Strand 1   Energy Transformations

Study Guide

            1.   The energy of motion is called ___kinetic energy_______.

            2.   An object’s gravitational potential energy is directly related to the following 3 things: __mass___,                height , and gravitational acceleration

            3.   Which type of energy increases when an object becomes warmer? __thermal energy__

            4.   The energy stored in gasoline is ___chemical energy_______.

            5.   Walking converts what type of energy into mechanical energy? __chemical energy_____

            6.   Nuclear power plants are designed to convert nuclear energy into what type of energy? ___electrical energy__

            7.   Solar cells convert what type of energy into electrical energy? __solar energy________

            8.   What does the law of conservation of energy state?__energy cannot be created or destroyed, but can be converted from one form to another

            9.   The mechanical energy of an object equals its __kinetic energy plus potential energy __

          10.   What is biomass energy? ___ the chemical energy stored in living things _____________________________

          11.   Nonrenewable energy resources include _coal, oil, urarnium, natural gas, any fossil fuels

          12.   Fossil fuels currently account for the majority of the world’s energy use because they are

                  __relatively inexpensive, readily available, and agree with our current technology ___________________________________________________________________________________________

          13.   A few drawbacks of solar energy are that it

                   ___ depends on the climate, and the sun is not always out ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

          14.   A benefit of a hydrogen fuel cell is that its byproduct is ___water__________________________

          15.   A metal spoon is placed in one of two identical cups of hot coffee.  Why does the cup with the spoon have a lower temperature after a few minutes?

___ Energy is removed from the coffee mostly by conduction through the spoon._______________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

          16.   Heat is the transfer of thermal energy from one object to another because of a difference in _temperature_.

          17.   As the temperature of an object rises, so does the _thermal_  energy of the object.

          18.   Energy from the sun reaches Earth mostly by ___radiation____.

          19.   Matter is needed to transfer thermal energy by ___conduction or convection_____.

          20.   Electricity is converted to light energy in a light bulb because

                  ___ As electrons move through the filament, the filament heats up and glows.___________________

                  _________________________________________________________________________________________

          21.   What are some materials that allow charges to flow easily? _____electrical conductors like metals ______________________________________

                  ___________________________________________________________________________________________

                  ___________________________________________________________________________________________

          22.   Resistance is affected by a material’s _thickness, temperature, and length_____

          23.   Which of the following would reduce the resistance of a metal wire? (3 things)

                  ___Increase the thickness____________________________

                  ___Decrease the temperature___________________________________________________________

                  ___Decrease the length___________________________________________________

          24.   What formula represents Ohm’s law? __V = I x R______________

          25.   What creates a magnetic field? ___ moving electric charges _________________________

          26.   How can the voltage in a coil of wire be increased in the process of electromagnetic induction?

_____ Move the magnet inside the coil of wire more rapidly._ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

27. What is a constant in an experiment?

____A factor that is done exactly the same in each of your treatments ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

28. What factors should be held constant in an experiment?

_____Basically everything except the independent variable (the factor you are testing), the control, and the dependent variable (the factor you measure in the end) ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

29. What are some things that you could always do to improve an experiment?

__Do more trials, make sure you have clear variables, clarify any unclear steps, give specific quantities for materials, include a control treatment if there isn’t one, make sure it is replicable (someone could easily follow the steps to repeat the experiment without clarification