EGEE 101 – Practice Questions – Energy and Environmental Engineering – exam
preparation material
Through a combination of fertility rate and decreased poverty levels, a population's energy use is
growing exponentially 1% per year.
How many years until the energy use doubles? - correct answer ✔✔69.3 years
What energy growth rate per year would increase world energy use by 400% 92 doubling periods) in 80
years? - correct answer ✔✔1.7% per year
What has more kinetic energy? - correct answer ✔✔A car moving at 120 mph across the bonneville
salt flats
Which series goes from least energetic to most? - correct answer ✔✔Radio< infrared< ultraviolet< x-
rays
What has more potential energy? - correct answer ✔✔A cubic mile of water (a lake) behind a 300 ft
tall dam
Which has more chemical energy? - correct answer ✔✔An oil tanker moored at a terminal
Which has more nuclear energy? - correct answer ✔✔An atomic bomb in a silo in North Dakota
What transformation occurs in a computer? - correct answer ✔✔Electrical to light/sound
The hot coffee heats the mug which heats my hands which are holding the mug, what method of heat
transfer is it? - correct answer ✔✔Conduction
What transformation occurs in the sun? - correct answer ✔✔Nuclear to radiation
, What transformation occurs in a lawn mower? - correct answer ✔✔Chemical to kinetic/ mechanical
A power plant consumes 100 MJ of energy, of which only 24 MJ are wasted heat. What is the efficiency?
- correct answer ✔✔0.76
a power plant converts 100 KJ of coal into 30 KJ of electrical energy. What is the efficiency? - correct
answer ✔✔30%
Your home converts 30 KJ of electrical energy into 15 KJ of useful energy (heat,electric) and 15 KJ of
wasted energy. What is your home's efficiency? - correct answer ✔✔50%
It took 100 KJ of coal to produce the 15 KJ of useful energy in your home. What is the total efficiency? -
correct answer ✔✔15%
Penn state natural gas plant produces 7 MW of power. If it runs at 70% efficiency and has 7 MW Power
Out, what is the rate of energy input? - correct answer ✔✔10 MW
Penn state natural gas plant produces 7 MW of power. What if Penn State could successfully reuse 1/3rd
of the remaining rejected heat... what is the new process efficiency? - correct answer ✔✔80%
If Penn states power generation is 70% efficient and campus efficiency (dorms, labs, lecture halls) is
raised from 50% to 90%, what is the new process efficiency? - correct answer ✔✔63%
Kevin wants to use less fossil fuel by purchasing an electric vehicle. EV's are currently about 50%
efficient. The power in Kevin's neighborhood comes from a coal-fired power plant. When Kevin plugs his
EV in at night, what is powering his car? - correct answer ✔✔Coal
Kevin wants to use less fossil fuel by purchasing an electric vehicle. EV's are currently about 50%
efficient. The grid is about 20% efficient and Kevin's EV is about 50% efficient. What is the total efficiency
of this process? - correct answer ✔✔10%
preparation material
Through a combination of fertility rate and decreased poverty levels, a population's energy use is
growing exponentially 1% per year.
How many years until the energy use doubles? - correct answer ✔✔69.3 years
What energy growth rate per year would increase world energy use by 400% 92 doubling periods) in 80
years? - correct answer ✔✔1.7% per year
What has more kinetic energy? - correct answer ✔✔A car moving at 120 mph across the bonneville
salt flats
Which series goes from least energetic to most? - correct answer ✔✔Radio< infrared< ultraviolet< x-
rays
What has more potential energy? - correct answer ✔✔A cubic mile of water (a lake) behind a 300 ft
tall dam
Which has more chemical energy? - correct answer ✔✔An oil tanker moored at a terminal
Which has more nuclear energy? - correct answer ✔✔An atomic bomb in a silo in North Dakota
What transformation occurs in a computer? - correct answer ✔✔Electrical to light/sound
The hot coffee heats the mug which heats my hands which are holding the mug, what method of heat
transfer is it? - correct answer ✔✔Conduction
What transformation occurs in the sun? - correct answer ✔✔Nuclear to radiation
, What transformation occurs in a lawn mower? - correct answer ✔✔Chemical to kinetic/ mechanical
A power plant consumes 100 MJ of energy, of which only 24 MJ are wasted heat. What is the efficiency?
- correct answer ✔✔0.76
a power plant converts 100 KJ of coal into 30 KJ of electrical energy. What is the efficiency? - correct
answer ✔✔30%
Your home converts 30 KJ of electrical energy into 15 KJ of useful energy (heat,electric) and 15 KJ of
wasted energy. What is your home's efficiency? - correct answer ✔✔50%
It took 100 KJ of coal to produce the 15 KJ of useful energy in your home. What is the total efficiency? -
correct answer ✔✔15%
Penn state natural gas plant produces 7 MW of power. If it runs at 70% efficiency and has 7 MW Power
Out, what is the rate of energy input? - correct answer ✔✔10 MW
Penn state natural gas plant produces 7 MW of power. What if Penn State could successfully reuse 1/3rd
of the remaining rejected heat... what is the new process efficiency? - correct answer ✔✔80%
If Penn states power generation is 70% efficient and campus efficiency (dorms, labs, lecture halls) is
raised from 50% to 90%, what is the new process efficiency? - correct answer ✔✔63%
Kevin wants to use less fossil fuel by purchasing an electric vehicle. EV's are currently about 50%
efficient. The power in Kevin's neighborhood comes from a coal-fired power plant. When Kevin plugs his
EV in at night, what is powering his car? - correct answer ✔✔Coal
Kevin wants to use less fossil fuel by purchasing an electric vehicle. EV's are currently about 50%
efficient. The grid is about 20% efficient and Kevin's EV is about 50% efficient. What is the total efficiency
of this process? - correct answer ✔✔10%
