Unit 3 - Renewable / Nonrenewable Resources - CONTENT

When an incandescent light bulb is turned on, what percent of the electricity is converted to light energy? A. 10% B. 30% C. 50% D. 70%

A. 10% When we talk about how energy efficient something is, we are asking how much of the energy put into it is actually used to do the intended job. The job of a light bulb is to produce light. However, only about 10% of the electrical energy consumed by an incandescent light bulb is converted to light energy. The other 90% is converted to heat energy and makes the light bulb hot.

What percent of the average home's electric bill is for lighting? A. About 10% B. About 20% C. About 30% D. About 40%

A. About 10% A little more than 11% of the average residential electric bill is for lighting. If the country converted to new technologies, like CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulbs) or LEDs (Light-Emitting Diodes),we could reduce our electricity consumption for lighting by up to 70%.

Which of the following has nothing to do with hydropower? A. Burning B. Gravity C. Sun D. Water cycle

A. Burning The sun drives the water cycle. It causes water to evaporate and enter the air as water vapor. As this water vapor cools and condenses, it falls as rain, much of which lands in rivers or streams that flow into rivers. Gravity causes rivers to flow downhill. Larger rivers with lots of water flowing downhill quickly are used to turn large turbines to generate electricity at hydropower plants. In other types of power plants, water is heated to steam and the steam turns the turbines to generate electricity. Heating the water requires burning something like coal.

Which of the following is NOT a form of kinetic energy (energy of motion)? A. Chemical energy B. Electrical energy C. Heat energy D. Sound energy

A. Chemical energy Kinetic energy is energy of motion, but not always of things we can see. Sound waves move through the air or water. Heat energy is the motion of atoms or molecules that make up a substance. Electricity is the movement of electrons, a tiny part of atoms. Chemical energy is stored energy in the bonds that hold atoms and molecules to each other. Oil and natural gas are examples of chemical energy that can be turned into kinetic energy when it is burned. The burning breaks the bonds between the atoms and molecules and releases the energy so that it can be used.

Which of the following energy sources is the best example of nonrenewable resource? A. Coal B. Wind C. Water D. Sunlight

A. Coal

Which of the following energy sources produces the most electricity in the United States? A. Coal B. Hydropower C. Natural gas D. Uranium (nuclear power)

A. Coal According the to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's 2009 numbers, the breakdown of electricity generation in the United States is as follows: Nonrenewable Sources Renewable Sources 45.9% Coal 7% Hydropower 22.0% Natural Gas 1.9% Wind 20.9% Uranium (nuclear) 0.7% Biomass 0.9% Petroleum (oil) 0.4% Geothermal 0.3% Other

Scientists estimate that Kentucky contains more than 850 million tons of coal. Coal is most commonly used to produce... A. electricity. B. medicine. C. metals. D. water.

A. electricity.

Which of the following names the form of energy that can be successfully used in buildings; is relatively cheap to construct; and simply uses the sun to heat a surface, which warms the inside of the building? A) photovoltaic cell B) passive solar C) active solar D) geothermal E) none of the above

B) passive solar

Some electricity is made by damming rivers and using the water to push a turbine. What is a potential negative effect of this form of energy? A. It can cause the river to be heavily polluted. B. It can destroy the habitat of wildlife that live in the river. C. It can produce toxic waste that must be disposed of. D. It can consume too much water.

B. It can destroy the habitat of wildlife that live in the river.

Of the following choices, which best describes or defines ELECTRICITY? A. Chemical energy B. Moving electrons C. Potential energy D. Power

B. Moving electrons Atoms are tiny particles that make up everything in the universe, and they're made up of even tinier parts. The center, or nucleus, of an atom is made up of protons and neutrons. Buzzing around the nucleus are even tinier electrons. Protons have a positive electrical charge and electrons have a negative charge. The negative electrons are attracted to the positive protons in the nucleus. The electrons farthest away from the protons have the weakest attraction, though, and applying a force can make them move from one atom to another. This movement of electrons across atoms is electricity.

Stanley helped his mother install a solar generator on the roof of their home. Which statement best explains the advantage of using a solar generator? A. Solar power is easy to store. B. Solar power is readily available. C. Solar generators can produce energy at all times. D. Solar generators can produce very large amounts of energy.

B. Solar power is readily available.

Atomic energy is obtained by using ores of_______. A. copper B. uranium C. neither (a) nor (b) D. both (a) and (b)

B. uranium

Electricity to play your radio can be made using renewable or nonrenewable resources. Which of the following resources are renewable? A. wind and oil B. wind and sunlight C. natural gas and oil D. natural gas and coal

B. wind and sunlight

Which of the following is the most abundant fossil fuel? A) oil B) natural gas C) coal D) gasoline E) none of the above

C) coal

In 2015, Kentucky power plants produced 56% of the electricity used in the state by burning coal and 5% of the electricity by using hydropower. Which of the following statements best describes coal and water as resources. A. Both are renewable B. Both are nonrenewable C. Coal is nonrenewable; water is renewable D. Coal is renewable; water is nonrenewable

C. Coal is nonrenewable; water is renewable

_____ of stratosphere provides protection to our life. A. Nitrogen B. Hydrogen C. Ozone D. Argon

C. Ozone

Of the following choices, which best describes or defines FISSION? A. Breaking rocks B. Combining atoms C. Splitting atoms D. Splitting cells

C. Splitting atoms Atoms are tiny particles that make up everything in the universe. They are themselves made up of even tinier parts that are held together by bonds that contain very large amounts of energy. There are two ways to release energy from atoms. One way is FUSION, or combining atoms into larger atoms. This is how the sun produces so much energy. Nuclear power plants use FISSION, where atoms are split into smaller atoms, releasing large quantities of energy. This energy is used to heat water into steam, to turn turbines that spin generators, to make electricity. Nuclear power plants use Uranium atoms. The only nuclear power plant in Maine, Maine Yankee, closed in 1997 after 25 years in service. It was dismantled over 2 years, starting in 2004.

