Sci 110- Energy and Fossil Fuels Term Paper
Assignment #1 SCI 110
Strayer University
July 2011
Assignment #1 SCI 110
First discuss how energy can be converted from one form to another, giving specific example:
There are two types of energy conversion, potential and kinetic. Potential energy can be converted to kinetic and vice versa (Tillery, Enger, & Ross, 2009, p. 63). Any form of energy can be converted to another form of energy. Energy conversion is evident in the following conversions-a light bulb converts electrical energy into radiant energy and a car converts chemical energy into mechanical energy.
Define what we mean by fossil fuels and explain why they are an attractive source of energy:
Fossil fuels are energy sources such as petroleum, natural gas, and coal which contain the stored radiant energy of organisms that lived millions of years ago (Tillery, Enger, & Ross, 2009, p. 67). Fossil fuels are an attractive source of energy because they are accessible and cheap.
Describe two different energy alternatives to fossil fuels in detail. Discuss how they work, how they compare with fossil fuels, and their relative advantages and disadvantages:
Alternative energy sources are those that are different from the typical sources we use today such as fossil fuels, nuclear and falling water; Alternatives can be solar, geothermal, hydrogen, gas, fusion, or any other energy source that a new technology could utilize (Tillery, Enger, & Ross, 2009, p. 69). Active Solar application is an alternative energy source. It is what we know of as standard solar energy where there is a collector that captures that sunlight to heat the air and water and can also generate electricity. Another form of alternative energy is wind energy. An advantage to using alternative energy sources is that they are renewable. A disadvantage of alternative energy sources is that they can be inconsistent, as is the case especially with wind energy.
References
Tillery, B. W., Enger, E. D.,
Strayer University
July 2011
Assignment #1 SCI 110
First discuss how energy can be converted from one form to another, giving specific example:
There are two types of energy conversion, potential and kinetic. Potential energy can be converted to kinetic and vice versa (Tillery, Enger, & Ross, 2009, p. 63). Any form of energy can be converted to another form of energy. Energy conversion is evident in the following conversions-a light bulb converts electrical energy into radiant energy and a car converts chemical energy into mechanical energy.
Define what we mean by fossil fuels and explain why they are an attractive source of energy:
Fossil fuels are energy sources such as petroleum, natural gas, and coal which contain the stored radiant energy of organisms that lived millions of years ago (Tillery, Enger, & Ross, 2009, p. 67). Fossil fuels are an attractive source of energy because they are accessible and cheap.
Describe two different energy alternatives to fossil fuels in detail. Discuss how they work, how they compare with fossil fuels, and their relative advantages and disadvantages:
Alternative energy sources are those that are different from the typical sources we use today such as fossil fuels, nuclear and falling water; Alternatives can be solar, geothermal, hydrogen, gas, fusion, or any other energy source that a new technology could utilize (Tillery, Enger, & Ross, 2009, p. 69). Active Solar application is an alternative energy source. It is what we know of as standard solar energy where there is a collector that captures that sunlight to heat the air and water and can also generate electricity. Another form of alternative energy is wind energy. An advantage to using alternative energy sources is that they are renewable. A disadvantage of alternative energy sources is that they can be inconsistent, as is the case especially with wind energy.
References
Tillery, B. W., Enger, E. D.,
References: Tillery, B. W., Enger, E. D., & Ross, F. C. (2009). Integrated Science-Strayer Custom Edition (p. 63, 67, 69). McGraw-Hill Learning Solutions.