Physics Unit 1 Flashcards
Describe the process of condensation
When a gas cools, the particles in the gas slow down and lose kinetic energy meaning the attractive forces between the particles pull them closer together
Describe the “cooling effect” of evaporation
The fastest particles with the most kinetic energy are most likely to evaporate and when they do, the average kinetic energy of the remaining particles decreases meaning that the remaining liquid cools
Describe evaporation
If particles are travelling in the right direction and are travelling fast enough to overcome the attractive forces of other particles in the liquid, these particles near the surface of the liquid can escape and become gas particles
Give 4 things that would increase the rate of evaporation and explain why
Higher temperature (more particles have enough energy to escape)
Lower density (forces between particles are weaker so it easier for particles to escape)
Larger surface area (more particles close to surface so that they can escape)
Airflow over the liquid is greater (the lower the concentration of an evaporating substance already in the air it’s evaporating into, the higher the rate of evaporation, a larger airflow means the air around the liquid is replaced more quickly)
What is condensation?
When a gas turns to a liquid
What is evaporation?
When a liquid turns to a gas
Give 4 things that would increase the rate of condensation
Temperature of the gas is lower (average particle energy is lower)
Airflow is less (the concentration of the substance in the air is higher so the rate of condensation is higher)
Temperature of the surface the gas touches is lower
Density is higher (attractive forces between particles is higher)
What is the National Grid?
The system over the whole UK that transports electricity from where it’s produced to where it is needed
How do we increase the voltage of the electricity in the National Grid cables?
We use a step-up transformer that increases the voltage to 400000V and decreases the current
What are the 2 ways that the increasing demand for electricity could be dealt with?
Energy demands of consumers decrease (could be done by increasing energy efficiency)
Energy supplied to National Grid increased
Give 4 reasons that overhead cables would be chosen instead of underground ones
Low set up cost
Easy to access if there are faults
Easy to set up
Minimal disturbance to land
How is the voltage of the electricity decreased for use in homes?
A step-down transformer decreases the voltage and increases the current
What are the 2 types of National Grid cable?
Overhead cables (with pylons)
Underground cables
Why is the voltage so high in the National Grid cables?
To lower the current
Why does the current in the National Grid cables have to be so low?
A high current would mean that most of the energy is lost through heat in the cables
Give 4 reasons that underground cables would be chosen instead of overhead ones
Minimal maintenance needed
Hidden (don’t look ugly)
Not affected by weather
More reliable than overhead cables
What are the voltage in the National Grid cables?
400000V
What are the 4 disadvantages of solar cells?
Don’t generate electricity at night time
Initial costs are high
Too expensive to connect to National Grid
Not visually appealing
What are the 6 advantages of solar cells?
Can be very small for use in handheld devices
Can be used in remote places
No pollution
Very reliable in the summer
Running costs are very small
Can generate electricity for homes
What are the 4 problems with non-renewable energy methods?
Most release carbon dioxide adding to the greenhouse effect
Burning coal and oil releases sulphur dioxide which causes acid rain
Coal mining scars the landscape
Oil spillages can cause serious problems in mammals and birds that live around the sea
What are the 6 factors that are considered when setting up a power station? (Give explanation for each)
Set-up costs (renewable power stations usually cost more to set up than non-renewable)
Set-up time (nuclear take longest, gas are quickest, sometimes discussions can go on for years)
Reliability (non-renewable are always reliable, renewable usually relies on weather)
Running and fuel costs (renewable have lowest running cost because there is no fuel)
Environmental issues (atmospheric pollution, visual, nuclear can have big problems, resources like oil, noise, habitats)
Location (needs to be located near the source of energy, nuclear needs to be away from people and near water for cooling)
What are the 3 disadvantages of nuclear reactors?
Take a long time to set up
All costs are high
There is a possibility of nuclear disasters
What are the 3 advantages of nuclear power?
Produces a lot of electricity
No pollution
Nuclear fuel is fairly cheap
What are the 3 disadvantages of biofuels?
We still don’t know the full impact of biofuels on the environment
Large areas of forest have been destroyed to get to biofuels (loss of habitats, greenhouse effect)
Their use is limited to the amount of farmland that can dedicated to their production
How do solar cells work?
The solar cell is joined in series to some electrical components so that when light hits the solar cell, an electric current is produced
How does hydroelectric power work?
Water is stored in a dam and then all released so that it spins turbines so that electricity can be generated
How do biofuels produce energy?
The same way as fossil fuels
How does wind power work?
Wind spins large turbines which spin generators giving us electrical energy
What are the 3 advantages of tidal power?
No pollution
Reliable because they give us energy twice a day
Minimal running costs
How does geothermal power work?
Cold water is pumped underground where it is heated by hotrocks and pumped back up
The heat causes the water to become steam that drives a turbine
What is carbon capture and how does it work?