How does the use of the renewable energy affect nonrenewable energy resources? A. Using renewable energy sources causes nonrenewable energy to cost more. B. Using renewable energy sources increases the need for coal mining. C. Using renewable energy reduces the demand for nonrenewable energy resources. D. Using renewable energy increases the number of jobs needed needed to mine for nonrenewable resources.

C. Using renewable energy reduces the demand for nonrenewable energy resources.

How does hydroelectric energy work? A. It uses the power of the sun to turn a generator. B. The water heats up and it turns into water vapor to power a generator. C. Water turns a turbine to power a generator. D. Water freezes and then is thrown to power a generator.

C. Water turns a turbine to power a generator.

Which is NOT a fossil fuel? A. Coal B. Oil C. Wood D. Natural gas

C. Wood

Which of the following devices uses a renewable resource to produce heat? A. a fuel oil heater B. a propane gas burner C. a wood-burning stove D. a coal-burning furnace

C. a wood-burning stove

Known deposits of a material that can be extracted profitably are called A) resources. B) undiscovered reserves. C) identified deposits. D) reserves. E) none of the above.

D) reserves

How long ago did humans first use natural gas as a fuel? A. 100 years ago B. 250 years ago C. 1000 years ago D. 2500 years ago

D. 2500 years ago In the United States natural gas was first used to fuel street lamps in 1816. However, the Chinese beat us by a couple thousand years. They piped natural gas from shallow wells and burned it to evaporate seawater to make salt. Today about 50% of U.S. homes use natural gas for heating.

Of the following choices, which best describes or defines KILOWATT-HOUR? A. Equal to 1,000 watt-hours B. Measure of amount of electrical energy used in one hour C. Unit the utility companies use to bill customers D. All of the above

D. All of the above The amount of electrical energy something uses to do a job depends on how long it's used and is measured in watt-hours (W-h). It is calculated by multiplying the electrical power (Watts) the device requires by the amount of time it was used. A watt-hour is a very small amount of electrical energy, so most of the time kilowatt-hours (kWh) are used (1 kWh = 1,000 W-h). Most utility companies bill their customers based on the number of kWh of electrical energy consumed. At 350 degrees, the average electric oven requires 2000 watts (2kW) of energy. Baking brownies for 30 minutes (½ hour) uses 2 kW x ½ h = 1 kWh of energy. At an average cost of 12¢ per kWh, baking this batch of brownies cost you 12¢ (12¢ x 1 kWh). Eat up!

Which of the following examples describes a nonrenewable energy system? A. Solar panels use energy from the sun to heat a home. B. Geothermal energy is used to heat water for a building C. Wind force turns windmill blades connected to a generator to produce electricity. D. Coal is used to convert water into steam that turns turbine blades to produce electricity.

D. Coal is used to convert water into steam that turns turbine blades to produce electricity.

If you are using biomass as a source of energy you might be: A. Heating with coal. B. Heating with natural gas. C. Heating with petroleum. D. Heating with a wood stove.

D. Heating with a wood stove. Biomass is an energy source that comes from organic matter (anything once living) like wood, crops and animal waste. People have been burning wood to heat their homes and cook their food for thousands of years. This makes biomass the energy source that has been used the longest. Biomass is a renewable energy source because plants can be re-grown, and animals always produce waste. Although fossil fuels (like coal, petroleum and natural gas) also formed from animal and plant remains, it took millions of years for these fuels to form, and many chemical reactions to change them, and they cannot be replaced; this makes them nonrenewable, unlike biomass.

Which of the following accounts for the largest use of petroleum (oil) in the United States? A. Electricity generation B. Home heating C. Industry D. Transportation

D. Transportation Here is the breakdown of petroleum use in the United States based on the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), 2009: Electricity generation 1%, Home heating 3.8%, Industry 22.5%, Transportation 71%. About 2/3 of the fuel used for transportation is used by individual car & truck owners; the rest is used by commercial trucks, planes, buses and trains.

Which one of the following is not a fossil fuel? A. Natural gas B. Petrol C. Coal D. Uranium

D. Uranium

Fossil fuel were formed from... A. uranium. B. sea water. C. sand and gravel. D. dead plants and animals.

D. dead plants and animals.

Geothermal energy is possible where there is... A. wind. B. oil. C. coal. D. magma.

D. magma.

Which of the following is considered a use of biomass conversion to produce energy? A) burning fuelwood in Zimbabwe B) methane digestors in China C) alcohol creation from sugar cane residues in Brazil D) burning animal dung for cooking fires in the desert E) all of the above

E) all of the above

Which of the following geological processes is not needed to make anthracite coal? A) slow or no decay of organic matter underwater B) pressure C) heat D) time E) all of the above are needed.

E) all of the above are needed.

Coal mining and coal burning can produce A) acid rain. B) increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. C) environmental degradation. D) more than 1/4 of the energy the world uses. E) all of the above.

E) all of the above.