Year 9 Science Physics GCSEs

Question 1

What are the main energy resources on Earth?

Answer 1

Fossil Fuels (Coal, Oil and Gas)
Nuclear Fuel
Biofuel
Wind
Hydro-electrical
Geothermal
Tidal
Solar
Wave

Question 2

What is a renewable energy resource?

Answer 2

One that is being replenished as it is used.

Question 3

What is a non-renewable energy resource?

Answer 3

One that cannot be replenished and will eventually run out.

Question 4

Name the non-renewable energy recourses

Answer 4

Fossiul Fuels (coal,oil,gas) and nuclear

Question 5

Name the renewable energy resources

Answer 5

Biofuel
Wind
Hydro-electrical
Geothermal
Tidal
Solar
Wave

Question 6

What are the main uses for energy resources?

Answer 6

Heating
Transportation
Generating Electricity

Question 7

How is wind energy produced?

Answer 7

Wind is produced as a result of giant convection currents in the Earth’s atmosphere, which are driven by heat energy from the Sun.

Question 8

How is wind used to generate electricity?

Answer 8

Wind turbines use the wind to drive turbines directly. They have huge blades mounted on a tall tower. As the wind blows, it transfers some of its kinetic energy to the blades, which turn and drive the generator. Several wind turbines may be grouped together in windy locations to form wind farms.

Question 9

What are the advantages of wind power?

Answer 9

Advantages
Wind is a renewable energy resource and there are no fuel costs.
No harmful carbon dioxide gas is produced.

Question 10

What are the disadvantages of wind power?

Answer 10

Disadvantages
Wind farms are noisy and may spoil the view for people living near them.
The amount of electricity generated depends on the strength of the wind.
If there is no wind, there is no electricity.

Question 11

How is the energy in waves used?

Answer 11

The water in the sea rises and falls because of waves on the surface. Wave machines use the kinetic energy in this movement to drive electricity generators.

Question 12

What are the advantages of wave power?

Answer 12

Advantages
There are no fuel costs.
No harmful carbon dioxide gases are produced.

Question 13

What are the disadvantages of wave power?

Answer 13

Disadvantages
It has been difficult to scale up the designs for wave machines to produce large amounts of electricity.

Question 14

How is tidal power used?

Answer 14

Huge amounts of water move in and out of river mouths each day because of the tides. A tidal barrage is a barrier built over a river estuary to make use of the kinetic energy in the moving water. The barrage contains electricity generators, which are driven by the water rushing through tubes in the barrage.

Question 15

What are the advantages of Tidal Power?

Answer 15

Advantages
There are no fuel costs.
No harmful carbon dioxide gases are produced.
Tidal barrages are very reliable and can be easily switched on.

Question 16

What are the disadvantages of tidal power?

Answer 16

Disadvantages
Tidal barrages destroy the habitat of estuary species, including wading birds.

Question 17

What is hydroelectric power?

Answer 17

Hydroelectric power (HEP) stations use the kinetic energy in moving water. Often, the water comes from behind a dam built across a river valley. The water high up behind the dam contains gravitational potential energy. This is transferred to kinetic energy as the water rushes down through tubes inside the dam. The moving water drives electrical generators, which may be built inside the dam.

Question 18

What are the advantages of hydro-electric power?

Answer 18

Advantages
There are no fuel costs.
No harmful carbon dioxide gases are produced.
Hydroelectric power stations are very reliable and can be easily switched on.

Question 19

What are the disadvatnages of hydroelectrical power?

Answer 19

Disadvantages
Hydroelectricity dams flood farmland and push people from their homes.
The rotting vegetation underwater releases methane, which is a greenhouse gas.

Question 20

How is geothermal energy used?

Answer 20

Radioactive decay of these substances releases heat energy, which warms up the rocks. The rocks heat water to produce steam. The steam can be used to drive turbines and electricity generators.

Question 21

What are the advantages of geothermal?

Answer 21

Advantages
There are no fuel costs.
No harmful carbon dioxide gases are produced.

Question 22

What are the disadvantages of geothermal?

Answer 22

Disadvantages
Most parts of the world do not have suitable areas where geothermal energy can be exploited.
Hydrogen sulphide gas can be released.

Question 23

How is solar energy used?

Answer 23

Solar energy is used to generate electricity using photovoltaic cells and to produce hot water using solar panels. Solar energy is energy released by nuclear fusion in the Sun.

Question 24

What are the advantages of solar power?

Answer 24

Advantages
There are no fuel costs.
No harmful carbon dioxide gases are produced.

Question 25

What are the disadvantages of Solar power?

Answer 25

Disadvantages
Solar cells are expensive and inefficient, so the cost of their electricity is high.
Solar cells and panels do not work at night.

Question 26

What are biofuels and how are they used?

Answer 26

Biofuels are fuels produced from plant material and as plants can be grown, biofuels are renewable.
They can be burned like fossil fuels in vehicles, heating systems and power stations.

Question 27

Ahat are the advantages of biofuels?

Answer 27

Advantages
They are carbon neutral

Question 28

What are the disadvantages of biofuels?

Answer 28

Disadvantages
Farm land that could be used to produce food are used to provide the raw materials for biofuels instead. This can cause food shortages or increases in the price of food.

Question 29

How are fossil fuels formed?

Answer 29

Fossil fuels include coal, oil and natural gas. They were formed from the remains of living organisms millions of years ago and they release heat energy when they are burned. They are non-renewable. They have chemical energy stored within them

Question 30

How are fossil fuels used?

Answer 30

For transport, heating and generating electricity in power stations.

Question 31

What are the advantages of fossil fuels?

Answer 31

Advantages
Fossil fuels are relatively cheap and easy to obtain.
Much of our infrastructure is designed to run using fossil fuels.

Question 32

What are the disadvantages of fossil fuels?

Answer 32

Disadvantages
Fossil fuels are non-renewable energy resources. .
Coal and oil release sulphur dioxide gas when they burn, which contributes to acid rain.
Fossil fuels release carbon dioxide when they burn, which adds to the greenhouse effect and increases global warming.

Question 33

What is nuclear energy and how is it used?

Answer 33

The main nuclear fuels are uranium and plutonium. When the nucleus of these atoms are split in a nuclear power station, the nuclear fuel undergoes a controlled chain reaction in the reactor to produce heat - nuclear energy is converted to heat energy.

Question 34

What are the advantages of nuclear power?

Answer 34

Advantages
Unlike fossil fuels, nuclear fuels do not produce carbon dioxide or sulphur dioxide.
1 kg of nuclear fuel produces millions of times more energy than 1 kg of coal.

Question 35

What are the disadvantages of nuclear power?

Answer 35

Disadvantages
Although modern reactor designs are extremely safe, if there is an accident, large amounts of radioactive material could be released into the environment
Nuclear waste remains radioactive and is hazardous to health for thousands of years, so it must be stored safely.

Question 36

Why are many countries still using fossil fuels when we know they are contributing to global warming.

Answer 36

For economic reasons - it would be too costly to change over to renewable energy resources.
For political reasons - it could put people out of jobs and affect the prosperity of a country.