Fossil Fuels
Solar Power
Water Power
(hydroelectric energy)
Atomic Power
(Nuclear power)
Learn it, Know it, Live it (and riddles)
100

Give JUST TWO examples of fossil fuels

oil, coal, gas

100

Why is solar power considered RENEWABLE?

Since the sun will be giving off solar energy for billions of years, it is renewable

100

Is water (hydroelectric) energy renewable?

Yes, as long as the water keeps flowing and as long as there is more rain and snow.

100

What do we need to dig up out of the ground to make atomic (nuclear) fuel?  It's a rare kind of rock.  Starts with a letter "U."

Uranium

100

What has a face and two hands but cannot smile or hold anything?

A clock.

200

Accidental spills or leaks of oil or gas during pumping or transportation of this fuel is:

a) an upside

b) a downside

c) neither

b) a downside

200

Name TWO DOWNSIDES of solar power.

If it is cloudy, you cannot collect solar energy.

Solar panels are expensive and making them produces pollution.

When building solar thermal power plants, you need to use up a LOT of land to place reflectors (mirrors).

200

Name two UPSIDES to water (hydroelectic) energy.

It is renewable (as long as there is enough rain and snow melt).

Because rivers flow all the time, dams that have hydroelectric turbines can always produce electricity.

Once dams are made, they are relatively inexpensive to operate.

200

What is one DOWNSIDE of atomic (nuclear) power?

Leftover uranium fuel is deadly for 10,000 years and needs to be stored properly.


Uranium is not renewable.  Once it's used up, it's not useful to make electricity and you need to keep it safe because it's still radioactive.

200

If I want to add an "-s" to the word, "try" how do I spell it? 

Example:  "My brother _______ every day to help out mom."

tries

300
Name one upside of fossil fuels.

It's less expensive than other sources of energy.

or

It's one of the most reliable sources of energy.

300

When is one time when you cannot use solar panels?

At night or when it's cloudy.

300

Is water a natural resource or not?

Yes, water is a natural resource.

300

What is one UPSIDE to atomic (nuclear) power?

Atomic power does not produce pollution.

You only need a small amount of uranium fuel to make LOTS of power.

(Remember, half of one train car of uranium fuel per YEAR versus 82 train cars of coal every DAY?)

300

It’s raining at midnight, but the forecast for tomorrow and the next day is clear.

Will there be sunny weather in exactly 48 hours?

No, it won’t be sunny because it will be dark out. In 48 hours, it will be midnight again.

400

Why are fossil fuels considered NONrenewable sources of energy.

Since fossil fuels formed in the ground over millions of years, once you burn them, they are gone.   Then you have to go and find new sources somewhere else.  Fossil fuels can run out of supply.

What are you going to do then?  Wait another million years for plant and animal material to turn into coal and oil?

400

If I have solar panels on my house for electrical energy, will I STILL need ANOTHER source of electricity, or can I just use solar panels alone?

You will probably need ANOTHER source of energy.

Solar panels alone probably won't be enough.

400

Choose one of these to answer:

1) When you make a dam to create hydroelectric power, does it affect the environment or not?

2) Can dams have problems?

1) Yes it does.  You stop up the river and sometimes fish cannot swim past them.

2) Yes, from the book, "Blackout!" there was a dam in Russia that had cracks form in its walls

400

We put uranium fuel rods in a nuclear reactor.  We use control rods to control the nuclear reactor.  So, what does the heat from the reactor do?  What is that heat good for?

You must use these words: WATER, STEAM, TURBINES, MAGNETS, ELECTRICITY

The heat from the reactor turns WATER into high-pressure STEAM that turns TURBINES and the turbines turn MAGNETS in an electrical generator and that makes ELECTRICITY.

400

It belongs to you, but your friends use it more. 

What is it?

Your name.

500

Could we live in the suburbs like Apple Valley, use large amounts of electricity like we do, drive in cars and other vehicles, get food from the grocery store, all WITHOUT fossil fuels?

Yes or No ?

NO.

500

Name 3 ways that the electrical power grid can be caused to go down.  This is called a blackout.

1) A heat wave causes too much electrical demand because too many people are using their air conditioners.

2) A power line has been broken or severed.

3) The power plant that makes the electricity runs out of the thermal fuel (uranium, coal gas) that the power plant uses to make high-pressure steam.

4) A dam fails because of poor construction or design or because of a water shortage.

500
What effect to droughts and dry seasons have on water-power generation, like at a hydroelectric dam?

If there is not enough water flowing in a river, then the dam won't get enough water flowing through its turbines to spin the magnets to make the electricity.

500
Does atomic power use ELECTRONS of an atom or does atomic power use the NUCLEUS of an atom to make energy?
Atomic power uses the NUCLEUS.  


When you split a uranium nucleus apart, you get about 200 million electron volts of power with just ONE uranium nucleus splitting.
500

Spell this word.


(Mr. Lovmo will say the word)

poisonous

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