PHYS 273 QUESTION BANK
1. Energy is: The ability to do work
2. If you double the speed of an object how does its kinetic energy change? It quadruples
3. Which of the following could NOT be a unit of power? Joules
4. Home appliances that produce heat tend to be low power: False
5. A process that occurs spontaneously in one direction is called: Irreversible
6. Only a small percentage of the electricity we use in produced by converting mechanical energy into
electrical energy: False
7. Most countries depend on fossil fuels for more than 50% of their energy needs.: True
8. Energy use per person is much higher: In highly developed countries
9. In which hemisphere are most of the known coal reserves found? Northern
10. There hasn't been a major mining accident in Canada since the 1970's: False
11. Light intensity is: The power divided by the area over which the light shines
12. A flat plate collector is similar to the small solar panel in a calculator and takes the sun’s energy and
turns it into usable electricity.: False
13. In the future with better engineering we could have propellor style windmills with efficiencies of up to
75%: False
14. Canada is one of the top 3 countries in terms of total power produced by wind: False
15. Spent nuclear fuel has been used up and therefore is no longer radioactive: False
16. The total fraction of energy generated by nuclear power worldwide is predicted to increase by 2040.:
False
17. A good home insulation will not be good at transferring heat.: True
18. The standard that certifies energy efficient products is called: Energy Star
19. What compound is produced by incomplete combustion of fossil carbon?: CO
20. Which of the following is a primary pollutant?: SO2
21. In the last 100 years, overall, the average distribution of marine taxonomic groups has: Shifted towards
colder water regions
22. The ratio of different types of carbon in the atmosphere tells us: That the increase in atmospheric CO2 is
from very old sources
23. A stabilization wedge is: A strategy that could correspond to about a 1 billion ton CO2 reduction by 2050
24. Climate change related changes in precipitation are predicted to: Increase precipitation in wet regions
25. Saying “the electromagnetic spectrum” is the same as saying “visible light”.: False
26. How is the majority of electricity produced in Canada? Hydro
27. Per BTU of energy, how does the cost of natural gas compare to the cost of gasoline?: Gasoline is about
2 times more expensive than natural gas.
29. The sun’s energy reaches Earth in the form of: Electromagnetic energy
30. A clothes dryer consumes 2500 watts of energy. In 2 seconds how much energy does the dryer use?:
5000 joules
31. You lift a cat from the ground up to a shelf 2 metres above the ground. Which is a description of the
energy flow?: Chemical -> gravitational
32. Your little sister drops a bag of candy on your head from the roof of your house. Right before it hits your
head it is moving quickly. Which describes the candy’s energy, from roof to head?: The candy has lost
potential energy and gained kinetic energy
33. Only a small percentage of the electricity produced is used by converting mechanical energy into
electrical energy: False
34. A battery contains 1000 joules of energy. The maximum amount of work it can do is 1000 joules. This is
an example of:
Both the first law of thermodynamics and the law of conservation of energy
35. In Canada from 2014-2040 which sector is expected to see the largest decrease in growth rate?: Amount
of momentum
36.
