Energy Knowledge Vocabulary Test
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69 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 alternative fuel | A popular term for "non-conventional" transportation fuels made from natural gas (propane, compressed natural gas, methanol, etc.) or biomass materials (ethanol, methanol). |
| appliance | A piece of equipment, commonly powered by electricity, used to perform a particular energy-driven function. Examples of common ones are refrigerators, clothes washers and dishwashers, conventional ranges/ovens and microwave ovens, humidifiers and dehumidifiers, toasters, radios, and televisions. |
| atomic structure | - The conceptualized concept of an atom, regarded as consisting of a central positively charged nucleus (protons and neutrons) and a number of negatively charged electrons revolving about in various orbits. |
| barrel | A unit of volume equal to 42 U.S. gallons. One of these weighs 306 pounds or 5.80 million Btu of crude oil. abbreviated as bbl. |
| battery | An energy storage device made up of one or more electrolyte cells. |
| biomass | Any organic (plant or animal) material which is available on a renewable basis, including agricultural crops and agricultural wastes and residues, wood and wood wastes and residues, animal wastes, municipal wastes, and aquatic plants. |
| BTU (British Thermal Unit) | The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit; equal to 252 calories. |
| Chemical Energy | Energy stored in a substance and released during a chemical reaction such as burning wood, coal, or oil. |
| circuit | A conductor or a system of conductors through which electric current flows. |
| climate change | A term used to refer to all forms of climatic inconsistency, but especially to significant change from one prevailing climatic condition to another. In some cases, it has been used synonymously with the term "global warming"; scientists, however, tend to use the term in a wider sense inclusive of natural changes in climate, including climatic cooling. |
| coal | A fossil fuel formed by the breakdown of vegetable material trapped underground without access to air. |
| commercial sector (of economy) | The part of the economy having to do with the buying and selling of goods and services. The sector is made up of merchants, businesses, etc. |
| compact fluorescent bulb | a better for the environment lightbulb that is made with a fluorescent bulb (CFL) |
| diesel fuel | more concentrated petroleum fuel; refined differently |
| DOE | US department of energy |
| Dry Cell | an electric cell; uses a gel or a paste in contrast to an liquid |
| electrical energy | The energy associated with electric charges and their movements. |
| electricity | A form of energy characterized by the presence and motion of elementary charged particles generated by friction, induction, or chemical change. |
| electromagnetism | magnestism produced by an electric current |
| electron | A subatomic particle with a negative electric charge. They form part of an atom and move around its nucleus. |
| emission | A discharge or something that is given off; generally used in regard to discharges into the air. Or, releases of gases to the atmosphere from some type of human activity (cooking, driving a car, etc). In the context of global climate change, they consist of greenhouse gases (e.g., the release of carbon dioxide during fuel combustion). |
| energy | The ability to do work or the ability to move an object. |
| energy consumption | The use of energy as a source of heat or power or as a raw material input to a manufacturing process |
| energy efficiency | Refers to activities that are aimed at reducing the energy used by substituting technically more advanced equipment, typically without affecting the services provided. |
| energy production | the process of producing (getting, refining, burning) energy |
| ethanol | A colorless liquid that burns to produce water and carbon dioxide. The vapor forms an explosive mixture with air and may be used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. |
| fission | - The splitting apart of atoms. This splitting releases large amounts of energy and one or more neutrons. Nuclear power plants split the nuclei of uranium atoms in a this process |
| force | Something which changes the state of rest or motion of something. |
| fossil fuels | Fuels (coal, oil, natural gas, etc.) that result from the compression of ancient plant and animal life formed over millions of years. |
| fuel | Any material that can be burned to make energy. |
| fusion | When the nuclei of atoms are combined or "fused" together. The sun combines the nuclei of hydrogen atoms into helium atoms in a process called ______. Energy from the nuclei of atoms, called "nuclear energy" is released from this process. |
| gas | (1) A non-solid, non-liquid (as hydrogen or air) substance that has no fixed shape and tends to expand without limit. (2) A state of matter in which the matter concerned occupies the whole of its container irrespective of its quantity. Includes natural gas, coke-oven gas, blast furnace gas, and refinery gas. |
| gasoline | A complex mixture of relatively volatile hydrocarbons with or without small quantities of additives, blended to form a fuel suitable for use in spark-ignition engines. |
