability, other info: reliable output. Provides a compact source of energy for transport. Burning produces CO2, NO2 and SO2 serious environment damage if split.

48
Q

Gas

A

Category: non renewable
Main uses: electricity generation, heating, transport
Environmental impacts, reliability, other info: reliable output, burning produces CO2 but not SO2.