It is way of reducing carbon dioxide that leaves power stations
It is done by collecting the carbon dioxide before it leaves the power station and putting it into empty gas fields and oil fields under the sea
How does tidal power work?
The tide comes in and rises up to a pipe which it travels down and spins a turbine and is let out on the other side
The same happens when the tide goes out
What are the 4 types of non-renewable energy sources?
Coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear fuels (uranium and plutonium)
What are the 2 disadvantages of geothermal power?
Not many suitable locations
Expensive to set up (excavation included)
What are the 8 types of renewable energy sources?
Wind, waves, tidal, hydroelectric, solar, geothermal, food, biofuels
What are the 3 advantages of wave power?
No pollution
Low running costs
Don’t look particularly ugly
What are the 3 advantages of hydroelectric power?
No pollution because only rain water is used
Can provide immediate response to energy demand
Problems with reliability are rare (only in droughts)
What are the 3 advantages of energy from biofuels?
Can power some cars
Fuels can be solids, liquids or gases
They are produced using very eco-friendly methods
What are the 4 disadvantages of wind power?
They spoil the view (1500 turbines needed to replace power station)
Can be very noisy
No power when the wind stops
Initial costs are quite high
What are the 4 advantages of wind power?
Renewable
Electricity generated inside the turbine
No pollution
No permanent damaging to landscape because you can remove them and there will be no scarring
What are the 3 disadvantages of wave power?
You need a lot to produce enough energy
Hazard to boats
Unreliable because they depend on waves
What are nuclear power stations?
Where nuclear fission of uranium or plutonium produces the heat to make steam to drive a turbine
How does wave power work?
When a wave moves in, it goes into a pipe and forces air out of the pipe and into a turbine
What are the 3 disadvantages of hydroelectric power?
Requires flooding a valley
Loss of animal habitats
Initial costs are high
What are the 3 disadvantages of tidal power?
Prevents free boat access
Spoils the view
Altering habitats of wildlife
Describe how fuel power stations work
The fossil fuel is burned to convert its stored chemical energy to heat
The heat turns water to steam
The steam spins a turbine generating kinetic energy
The turbine spins a generator which generates electrical energy
What are the 3 advantages of geothermal power?
No environmental problems
Can heat builings directly
Very reliable (consistent)
How does pumped storage work?
At night, the spare energy is used to pump water back up to the top so that it can be released when their is high energy demand
What is the conservation of energy principle?
Energy can’t be created and destroyed but only transferred
What are the 2 formulas for calculating the cost of electricity?
Number of units used (kWh) = power (kW) * time (h)
Cost = no. of units * price per unit
What does “dissapated” mean?
When wasted energy (usually heat) becomes less concentrated (e.g. if heat spreads out)
What is a Sankey diagram?
A diagram that shows the input and output energies of a device and the device’s efficiency
Describe how you would draw a Sankey diagram
Show the energy in going to the left with the number of joules labelled
The energy wasted in different ways are boxes that go downwards and end with a point, label the type of energy and amount (the box widths are proportional to the input energy) (different boxes for different types of energy)
The energy still travelling to the left ends in a point and it is labelled “useful” and then the type of energy and also the amount of energy
Give 4 ways that access to electricity affects standard of living
Many types of energy in the home are convenient and can increase safety (eg. lights)
Refrigerators keep food fresh and keep vaccines cold. Without this, the area’s population can be drastically effected
Electricity is needed in hospitals (X-rays, diagnosis etc.)
Communications require electricity
What is a kWh?
The amount of energy used by a 1kW appliance left on for 1 hour
What is the main cause of inefficiency of devices?
Energy is wasted as heat
What are heat exchangers?
A device that reduces the amount of heat energy lost by collecting some of it back
What is potential energy?
Stored energy that is not being currently used
What are the 3 things you need to consider when buying an appliance?
Cost-effectiveness
Energy-efficiency
Whether the energy type needed is readily available
What is the formula that relates energy, time and power?
Energy = power * time
E = Pt
Describe how heat exchangers work
A cool fluid is pumped through the escaping heat
The fluid temperature increases and can be used for heating
What is the unit for energy used in homes?
Kilowatt-hours or kWh
What are the nine types of energy?
Electrical (flowing current)
Light
Sound
Kinetic (movement)
Nuclear potential (stored in nuclei of radioactive isotopes)
Thermal / heat
Gravitation potential
Elastic potential
Chemical potential (food, fuels etc.)
How do you calculate the power efficiency of a device?
Efficiency = useful power out / total power in
How do you calculate the energy efficiency of a device?
Efficiency = useful energy out / total energy in
What device is usually 100% efficient?
Electric heaters (heat is not waste energy)
What other liquid can be used in heaters and why is it used?
Oil because it has a high boiling point so you don’t have to worry about it evaporating at higher temperatures
How do electric storage heaters work?
They store the heat in concrete or bricks because they have a high specific heat capacity