Energy & Physical Resources Flashcards
What are the early forms of electricity that were studied?
lightning and static electricity.
What did Hauksbee strive to understand and how did he do this?
natural phenomena by asking questions and looking for explanations; this is thematic investigation.
What did Franklin do?
Franklin was crucial in identifying effects and proposing causes.
What did Luigi Galvani do?
Luigi Galvani considered electricity to be a property of living things.
Who disagreed with Luigi Galvani’s ideas?
Alessandro Volta
How did Volta disprove Galvani’s ideas?
by producing a continuous flow of electricity from a battery which was made from different metals.
What did Orsted and Ampere investigate?
the connection between electricity and magnetism.
What did Orsted and Ampere’s investigation result in?
This resulted in the invention of the electric generator and the electric motor by Michael Faraday.
What did Volta establish?
the concept of electrical current
What is electrical current?
the amount of electricity flowing out of a source.
What did quantitative observations allow?
a more mathematical approach and formulation of laws by Coulomb, Faraday and Ohm among many others.
What does electrical current involve?
the movement of charged particles in an electric or magnetic field. This flow of charge can do work on other systems.
What do scientists describe natural phenomena in terms of?
- electric charge
- electric current
- potential difference/voltage.
What energy do batteries and fuel cells use?
they convert chemical energy into electrical energy.
What are primary cells?
batteries that employ non-reversible chemical reactions and therefore cannot be recharged.
What illustrates the recognition of patterns in science?
The variation of the voltage produced in relation to the reactivity of the metals used in an electrochemical cell
What are secondary cells?
batteries that employ reversible chemical reactions that allow them to be recharged.
What are fuel cells?
Fuel cells use chemical reactions that continuously consume a fuel to produce electricity.
What is the challenge for scientists?
to produce devices that can produce a high current for a long period but also have a low mass and high efficiency.
What did scientists research?
the research into and the development of new materials for electrodes and electrolytes.
Relate the activity series to the voltage
which can be produced in an electrochemical cell
- Magnesium (Mg)
- Zinc (Zn)
- Iron (Fe)
- Tin (Sn)
- Silver (Ag)
What produces an electric current?
The movement of a conductor through a magnetic field produces an electric current.
Why is electricity a secondary energy source
it is generated by non-renewable and renewable primary sources of energy.
How is energy made in a power station?
the primary energy source drives a turbine (either directly as with wind, or indirectly as with steam from the combustion of fuels) which rotates the generator coils to produce a current.
What was the initial source of energy for generators and what is it now?
Coal-powered steam engines but more recently there has been a shift to oil, gas and nuclear power.
What led to further development of more efficient power?
Computer modelling
How has more efficient power developed?
using a wider variety of primary energy sources to cater for differing locations and access to natural resources.
What is direct current (DC)?
An electric current in which electrons move in one direction
What is alternating current (AC)?
An electric current in which the electrons oscillate rapidly back and forth.
What has AC been used for?
AC has been used for large-scale distribution for domestic and industrial use owing to the need for high voltages for efficient distribution.
How is energy distributed?
Energy is distributed at high voltage through a supply network and the voltage reduced by transformers before
delivery to the end user.
What are fossil fuels?
Some carbon-based materials found in the Earth’s crust, are a potent, though finite, source of energy.
How how renewable energy sources been brought about?
due to increased industrialization and increased population, yet some countries support the use of fossil fuels for their energy needs.
What does choice of primary energy sources depend on?
The choice of primary energy source depends on availability of resources, capital costs and running costs, as well as potential environmental impact.
What does the development of more efficient turbines depend on?
the increased power of instrumentation and computer
simulations.
What are some non-renewable energy sources?
- fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, coal)
* nuclear fission
What are some renewable energy sources?
- wave
- hydroelectric power
- tidal power
- solar power
- geothermal
- biomass
