APES unit 6

In many parts of the United States, homeowners use a significant portion of their energy budget to heat their home in the winter. It has been determined that lowering a thermostat by 3°F3°F in the winter can reduce the energy costs by about 1010 percent in many homes. An individual homeowner lowers their thermostat by 33 degrees exactly halfway through the billing period. For the month that the thermostat was lowered, the heating bill was $95$95.How much money did the family save in the month in which they lowered the thermostat setting halfway through the billing period?

$5

After 200 million years, only 1/16 of the original amount of a particular radioactive waste will remain. The half-life of this radioactive waste is how many million years?

50

An individual has been driving a passenger vehicle to work, averaging 60 miles a week in a car that averages 22 miles per gallon. The individual plans to purchase a hybrid vehicle that averages 50 miles per gallon. If the individual drives to work 50 week a year, how much gas will they save if they switch to a hybrid vehicle for their commute?

76

Which of the following identifies the air pollutants most commonly released during the burning of biomass?

Carbon dioxide ( CO2CO2 ), particulate matter ( PMPM ), and carbon monoxide ( COCO )

Wind energy is increasingly relied upon to help meet global energy needs. Wind energy can be used to generate electricity using wind turbines. Which of the following are often used for energy storage of wind power?

Generators

Which of the following is required to convert geothermal energy into electricity?

Groundwater

Which of the following correctly identifies the sequence of energy conversions that occur in a wind turbine?

Kinetic energy →→ mechanical energy →→ electrical energy

Natural gas, a nonrenewable fossil fuel, is often seen as an alternative fuel in the worldwide transition to a renewable energy future. Which of the following statements best explains why natural gas is often used as a fuel when countries are transitioning from nonrenewable to renewable energy sources?

Natural gas burns more efficiently and cleanly than other sources of carbon-based fossil fuels, thus contributing to a reduction in atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Wind energy is increasingly relied upon to help meet global energy needs. Wind energy can be used to generate electricity using wind turbines.

Newer wind turbines can generate consistent electricity even when there is no wind.

Which of the following statements correctly describes a difference between biomass-fired power plants and traditional fossil-fuel-burning power plants, such as coal-fired plants?

The operational costs of biomass plants are very high when compared with traditional fossil fuel plants.

If an incandescent light bulb used for lighting has an efficiency rating of 5 percent, then for every 1.00 joule of electrical energy consumed by the bulb, which of the following is produced?

0.05

A home uses ten 100-watt lightbulbs for 5 hours per day. Approximately how many kilowatt hours of electrical energy are consumed in one year by using the lightbulbs?

1,825

Which of the following best describes a potential negative environmental effect of fossil fuel extraction?

Birds are injured or killed when they fly around extraction sites.

Which of the following is an environmental benefit associated with substituting ethanol for gasoline?

Burning ethanol produces fewer air pollutants than burning gasoline alone.

After the Industrial Revolution, the use of fossil fuels increased significantly. Despite the documented environmental effects of these resources and the availability of renewable resources, the use of nonrenewable sources continues. Which of the following statements best explains why there is continued widespread use of nonrenewable fossil fuels in energy production in the United States?

Established technology and transportation infrastructure for fossil fuels allows these resources to be converted into energy to meet consumer demand.

Which of the following describes a step in the generation of electricity using fossil fuels that can most directly lead to an environmental problem?

Fossil fuel is burned to boil water.

Which of the following best describes a potential advantage of using geothermal energy instead of solar farms for power generation?

Geothermal energy can be harnessed without destroying large tracts of habitat, whereas solar farms require large amounts of space.

Geothermal energy is used to run large and complex power stations as well as small and relatively simple pumping systems. Which of the following most accurately explains how geothermal energy is produced and utilized in these applications?

Geothermal energy uses the natural insulating power of Earth to create temperature differentials that are used to heat buildings in the winter and cool them in the summer.

Which of the following is a disadvantage of using hydrogen fuel cells?

Hydrogen gas is not readily available on Earth.

Which of the following best explains energy transformation in hydrogen fuel cells?

Hydrogen reacts with oxygen to produce water, which releases energy.

Which of the following best identifies a benefit of using renewable energy sources rather than nonrenewable energy sources?

Renewable energy sources are replenishable and are virtually inexhaustible by human consumption, whereas nonrenewable sources do not form in a short period of time.

Which of the following statements best describes a difference between nonrenewable and renewable energy sources?

Renewable energy sources can be replaced naturally at current consumption rates, whereas nonrenewable energy sources cannot be replaced easily.

Which of the following is an example of the process of cogeneration?

Using wastewater from electricity production for heating homes

Which of the following best describes an environmental problem that is often linked to the process of fracking?

Wastewater from fracking operations is injected into porous rock formations, which can induce seismic activity.

Which of the following best describes why people in less developed countries use wood as a primary energy source?

Wood, in the form of firewood and charcoal, is often readily available.

the source of energy is more commonly used in the least developed countries than in highly developed countries

biomass

which of the following best describes an advantage of burning biomass rather than burning fossil fuels in developing countries?

biomass production is cheaper than fossil fuels

which of the following is the most successful solution to the problem of fish mortality caused by dams?

building the fish ladders around the dam

all the following are substances derived from petroleum except

cellulose

an advantage of using natural gas rather than oil as a fuel is that natural gas is

cleaner because it burns more completely

a major limitation of using photovoltaic cells to generate electricity is that they

do not produce as much electricity on cloudy days

Which of the following accurately describes a fuel cell vehicle?

fuel cell vehicles use hydrogen to generate electricity that runs the motor

which of the following best describes a disadvantage of geothermal energy production?

geothermal energy implementation in homes and businesses have a high upfront cost and electricity is needed to operate pumps

Many environmentalists consider Egypt's Aswan High Dam on the Nile River to be an ecological disaster. Which of the following is the best evidence to support this viewpoint?

most of the nutrient rich silt that the nile annually deposited downstream is now deposited behind the dam

which of the following is a characteristic of nonrenewable energy sources that distinguishes them from renewable energy sources

non renewable energy sources typically take a longer time to replenish than renewable energy sources

which of the following actions would reduce global greenhouse emissions?

replacing coal-burning power plants with wind farms

which of the following is a way for the government to encourage the efficient energy use?

requiring higher fuel economy standards for new cars

which of the following statements correctly explains the role of fossil fuels in the production of energy?

the combustion of fossil fuels heats water to produce steam, which then turns a turbine

which of the following is a negative consequence associated with photovoltaic solar cells?

the manufacture of photovoltaic solar cells involves toxic metals that can be released into the environment

Between 1960 and 1970, world oil consumption approximately doubled. Which of the following explanations is consistent with this increase?

the number of cars on the road

which of the following claims bests supports the argument that nuclear energy is a nonrenewable energy source?

the uranium deposits on earth or infinite

A hydrogen fuel cell-powered car driving on a highway is different from gasoline-powered cars because hydrogen fuel cell-powered cars only emit

water vapor and heat

which of the following is a reason why hybrid electric vehicles use less fossil fuel per mile traveled than a typical internal combustion engine vehicle uses?

when the brakes are applied in hybrid electric vehicles, kinetic energy is converted into electric energy to charge the batteries that assist the electric motor