Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
ESS Unit 5
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| radiation | light energy |
| nuclear fusion | stars change two hydrogens into a helium atom. This produces LOTS of energy |
| conduction | heat transfer between objects in contact |
| solar power | using energy from the sun to make electricity |
| nuclear power | using energy from nuclear reactions (fission) to make electricity |
| nuclear fission | splitting large atoms up to make lots of energy |
| turbine | a machine that spins and makes electricity |
| radioactive waste | the result of nuclear fission in nuclear power plants. It gives off harmful energy for thousands of years. |
| fossil fuel | fuels formed from ancient forests that have been compressed underground for millions of years |
| examples of fossil fuels | gasoline, coal, natural gas, petroleum, propane, butane |
| oil shale | rock with oil in it that has not collected in reservoirs. Can be a source of fossil fuels. |
| tar sands | rocky material mixed with very thick oil. Can be a source of fossil fuels. |
| oil reservoir | a natural collection of oil underground |
| energy | the ability to do work or cause change |
| law of conservation of energy | energy cannot be created or destroyed, but it can be changed from one kind to another |
| chemical energy | energy stored in chemical bonds. Example: gasoline, food |
| Kinetic energy | energy of motion. Examples: a turbine spinning |
| potential energy | stored energy. Example: energy stored in a fuel |
| fuel | a material that releases energy during a chemical change |
| heat | the movement of thermal energy |
| thermal energy | the energy in the molecules of a material. It is transferred as heat |
| electromagnetic spectrum | all of the types of light |
| infrared waves | a type of electromagnetic radiation. We feel it as heat. |
| ultraviolet waves | a type of electromagnetic radiation. A powerful form of light. |
| hydrocarbons | a category of compounds that includes fuels like fossil fuels |
| coal | a solid fossil fuel that can be burned for heat. It is often used in power plants to make electricity. |
| oil | a liquid fossil fuel that can be burned for heat. It is often used to power vehicles. |
| natural gas | a gas fossil fuel that can be burned for heat. It is often used in homes for cooking food or heating furnaces. |
| renewable resource | a resource that can be replenished (gotten again) quickly |
| nonrenewable resource | a resource that is replenished (gotten again) slower than it is used |
| uranium | an element used as fuel for nuclear fission in a nuclear power plant |
| energy conservation | ways to save energy |
| net-energy | total energy |
| how power plants work | a fuel heats up water -> the water evaporates into steam -> the steam turns a turbine -> the motion of the turbine is turned into electricity |
| crude oil | raw oil from the earth, it is separated (refined) into different types of fuels |
| petroleum | fossil fuels that come from crude oil (like gasoline and diesel) |
| CO2 emissions | how much carbon dioxide is produced |
| carbon footprint | your personal impact on the environment based on how much CO2 you use |
| hydrosphere | all the water on earth |
| biosphere | the living things on earth |
| geosphere | the rocks on earth |
| cryosphere | the frozen areas on earth |
| greenhouse gasses | gasses that store heat in the atmosphere (like CO2 and methane) |
| public ideas of nuclear power | people are generally afraid of nuclear power due to several accidents in the past that cause lots of damage |
| resevoir | a place where something is stored |
| atmosphere | all the air around earth |
| stable/stabilize | balanced and not changing very much |
| pH | a measurement of how acid or base something is. Lower pH means more acid. |
| alkaline | another word for base (the opposite of acid) |
| acidification | become more acid |
| equilibrium | being balanced |
| biodiversity | the variety of living things in an ecosystem. A lot of biodiversity is good and healthy for an ecosystem. |
| sustainable/sustainability | able to last for a long time |
| artificial | not natural |
| mineral streak | the color of a mineral's powder when its scratched on a hard surface |
| mineral luster | the shininess of a mineral |
| mineral clevage | if a mineral breaks along straight lines or not |
| mineral fracture | the pattern of how a mineral breaks |
| mineral hardness | how tough a mineral is to scratch. Measured on the Mohs hardness scale |
| ores | rocks that contain metals or minerals |
| economic | related to money and the economy |
| minerals | a solid compound that comes from the earth (like a rock, but it's not a mix of things) |
| peat | rich soil used for gardening |
| fracking | using water to force gas and oil out of the ground. A source of fossil fuels but can cause environmental problems. |
| ethical | discussing whether something is right or wrong to do |
| land reclamation | restoring land so it can be used again |
| aesthetics | how something looks (if it looks nice or not) |
| reliability | how much something can be trusted to keep working |
| geopolitical | related to relationships between countries (geo- world, political-politics) |
| cost-benefit analysis | comparing what a solution will take (the costs) with what it will give (the benefits) |
| meteor | a small rock from space that hits a planet |
| crater | a dent in the ground from a meteor impact |
| radioactive | when an atom's nucleus isn't stable and releases energy and particles as it breaks down |
| radioactive dating | the process of using the speed of radioactive decay to figure out how old something is |
| isotope | different versions of an element, they can be radioactive isotopes |
| fossil | the impressions of dead organisms turned into rock as the rocks form around them |
| asteroids | rocks in space that are smaller than planets |
| bombard | to hit something hard and often |
| weathering | breaking down rock into smaller pieces |
| sediment | tiny pieces of rock that make up soil |
| erosion | the movement of weathered sediment from one place to another |
| deposition | when erosion leaves sediment in an area |
| sedimentary rock | rock that forms as minerals and sediments deposit in layers |
| metamorphic rock | rock that forms when other rocks are changed through heat and pressure |
| igneous rock | rock that forms when lava cools |
Created by:
mharms
Popular Earth Science sets