Energy resourcesIB MYP Physics: Flashcards

What these 13 flashcards ask

Name the three fossil fuels.
What does non-renewable mean?
Name five renewable energy resources.
Describe how a coal-fired power station generates electricity.
Where does the thermal energy in a nuclear power station come from?
Describe how a wind turbine generates electricity.
How does geothermal energy generate electricity?
Why are solar and wind power described as unreliable?
Why does burning biomass release carbon dioxide but still count as renewable?
What is the main environmental problem of burning fossil fuels?
What is pumped storage?
In which energy store does a pumped-storage station keep energy?
Name four factors used to compare energy resources.

Exam questions on Energy resources

A country that gets most of its electricity from one old coal-fired power station is planning to add wind turbines and solar panels to its energy mix.
Explain why wind turbines are less reliable than a coal-fired power station.2 marks
A mountain region in Switzerland has a pumped-storage hydroelectric station. Two reservoirs, one high up the mountain and one in the valley below, are joined by pipes containing a pump and a turbine. At night, when demand for electricity is low, surplus electricity from the grid is used to pump water up to the upper reservoir. During the evening peak in demand, the water is released back down.
Explain how electricity is generated when the water is released.2 marks
Students investigate whether the number of blades on a model wind turbine affects the voltage it generates. They place the turbine 50 cm from a fan on the same speed setting and measure the voltage with a voltmeter. The voltage was 0.8 V with 2 blades, 1.1 V with 3 blades, 1.4 V with 4 blades, 1.5 V with 6 blades and 1.4 V with 8 blades.
State a testable hypothesis for this investigation, giving a scientific reason, and name one variable that must be controlled.3 marks

Written by the Exaim team, led by Shaun Daswani (Head of Upper Secondary, Improve ME Institute; MSc Financial Mathematics, Imperial College London; BSc, UCL) and Jason Daswani (operational lead, Improve ME Institute; LSE).