Canada uses less energy per person than the U.S.: False
37. Which countries have the highest percent use of renewable energy?: High income countries
38. In a structural trap oil is trapped between: A lower layer of porous rock and an upper layer of
non-porous rock
39. On a clear day about how much of the light hitting the Earth makes it to the surface?: 24%
40. The intensity of sunlight at Mercury is greater than the intensity of sunlight at Venus because: Mercury
is closer to the sun
41. Of the following, what could be used to store the heat from passive solar heating?: Containers of water
42. The sun's energy is thought of as a renewable energy source because: the sun's lifetime is very long
43. There are global regions which have not been affected by climate change: False
44. Without humans there would be no greenhouse effect: False
45. Today’s weather can tell us if climate change is real.: False
46. Greenhouse gasses are gasses that: Are transparent to visible light but absorb infrared light
47. A calorie is:
The amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one
degree celsius
48. Which of the following is an advantage of subsurface mining?: There is less of a surface impact
49. When petroleum products are refined they get separated according to: Their boiling points
50. Considering only the amount of solar energy available, in which region would it make the most sense to
develop solar energy production?: Southern saskatchewan
51. If the total energy of a system increases this does not necessarily mean that energy was added to the
system.: False
52. According to the Law of Conservation of Energy if solar panels use the sun’s energy in Arizona, then
there will be less solar energy for us to use in canada.: False
53. Hydraulic fracturing (or fracking) uses acids dissolved in water to breakdown the rock and release the
hydrocarbons for extraction.: True
54. What fraction of canada’s 2015 electricity production was from solar energy?: 1%
55. What percentage of canada's energy consumption is in the form of alternative/nuclear energy?: About
25%
56. Fossil fuels are not a renewable resource because: They take 100s millions of years to produce
57. Which of the following is NOT a main product in the combustion of hydrocarbons?: Oxygen gas
58. Without a temperature difference between a heat source and heat sink, it is impossible to run a heat
engine.: True
59. The amount of energy released per 100 grams of fuel burned in a reaction is called: The heat of
combustion
60. The sun's energy is produced by: Nuclear fusion
61.
The metric unit of energy is: The Joule
62.
The Law of Conservation of Energy: Is a fundamental law of physics with no known exceptions
63. Which region has the largest growth in coal consumption recently? Asia
64. The “c” in E=mc2 refers to: Speed of light
65. In an isolated system the entropy of the system increases over time: True
66. As entropy of a system increases, total amount of useful energy decreases.: True
67. In a system with is NOT isolated the total amount of energy must stay constant.: False
68. You are camping and you start a wood fire and use it to boil some water in a pot. What is the flow of
energy?: *Chemical*Thermal*
69. What percentage of Canada’s energy consumption is in the form if fossil fuels?: about 75%
70. You lift a cat from the ground up to a shelf 2 metres above the ground. Which is a description of the
energy flow?: Chemical energy —> Gravitational potential energy
71. Which of the following is part of a home designed with passive solar heating?: a greenhouse / south
facing windows (both are right answers)
72. A chair is sliding across a rough horizontal floor. The chair starts with 100J of kinetic energy and slows
down and comes to a stop. What happened to the kinetic energy of the chair?:
The kinetic energy was
transformed into heat due to the friction with the floor.
73. Which of the following is NOT a main product in the combustion of hydrocarbons?: Oxygen gas
74. Only a small percentage of the electricity we use is produced by converting mechanical energy into
electrical energy: False
75. For heat engines, the larger the temperature difference between the heat source and the heat sink, the
higher the best possible efficiency.: True
76. Entropy never spontaneously increases.: False
77. In Canada from 2014-2040 which sector is expected to see the largest decrease in growth rate?:
Transportation
78. Per BTU of energy, how does the cost of natural gas compare to the cost of gasoline?:
Gasoline is
about 2 times more expensive than natural gas.
79. The sun's energy is thought of as a renewable energy source because: because the sun’s lifetime is very
very long.
80. Considering only the amount of solar energy available, in which region would it make the most sense to
develop solar energy production?:
Southern Saskatchewan
81. Which of the following is NOT a factor that will decrease the amount of time that the world’s oil supply
might last?: We will not discover new oil reserves in the future.
82. Power is: the rate at which energy is produced or consumed.
83. Tight resources are oil and natural gas deposits that are: not extractable by conventional drilling
methods.
84. Which of the following areas in Canada has the least wind energy infrastructure?: The west coast
85. Which of the following is not major negative impact of the operation of hydroelectric dams?: CO2
emissions.
