Your Name ______________________________________Period ______ Date ________
Environmental Science Chapter 17 Word Study – Nonrenewable Energy
Directions: Study the following words by reading and rereading them each evening so you will
be prepared for the word study test each week. You may use one index card to write as many
words and definitions on as possible to use for the test. The card must written in ink, be in
your handwriting, and have your name, your class period, and the chapter recorded in the
top, right corner with no obvious erasures or mark outs. ALL WORDS MUST BE NUMBERED.
If all the criteria are met, you may use your index card during the test. It will then be stapled to
your test.
1.)
fossil fuels – the remains of ancient dead plants and animals that changed
into coal, oil, or natural gas millions of years ago through extreme heat
and pressure
2.)
electric generator – a machine that converts mechanical energy, or motion,
into electrical energy
3.)
petroleum – oil that is pumped from the ground and that is formed when dead
plants and animals are heated and pressurized over millions of years
4.)
oil reserves – oil deposits that can be extracted profitably at current prices
using current technology
5.)
factors that influence fuel use – the amount of energy needed for cooking,
transportation, manufacturing, heating & cooling buildings, and
generating electricity in a developed or developing country
6.)
electricity from coal – fossil fuels are burned producing heat which boils water
causing steam to turn turbines which sets a generator in motion which
produces electricity
7.)
advantages of fossil fuels – cheap, relatively easy to get, can be used in any
country in the world to generate electricity
8.)
disadvantages of fossil fuels – must be burned so it always produces pollution,
there is a limited amount available on the planet,
9.)
nuclear energy – the energy within the nucleus of atoms which comes mainly
from the elements uranium (U-92), plutonium (PU-94), and thorium
(Th-90)
10.) nuclear fission – the process by which the nucleus of a heavy atom splits into
two or more fragments and releases neutrons and energy / Example:
most of our current nuclear power plants are based on the fission
method
11.) nuclear fusion – the process by which nuclei of small atoms combine to form a
new, more massive nucleus releasing energy / Example: our sun uses
fusion energy
12.) energy from nuclear power – energy released by nuclear fission reactions heat
water which transfers heat to circuits which produce steam which turn
turbines and sets a generator in motion which produces electricity
13.) advantages of nuclear power – does not produce greenhouse gases, less
nonrenewable resources, such as uranium, are used to generate more
energy than fossil fuels, large amounts of uranium are still unmined in
Canada and Australia, nuclear power plants can last 40 years
14.) disadvantages of nuclear power – accidents can be global, nuclear wastes are
generated and must be disposed of, initial startup is expensive