Energy and Fossil Fuels

Wood is an example of a fossil fuel.

false

When generators are spun by turbines, they

produce electricity.

In coal-fired power plants, coal is burned to produce ____________________, which is then used to turn a turbine.

steam

The energy contained in fossil fuels originally comes from _____________.

the Sun

Fossil fuels contain energy that originally came from

the sun

In coal-fired power plants, coal is burned to produce steam, which is then used to turn a turbine.

true

The Sun is the original source of the energy in fossil fuels.

true

When fossil fuels are burned, they release energy stored years ago.

true

What is the process in which large hydrocarbons are converted into smaller hydrocarbons, which provide better fuel?

Cracking

What two elements are fossil fuels mainly composed of?

Fossil fuels are mainly composed of carbon and hydrogen.

How is coal formed?

Over millions of years, coal is formed when heat and pressure transform buried plant and animal material into coal.

Explain how both plants and animals stored the energy that eventually became the chemical energy found in fossil fuels.

Plants, algae, and certain bacteria transform the sun's electromagnetic energy into chemical potential energy. Some of this chemical potential energy is stored in plants. Animals that eat the plants obtain some of this energy and store it in their own cells. When ancient animals and plants died, the chemical potential energy was trapped within their remains, which were slowly changed into fossil fuels over time.

What is created when combustion happens without enough oxygen?

Soot

How are fossil fuels used to produce electricity?

The fuels are burned (chemical bonds are broken) and the thermal energy released is used to boil water. The steam is used to turn turbines. The turbines are connected to generators that produce electricity.

What type of energy is stored by fossil fuels such as coal?

The type of energy stored by fossil fuels such as coal is chemical potential energy.

Which of the following is not an example of a fossil fuel being used?

Using wood to build a fire.

What is released when fossil fuels are burned?

When fossil fuels are burned, chemical energy is released.

Fossil fuels contain ____________________ energy stored millions of years ago.

chemical

What type of energy is released when fossil fuels are burned?

chemical energy

The type of energy stored by fossil fuels such as coal is

chemical potential energy.

In power plants, generators convert mechanical energy into ____________________ energy.

electrical

During combustion, a fuel's electromagnetic energy is converted into thermal energy.

false

Fossil fuels such as coal store chemical kinetic energy.

false

In power plants, generators convert mechanical energy into chemical energy.

false