86. Spent nuclear fuel has been used up and therefore is no longer radioactive.: False
87. Starting with energy production in the sun, choose the correct forms of energy to complete the energy
flow description for an active solar system? X → Y → Z:
*Nuclear*Electromagnetic*Thermal*
88. All electric heating systems do not depend on fossil fuels for energy production: True
89. According to a Nuclear Regulatory Commission study what is the probability that one of the 104 reactors
operating in the U.S. will have a large release incident over its 30 year lifetime?: about 1%
90. According to current projections the total amount of electricity produced through nuclear power in
Canada by 2040 will: decrease
91. The upfront costs of geothermal plants are high.: True
92. The earth is able to reach energy balance because: The energy radiated away from the earth increases as
the earths temperature increases
93. The most abundant air pollutant is: Carbon monoxide
94. Greenhouse gases: absorb much more outgoing radiation from the Earth than incoming radiation from
the sun
95. Continuing on our current path of CO2 emissions would result in mean global temperature increase by
2100 (relative to about 1880) of about: 5℃
96. The most important factor in the mitigation of climate change is: reduction of CO2 emissions.
97. Climate change is predicted to: reduce global marine biodiversity.
98. Almost all air pollutant emissions are currently the highest they have been in the last 15 years.: False
99. A heat pump uses electricity: to run a small compressor.
100. Energy efficient light bulbs are about 50% more efficient than standard light bulbs.: False
101.
A battery contains 1000 joules of energy. The maximum amount of work it can do is 1000 joules. This
is an example of: both the First Law of Thermodynamics and the Law of Conservation of Energy
102. What percentage of crude oil production is offshore?: 30%
103. The main concern for hydraulic fracturing activities is the effects on: water and water system
104. Which of the following is a non-renewable resource?: Uranium
105. Using the Sankey Diagram: Which of the following is not a main use of energy produced by natural
gas?: Transport
106. Which is NOT true about renewable resources that come from the sun's energy?: We are using them
up faster than they are being produced
107. Approximately how many mining fatalities were there in the United States in the 20th century?:
100,000
108. Subsurface mining techniques are used when coal deposits are: harder to access
109. What fraction of the coal produced in Canada is used to produce electricity domestically?: 50%
110. When surface mining, the soil and rock above the coal is called: overburden
111. A heat exchanger is a device that: transfers thermal energy from one fluid to another
112. On a clear day about how much of the light hitting the Earth makes it to the surface?: 24%
113. The amount of solar radiation hitting the Earth depends on: all of the mentioned choices (the amount
of cloud cover, the distance from the equator, the time of day, the season of the year)
114. Which of the following could be used to store the heat from passive solar heating?: Containers of
water
115. The energy carried by light is called: electromagnetic energy
116. A calorie is: the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one
degree celsius
117. The energy due to an object's motion is called: Kinetic energy
118. A ball is rolling down a hill and gaining speed. Which is true?: The ball is losing potential energy and
gaining kinetic energy
119. Which of these is not true about entropy?: The entropy of an object or system always increases.
120. Which of these does not describe electromagnetic energy?: Electromagnetic energy is produced by
anything that with mass
121. Which of these statements about the efficiency of a heat engine is not true: The efficiency of an engine
can be increased by increasing the temperature of the engine to higher and higher degrees
122. According to Faraday's law of induction, (a changing magnetic field through a wire coil induces an
electric current through the coil), why does a rotating loop of wire placed in a constant magnetic field
produce electricity within the loop of wire.: because from the perspective of the wire, the magnetic field
appears to be changing
123. The change in internal energy of a system equals the net heat transfer into the system minus the net
work done by the system. This is: The first Law of Thermodynamics
124. Heat engines convert: thermal energy to mechanical energy
125. Work is: The transfer of energy
126. If the temperature of an object increases, the thermal energy: always increases
127. Mass being converted to energy is an example of: nuclear energy
128. The Law of Conservation of Energy: is a fundamental law of physics with no known exceptions.
129. Currently, the best electrical power plants have efficiencies around: 40%
130. The measure of randomness, or disorder, of a system is called: entropy
131. In North America, since around 2005, coal consumption has: decreased
132. Which of the following is NOT an advantage of oil over coal?: Oil is the most abundant fossil fuel
133. What percentage of the oil produced in Canada is exported?: 50%
134. Per BTU of energy, how does the cost of natural gas compare to the cost of electricity?: Electricity is
about 2.5 times more expensive than natural gas.
135. Net metering: Allows you to sell (or exchange for credit) excess solar power that you have generated
back to the provider.
136. The peak of the sun’s light spectrum is in the: Visible