Natural Resources Flashcards
natural resource
any natural mineral that is used by humans such as water petroleum minerals forests and animals
renewable resource
a natural resource that can be replaced at the same rate at which the resource is consumed
nonrenewable resource
a resource that forms at a rate that is much slower than the rate at which it is consumed
fossil fuel
a nonrenewable energy resource formed from the remains of organisms that lived long ago examples include oil coal and natural gas
nuclear fission
a nuclear reaction in which a heavy nucleus splits spontaneously or on impact with another particle, with the release of energy
nuclear fusion
a nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei of low atomic number fuse to form a heavier nucleus with the release of energy
hydrogen fuel cell vehicle
electric vehicles powered by hydrogen
solar energy
radiant energy emitted by the sun
wind energy
the process by which the wind is used to generate mechanical power or electricity
hydroelectric energy
electrical energy produced by falling water
biomass
the total mass of organisms in a given area or volume
ethanol
a colorless volatile flammable liquid which is produced by the natural fermentation of sugars; alcohol
geothermal energy
the energy produced by heat within the earth
petroleum
a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons that is present in certain rock strata and can be extracted and refined to produce fuels including gasoline, kerosene, and diesel oil; oil
natural gas
flammable gas, consisting largely of methane and other hydrocarbons, occurring naturally underground (often in association with petroleum) and used as fuel
