8th Grade Energy Vocabulary

biomass

-A measure of the total dry mass of organisms within a particular region -Plant materials and animal waste used especially as a source of fuel.

coal

A combustible black or dark brown rock consisting mainly of carbonized plant matter, found mainly in underground deposits and widely used as fuel.

heat

A form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature.

natural gas

A gaseous mixture of hydrocarbon compunds with high methane content, found along with various fossil fuels and is used as a fuel.

law of conservation

A law of science that states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but only changed from one form into another or transferred from one object to another.

oil

A liquid fossil fuel formed from decayed marine organisms.

insulator

A material that does not allow heat or electrons to move through it easily.

wind power

A renewable energy source that harnesses the power of wind currents. Usually uses turbines to generate electricity.

hydro- electric power

A renewable energy source that uses the gravitatonal force of the tides.

N.I.M.B.Y.

Acronym for "Not In My Back Yard." A term for a person who resists unwanted development, such as manufacturing plants, prisons, power companies, or chemical companies in his or her own neighborhood or town.

global warming

An increase in the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere (especially a sustained increase that causes climatic changes)

petroleum

An oily, dark-colored, flammable liquid found in the earth, consisting mainly of a mixture of various hydrocarbons. Gasoline, kerosene, fuel oil, paraffin, and lubricants are made from petroleum.

non- renewable resource

Any natural resource (such as oil and coal) that are not replaced in a useful time frame.

renewable resource

Any natural resource (such as wood or solar energy) that can be replenished naturally with the passage of time

chemical energy

Chemical Energy is energy stored in the bonds of chemical compounds (atoms and molecules). It is released in a chemical reaction, often producing heat as a by product (exothermic reaction). Batteries, biomass, petroleum, natural gas, and coal are examples of stored chemical energy.

geothermal

Energy from steam or hot water produced from hot or molten underground rocks.

solar energy

Energy from the sun that is converted into thermal or electrical energy

radiation

Energy that is radiated or transmitted in the form of rays or waves or particles.

conduction

Form of heat transfer where heat energy is directly transferred between molecules through molecular collisions or direct contact.

fossil fuels

Fuels formed from the remains of prehistoric organisms that are burned for energy.

greenhouse effect

Natural situation in which heat is retained in Earth's atmosphere by carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and other gases

energy

Power derived from the utilization of physical or chemical resources, especially to provide light and heat or to work machines.

convection

Process by which, in a fluid being heated, the warmer part of the mass will rise and the cooler portions will sink.

joule

The SI unit of work or energy, equal to the work done by a force of one newton when its point of application moves one meter in the direction of action of the force, equivalent to one 3600th of a watt-hour.

electromagnetic spectrum

The arrangement of waves of radiant energy in order of wavelength and frequency.

electrical energy

The energy caused by the movement of electrons.

kinetic energy

The energy that an object has due to its motion

potential energy

The energy that is stored and held in readiness

nuclear energy

The potential energy stored in the nucleus of the atom. it is released during atomic fission.

energy transformation

The process of changing one form of energy to one other. In physics, the term energy describes the capacity to produce certain changes within any system, without regard to limitations in transformation imposed.

mechanical energy

The sum of potential energy and kinetic energy. It is the energy associated with the motion and position of an object.

thermal energy

Thermal energy is the internal energy of an object due to the kinetic energy of its atoms and/or molecules. The atoms and/or molecules of a hotter object have greater kinetic energy than those of a colder one, in the form of vibrational, rotational, or, in the case of a gas, translational motion.