PowerWorks - Information

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Education

Glossary of Terms

Carbon Dioxide
A gas produced when coal is burned

Circuit
The path that electricity takes

Coal
A fossil fuel made of decomposed land plants

Current
The flow of electricity

Dredger
The machine used to dig up the coal

Electricity
A flow of electrons along a conductor

Energy
The work done by electrical energy in a given period of time

Generator
Makes the electricity at a power station

Greenhouse Effect
The warming of the earth

Megawatt
One million watts

Power
The rate at which electrical energy is produced

Turbine
A big fan that runs the generator to make electricity

Voltage
A measure of the electricity's force

Wave Power
Energy source making use of wave or tidal motion

Wind Power
Energy source making use of wind

Alternating Current
Electrical current that flows in a cycle back and forth

Ampere
The unit measure for electrical current

Black Coal
Younger and moister form of coal

Brown Coal
Older and denser form of coal

Carbon Sink
Method of CO2 absorption eg. growing trees

Coalification
The process by which coal is produced

Conductor
A solid, liquid or gas that has "free" electrons

Direct Current
Electrical current that flows in one direction only

Electron
A negatively charged atomic particle

Fossil Fuel
A fuel produced over time such as coal, oil, and gas

Greenhouse Gases
Gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect eg. CO2

Hydro power
Energy source making use of flowing water

Kilowatt Hours
The unit measure of energy consumption

Ohm
The unit measure for electrical resistance

Solar Power
Energy source making use of the sun's radiation

Watt
The unit measure for power output