Unit 5: energy resources and consumption Flashcards
Convection
The transfer of heat through a fluid caused by molecular motion
Energy quality
A measure of an energy sources ability to do useful work
Energy units
Joule, calorie, British thermal unit, kilowatt hour
Power units
Watts, horsepower
Turbine
Machine that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy using a generator
Generator
A device that uses electromagnetic induction to induce electrical current by rotating loops of wire through a magnetic field
First law of thermodynamics
The principle of the conservation of energy. Energy is transferred and transformed, but it cannot be created or destroyed but may be converted from one form to another
Second law of thermodynamics
A law stating that mechanical work can be derived from a body only when that body interacts with another at a lower temp. When energy is changed from one form to another some useful energy is defeated to something of lower energy quality
Fossil fuel
A nonrenewable energy resource formed from the remains of organisms that lived long ago- coal, oil, natural gas
Natural gas
Naturally occurring gaseous hydrocarbon generally produced in association with crude oil- clean burning usually used in homes
Methane
Colorless, odorless, flammable gas present in natural gas and formed by the decomposition of organic matter
Crude oil
Petroleum as it comes out of the ground
Anthracite
The cleanest burning coal; almost pure carbon
Strip mining
A process in which rock and soil are stripped from the earths surface to expose the underlying materials to be mined
Oil reserves
Oil that has been discovered, but remains unused in the ground
