SOS 100 UNIT #6 EXAM QUESTIONS
WITH CORRECT ANSWERS
Photovoltaic (PV) cells - Answer-Mechanical equipment for capturing, converting, and
sometimes concentrating solar energy into a more usable form
Solar thermal system - Answer-An active technology that captures solar energy for
heating
Passive solar technologies - Answer-Technologies that allow for capture of solar energy
(heat or light) without any electronic or mechanical assistance
Geothermal energy - Answer-Heat stored underground, contained in either rocks or
fluids
Geothermal heat pump - Answer-A system that transfers the steady 55 F (12.5 C)
underground temperature to a building to help heat or cool it
Payback time - Answer-The amount of time it takes to save enough money in operation
costs to pay for equipment
Geothermal power plants - Answer-Power plants that use the heat of hydrothermal
reservoirs to produce steam and turn turbines to generate electricity
Hydropower - Answer-Energy produced from moving water
Conservation - Answer-Efforts that reduce waste and increase efficient use of resources
Nuclear energy - Answer-Energy released when an atom is split (fission) or combines
with another to form a new atom (fusion)
Nuclear fission - Answer-A nuclear reaction that occurs when a neutron strikes the
nucleus of an atom and breaks it into two or more parts
Isotopes - Answer-Atoms that have different numbers of neutrons in their nucleus but
the same number of protons
Radioactive - Answer-Atoms that spontaneously emit subatomic particles and/or energy
Radioactive half-life - Answer-The time it takes for half of the radioactive isotopes in a
sample to decay to a new form
Fuel rods - Answer-Hollow metal cylinders filled with uranium fuel pellets for use in
fission reactors
WITH CORRECT ANSWERS
Photovoltaic (PV) cells - Answer-Mechanical equipment for capturing, converting, and
sometimes concentrating solar energy into a more usable form
Solar thermal system - Answer-An active technology that captures solar energy for
heating
Passive solar technologies - Answer-Technologies that allow for capture of solar energy
(heat or light) without any electronic or mechanical assistance
Geothermal energy - Answer-Heat stored underground, contained in either rocks or
fluids
Geothermal heat pump - Answer-A system that transfers the steady 55 F (12.5 C)
underground temperature to a building to help heat or cool it
Payback time - Answer-The amount of time it takes to save enough money in operation
costs to pay for equipment
Geothermal power plants - Answer-Power plants that use the heat of hydrothermal
reservoirs to produce steam and turn turbines to generate electricity
Hydropower - Answer-Energy produced from moving water
Conservation - Answer-Efforts that reduce waste and increase efficient use of resources
Nuclear energy - Answer-Energy released when an atom is split (fission) or combines
with another to form a new atom (fusion)
Nuclear fission - Answer-A nuclear reaction that occurs when a neutron strikes the
nucleus of an atom and breaks it into two or more parts
Isotopes - Answer-Atoms that have different numbers of neutrons in their nucleus but
the same number of protons
Radioactive - Answer-Atoms that spontaneously emit subatomic particles and/or energy
Radioactive half-life - Answer-The time it takes for half of the radioactive isotopes in a
sample to decay to a new form
Fuel rods - Answer-Hollow metal cylinders filled with uranium fuel pellets for use in
fission reactors
