PubH 6011 Midterm Study Guide Exam
2025-2026 Latest Questions and
Actual Answers.
Solar energy - Answer the primary power source that creates fossil fuels→ drives life on earth
life cycle - Answer solar energy-->primary producers photosynthesize, herbivores consume
primary producers--> carnivores, secondary carnivores→ detritivores consume decaying matter
petroleum - Answer fossil fuel we use the most - 36%,
oil sandwich - Answer layer of carbon/sand/silt/plankton biomass on top and bottom
Canadian Tar Sands - Answer oily sand is scooped into trucks and boiled to separate oil
Sterilizes soil - makes forest regrowth difficult
Keystone Pipeline and Koch Brothers
Hydraulic Fracturing: - Answer horizontal angled drilling for natural gas and oil
fractures rock, and fractures are filled w/ sand and the fluid to prop the fractures open when
the pressure is relieved
- deisel exhaust air pollution, chemicals in treatment, dust/particulate matter, radioactive
flowback water
Electricity - Answer still dominated by fossil fuels, but this is beginning to change
Coal used to be cheapest, but now is the most expensive form of electricity generation
Natural gas has become cheaper due to hydraulic fracturing
electricity is made by water - Answer thermoelectric plants: boiling water turns into steam→
explosion runs through a turbine, blades rotate a shaft that has a barrel with copper wires and
magnets
Coal - Answer most abundant form of fossil fuel
, Coal dust starts to deteriorate the gas exchange region of the lungs
reduces lung capacity and shortens life
weak regulations and enforcement are partly to blame in the spike among miners
green jobs are safer
hydroelectric power - Answer 3% Shrinking due to an increase in droughts
Many large rivers have already been dammed
ecological footprint, can disrupt a natural water body
combination of higher head and lower flow→ more water pressure, more electricity
over time, these fill with silt, and become dangerous as they age
geothermal - Answer 0.2% 2 types
1. Makes electricity
2. for heating/cooling
this is impractical to source from eastern US
Superheated water flashes into steam once it reaches the atmosphere; cooler water goes down,
hot water comes back up
Geothermal Heat Pumps: a way of heating/cooling your home
Ocean Power: - Answer using kinetic motion of wave action to make electricity
variable, like wind
Expensive, doesn't produce as much electricity, many prototypes
Pelamis Wave Power: giant orange snake; pumps air into compressors that is then released to
produce electricity
Ocean power is not quite economical enough to use yet
Wood - Answer 1st energy source for humans
still can be sustainably harvested
"Bad" wood stoves- Non EPA certified
"Good" wood stoves- surrounded by stone, very heavy, reburner helps with complete
combustion
2025-2026 Latest Questions and
Actual Answers.
Solar energy - Answer the primary power source that creates fossil fuels→ drives life on earth
life cycle - Answer solar energy-->primary producers photosynthesize, herbivores consume
primary producers--> carnivores, secondary carnivores→ detritivores consume decaying matter
petroleum - Answer fossil fuel we use the most - 36%,
oil sandwich - Answer layer of carbon/sand/silt/plankton biomass on top and bottom
Canadian Tar Sands - Answer oily sand is scooped into trucks and boiled to separate oil
Sterilizes soil - makes forest regrowth difficult
Keystone Pipeline and Koch Brothers
Hydraulic Fracturing: - Answer horizontal angled drilling for natural gas and oil
fractures rock, and fractures are filled w/ sand and the fluid to prop the fractures open when
the pressure is relieved
- deisel exhaust air pollution, chemicals in treatment, dust/particulate matter, radioactive
flowback water
Electricity - Answer still dominated by fossil fuels, but this is beginning to change
Coal used to be cheapest, but now is the most expensive form of electricity generation
Natural gas has become cheaper due to hydraulic fracturing
electricity is made by water - Answer thermoelectric plants: boiling water turns into steam→
explosion runs through a turbine, blades rotate a shaft that has a barrel with copper wires and
magnets
Coal - Answer most abundant form of fossil fuel
, Coal dust starts to deteriorate the gas exchange region of the lungs
reduces lung capacity and shortens life
weak regulations and enforcement are partly to blame in the spike among miners
green jobs are safer
hydroelectric power - Answer 3% Shrinking due to an increase in droughts
Many large rivers have already been dammed
ecological footprint, can disrupt a natural water body
combination of higher head and lower flow→ more water pressure, more electricity
over time, these fill with silt, and become dangerous as they age
geothermal - Answer 0.2% 2 types
1. Makes electricity
2. for heating/cooling
this is impractical to source from eastern US
Superheated water flashes into steam once it reaches the atmosphere; cooler water goes down,
hot water comes back up
Geothermal Heat Pumps: a way of heating/cooling your home
Ocean Power: - Answer using kinetic motion of wave action to make electricity
variable, like wind
Expensive, doesn't produce as much electricity, many prototypes
Pelamis Wave Power: giant orange snake; pumps air into compressors that is then released to
produce electricity
Ocean power is not quite economical enough to use yet
Wood - Answer 1st energy source for humans
still can be sustainably harvested
"Bad" wood stoves- Non EPA certified
"Good" wood stoves- surrounded by stone, very heavy, reburner helps with complete
combustion
