Energy- Unit Review

Name__________________________
What is energy?
Energy is the power to change things and to do work.
There are many forms of energy, including electrical, mechanical,
light,
nuclear, chemical, radiant, and thermal.
Energy is used continuously in our world. Examples of energy
being used are grass growing (chemical), a campfire (chemical,
radiant, thermal), animals moving (mechanical), and many more.
What are potential and kinetic energy?
Energy that is stored is potential. (ready to be released)
The energy of movement is kinetic. (energy on the move)
How is energy transformed within a system?
The law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be
created or destroyed, but it can change forms.
Energy appears in different forms and can be transformed within
a system.
Batteries store chemical energy and transform it into electrical
energy.
Plants transform light energy into chemical energy, which then
can be
used by other living things.
Heat energy is usually a by-product of an energy transformation.
What are sources of energy we can use to make electricity; are
they renewable or nonrenewable?
Renewable- will always be available- geothermal, solar, water,
wind, and biomass

Nonrenewable- were produced under special conditions millions of

years ago and cannot be replaced- coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear

What are fossil fuels and how were they formed?

Petroleum (oil), coal, and natural gas are fossil fuels, they cannot
be replaced after they are used and can be harmful to the
environment because they give off emissions (pollution) when
they are burned and can be damaging to the environment when
they are taken from the earth.
Petroleum was formed beneath the ocean millions of years ago,
dead plants and animals were buried and put under intense heat
and pressure. Oil is a liquid. It is changed to other products in a
factory called a refinery. Gasoline is a refined form of petroleum.
Other things made from petroleum are diesel fuel, plastic, crayons
and tires. Petroleum is mostly used for transportation.
Coal was formed from swamp plants and animals millions of years
ago, dead plants and animals were buried and put under intense
heat and pressure. Coal is a sedimentary rock. It is burned to
produce steam, which turn turbines (mechanical energy), a
generator changes the mechanical energy into electrical energy.
Coal is PAs main source of electricity. 75% of PAs electricity are
produced by coal and nuclear power.
Natural gas is the cleanest fossil fuel. It is transported in
pipelines. Natural gas is often used to heat home and for
cooking. Propane, or LP-gas is a safe clean fuel produced by
natural gas and petroleum. Marcellus Shale is a massive deposit
of natural gas in PA.
Nuclear power is caused by splitting atoms in uranium to release
energy. This process is called fission. The main problem with
nuclear power is radioactive waste. Nuclear power is
nonrenewable, but is considered alternative energy since it is not
a fossil fuel and uranium is plentiful.

Other alternative energy sources are renewable energy.

Hydropower is the most used form of renewable energy. Water
blocked by a dam has potential energy. The moving water spins a
turbine. Mechanical energy is turned to electrical energy with a
generator. The renewable energy source that provides the most
power to PA is hydropower.
Heat inside the earth provides geothermal energy. California is
the state that uses the most geothermal energy because it is near
the Ring of Fire.
Wind is caused by the uneven heating of land and water. Wind
farms provide electricity, but they need to have an average of 14
mph winds, many acres of land, and clear, unobstructed sites.
The suns energy stored in organic material is called biomass.
Biomass can be supplied by tree trimmings, organic garbage, and
crops.
Most of the energy we use on earth was originally came from the
sun. The sun produces radiant energy. Solar energy uses the
suns light that is converted to energy. Photovoltaic cells collect
energy from the sun. Photons are packets of energy from the sun.
People can save energy by using recycled materials because they
require less energy to make. Other energy saving ideas are
taking shorter showers, turning off lights, reading books instead of
watching TV, turning off the water when brushing teeth, and
unplugging items like chargers when they are not in use.