| geothermal energy | The heat energy that is produced by natural processes inside the earth. It can be taken from hot springs, reservoirs of hot water deep below the ground, or by breaking open the rock itself. |
| global warming | An increase in the near surface temperature of the Earth. It has occurred in the distant past as the result of natural influences, but the term is today most often used to refer to the warming some scientists predict will occur as a result of increased anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases. |
| gravity (gravitational energy) | The natural force of attraction of the mass of a heavenly body (as the earth) for bodies at or near its surface. |
| greenhouse effect | The effect of the Earth's atmosphere, due to certain gases, in trapping heat from the sun; the atmosphere acts like a greenhouse. |
| heat | friction caused by molecules bouncing off each other |
| hydrogen | - A colorless, odorless, highly flammable gaseous element. It is the lightest of all gases and the most abundant element in the universe, occurring chiefly in combination with oxygen in water and also in acids, bases, alcohols, petroleum, and other hydrocarbons. |
| hydropower | Energy that comes from moving water. |
| incandescent light bulb | a type of electric light in which light is produced by a filament heated by electric current. The most common example is the type you find in most table and floor lamps. In commercial buildings, these lights are used for display lights in retail stores, hotels and motels. This includes the very small, high-intensity track lights used to display merchandise or provide spot illumination in restaurants. |
| industrial sector (of the economy) | The part of the economy having to do with the production of goods. The sector is made up of factories, power plants, etc. |
| joule | A metric unit for measuring work and energy, named after James _____. It is equal to the work done when a one ampere current is passed through a resistance of one ohm for one second. |
| kinetic energy (motion) | The energy of a body which results from its motion. |
| light | Radiant electromagnetic energy that an observer can see. |
| mechanical energy | The energy of motion used to perform work. |
| motion energy | kinetic energy |
| natural gas | An odorless, colorless, tasteless, non-toxic clean-burning fossil fuel. It is usually found in fossil fuel deposits and used as a fuel. |
| nonrenewable energy sources | Fuels that cannot be easily made or "renewed." We can use them up. Oil, natural gas, and coal are some of these. |
| nuclear energy | Energy that comes from splitting atoms of radioactive materials, such as uranium. |
| oil (petroleum) | The raw material that petroleum products are made from. A black liquid fossil fuel found deep in the Earth. Gasoline and most plastics are made from it. |
| photosynthesis | The process by which green plants make food (carbohydrates) from water and carbon dioxide, using the energy in sunlight. |
| potential energy | stored energy |
| power | The rate at which energy is transferred. Electrical energy is usually measured in watts. Also used for a measurement of capacity. |
| photovoltaic cell | A device, usually made from silicon, which converts some of the energy from light (radiant energy) into electrical energy. Another name for a solar cell. |
| primary energy source | not an energy carrier;direct |
| radiant energy | Any form of energy radiating from a source in waves. |
| radiation | Any high-speed transmission of energy in the form of particles or electromagnetic waves. |
| renewable energy sources | - Fuels that can be easily made. We can never use them up. |
| residential sector (of the economy) | The part of the economy having to do with the places people stay or live. The sector is made up of homes, apartments, condominiums, etc. |
| secondary energy source | an energy carrier |
| solar cell | An electric cell which changes radiant energy from the sun into electrical energy by the photovoltaic process. |
| solar energy | The radiant energy of the sun, which can be converted into other forms of energy, such as heat or electricity. |
| sound energy | vibrations that cause your earlobe to vibrate that make you hear noise |
| spectrum of electromagnetic radiation | The name that scientists give to a bunch of types of radiation when they want to talk about them as a group. The types of radiation include the full range of frequencies, from radio waves to gamma waves, which characterize light. |
| thermal energy (heat) | The total potential and kinetic energy associated with the random motions of the molecules of a material. |
| transportation sector (of the economy) | The part of the economy having to do with the how people and goods are transported (moved) from place to place.. The sector is made up of automobiles, airplanes, trucks, and ships. trains, etc. |
| uranium | A heavy, naturally-occurring, radioactive element. |
| wind | The term given to any natural movement of air in the atmosphere. A renewable source of energy used to turn turbines to generate electricity. |
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