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chapter 17
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Energy | The ability to do work or cause a change. |
| Kinetic energy | The energy that an object has due to its motion. |
| Potential energy | Energy that an object has its position or shape. |
| Combustion | The process in which a fuel burns because it combines rapidly with oxygen. |
| Energy efficiency | An expression of how much of the energy put into a system actually does useful work. |
| Renewable energy | Nearly always available somewhere on Earth's surface, or they are replaced in a relatively short time. |
| Nonrenewable energy | In contrast, cannot be replaced. |
| Electricity | Energy made available by the flow of an electric charge, is considered a secondary source of energy, because it must be produced using a primary energy resource. |
| Strip mining | The extraction of a mineral by removing a strip of the layers of soil and rock on top of the mineral deposit. |
| Subsurface mining | Typically the practice of digging shafts deep into the ground to find and remove a mineral. |
| Petroleum | A dark, liquid fossil fuel made up mostly of hydrocarbons. |
| Petrochemicals | Chemical Compounds that are derived from oil and use to make products. |
| Oil sands | Deposits of moist sand and clay containing bitumen. |
| Oil shale | Rock filled with a mixture of hydrocarbons. |
| Methane hydrate | An ice like solid that consists of molecules of methane within a crystal network of water molecules. |
| Acid drainage | Occurs when sulfide minerals in exposed rocks surface react with oxygen and rainwater to produce sulfuric acid. |
| Energy conversation | The practice of reducing energy use to meet those goals. |
| Nuclear energy | The energy that holds these particles together in the nucleus. |
| Nuclear fission | The splitting of an atom's nucleus into two smaller nuclei. |
| Nuclear reactor | Generates electricity by controlled fission reactions. |
| Meltdown | The fuel rods produced so much heat that they melted. |
| Nuclear waste | Radioactive material left over from the production of energy and other processes. |
| Nuclear fusion | Small nuclei of lightweight elements are forced together to form a heavier nucleus. |