6Th Grade Science - Energy

Front 1

absorption

Back 1

to take in a substance such as light or food

Front 2

chemical energy

Back 2

energy stored in the chemical bonds of molecules

Front 3

coal

Back 3

a hard, black substance formed from plants that lived about 300 million years ago

Front 4

conduction

Back 4

a transfer (often of heat) through a solid

Front 5

convection

Back 5

a transfer (often of heat) through a liquid or gas

Front 6

Earth's energy budget

Back 6

the system where all of the sun's energy that reaches the Earth is either absorbed into the Earth or lost back into space

Front 7

elements

Back 7

substances with a single type of atom

Front 8

energy transformations

Back 8

when energy changes from one type to another

Front 9

forced air heating

Back 9

a common form of heating, where air is warmed in a furnace and this warmed air is distributed through a series of ducts

Front 10

fossil fuels

Back 10

fuels formed millions of years ago from decayed plants and animals. Oil, coal and natural gas are such fuels

Front 11

friction

Back 11

the force between two touching objects that keeps them from moving

Front 12

gasoline

Back 12

the fuel used in most cars today, produced by refining petroleum

Front 13

geothermal energy

Back 13

energy that is generated by converting hot water or steam from deep beneath the Earth’s surface into electricity.

Front 14

greenhouse effect

Back 14

the way gases in the earths atmosphere trap heat. The build up of these gases, especially carbon dioxide, are thought to cause global warming.

Front 15

heat energy

Back 15

another name for thermal energy

Front 16

hydroelectric power

Back 16

electricity produced by falling water that turns a turbine generator.

Front 17

infrared radiation

Back 17

that portion of the electromagnetic spectrum lying between visible light and microwaves. Humans cannot see this, but they can feel it as heat.

Front 18

kinetic energy

Back 18

the energy of a moving object

Front 19

mechanical energy

Back 19

the energy of moving parts

Front 20

motion

Back 20

a change in the location of something

Front 21

natural gas

Back 21

a gas used as a fuel, which is formed naturally in the earth when organic material decomposes under pressure.

Front 22

nonrenewable energy

Back 22

energy from sources that cannot be replaced, such as oil, coal and natural gas.

Front 23

nuclear energy

Back 23

energy stored in the nucleus of an atom

Front 24

oil

Back 24

another name for petroleum

Front 25

petroleum

Back 25

the raw product (also called "crude oil") that is used to gasoline, diesel fuel, and other oil products

Front 26

potential energy

Back 26

amount of useable energy (often gravitational energy) within a body at rest.

Front 27

radiation

Back 27

energy carried by waves or a stream of particles.

Front 28

reflection

Back 28

the return of waves from a surface.

Front 29

renewable energy

Back 29

energy from sources that can provide energy without being used up

Front 30

solar energy

Back 30

energy from the sun, whether collected as heat (like in a hot car) or electricity (like in a solar calculator)

Front 31

solar heating systems

Back 31

heat created from the gathering of solar energy from the sun. It can be passive or active.

Front 32

thermal energy

Back 32

energy from heat

Front 33

tidal power

Back 33

power achieved by capturing the energy contained in moving water in tides and open ocean currents

Front 34

ultraviolet light

Back 34

light waves that have a shorter wavelength than visble light, but longer wavelength than x rays

Front 35

visible light

Back 35

electromagnetic radiation (light) that can be seen. Its wavelengths are shorter than ultraviolet and longer than infrared.

Front 36

wavelength

Back 36

the distance between two wave crests. Radio waves can have lengths of several feet

Front 37

wind power

Back 37

uses the kinetic energy of flowing air to create mechanical energy in a wind turbine that can be transformed into electricity