For the last few weeks we have been talking about energy resources. Fossil fuels are the primary way that we get our power and power, in the form of electricity, is what drives a large portion of our lives (i.e. this assignment). But how does that rock of coal get turned into a game of Fun Run, Minecraft, or an episode of Adventure Time?
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Go to the following website: www.nationalgeographic.com
Pick one article on this page about energy. Read it and write a detailed paragraph in response to the article. Describe what it was about and highlight the most important points.
26 comments:
In the national geographic article Saved From The Void , Todd Domboski fell into a whole in his grandmothers backyard, finding an abandoned mine. This mine has been abandoned for about 19 years but it still had fumes from when it was actively being mined. It so happens that there are thousands of these mines throughout the United States, and other countries except Antartica. When an abandoned mine appears, creating a crack, or hole, in the ground it, the fumes left over from that mine could rise for a very long time. The longest time is 50 and still going, thats how long this certain mines fumes have been rising. People of near by towns have been worrying because if the fumes continue to rise at this rate, then it could contaminate the air over there town.
So I read this article called “Salt Power.” It’s about power that lies in the seas. More specifically salt. It is about a kind of energy called osmotic energy. Osmosis is when molecules pass through a membrane or other similar surface, and equal out the amount of concentrations, or a kind of molecule that is in a solution, on either side, so that the two substances on either side are similar, or in some cases identical. This is what a certain factory in Norway is working on. I’ve always been concerned with the environment, so this interested me because the article talks about experts saying they think it is a clean energy source. This osmotic power, which in this case is putting a certain kind of surface, or as the article says “semipermeable surface,” (which means letting some things through but not others.) in between seawater and river water. This is based on the fact that salt water particles like to go into freshwater, so they flow through the “semipermeable” surface. So how does this produce energy? It’s based on something called diffusion. Diffusion is different substances mixing together by the movement of their particles. Energy is basically motion, and all these particles mixing and moving together is producing lots of energy. Now let me talk about how clean this is. The article says that there is one byproduct, but it is just the mixed water(saltwater and freshwater) after it has been sapped of energy. The article talks about energy experts investigating this, and the only negative thing they can foresee possibly happening is this mixed water affecting the marine life, as most fish live either in saltwater or freshwater, not both. However, people think this could produce more energy than most other power sources, especially as it is renewable and water covers 3 quarters of the earth. If we were to harness this energy it would produce as much energy as Europe and Russia uses. However, it is just this one very small factory in Norway. As of right now they are producing as much energy, to quote the article, “to foam a cappuccino.” Of course, they are a new power plant, and I think they will grow, and this article has told me the future. I think this should be a major source of our power.
Reply To Kim:
That's weird how a guy just randomly fell into a hole. That's interesting though that something burned for that long. I hope that town doesn't get contaminated.
The article I chose was Amazing Transportation Inventions. Some of the inventions were a personal jetpack, a hand powered submarine, and a type of plane powered by your feet, but the two that interested me the most is the self driving car, and the shweeb monorail. The shweeb monorail is a pod shaped like a bullet that hangs from 8-inch-wide rails. The passenger sits so that his feet are forward. The shweeb rails run through the city. A standard pod has a coat hanger and a space to put a backpack/briefcase. You can insert a seat for a child. Double pods are available for two people.
On April 26, 1986, the worst nuclear disaster in history happened in Chernobyl, Ukrane, and caused radioactive gas to spread over a lot of Europe and Western Russia. More than 15 years ago plans to contain the nuclear gas inside the destroyed plant were made but never acted on. Now in January 2013 the plans to build a "tomb" to cover the "what-used-to-be" Reactor core, are now being pitot action.The project for incasing the old reactor core in a "sarcophagus" to keep all the remaining radioactive gas inside will cost around $2 Billion (1.6 Billion Euros) to start and complete the construction. The estimated amount of time it will take to complete this tomb will be around 3 years at the end of 2015. The sarcophagus will be built to keep Uranium, Plutonium, and other radioactive materials inside. The finished project will weigh up to 29,000 to and be able to house the Statue of Liberty.
All humans need energy to exist, just like food,water and air. All people depend on many sources of energy.The Great Energy Challenge is a three-year National Geographic program to help everyone understand the greatness of our energy situation. Researchers and scientists are helping. Thomas Lovejoy is leading the way and they will work together to support projects on energy solutions.
he rig in alaska was “stable” on tuesday,there were no signs of spiled oil in the water.But high winds continued and savage seas hampered efforts to secure the oil vessel.There were 150,000 gallons of diesel fuel on the vessel.The vessel was called the Kulluk and it came to rest east of sitkalidak.
Mine fire still burns after 50 years story. The Centralia blaze has been burning for over 50 years. It is one of the worst mine fires in the us. It is a environmental and a public health threat. It now burns toxics. Domboski fell into one of the steamy hole for 45 and luckly his cousin saved him.
There are three commonly used light bulbs. Different light bulbs save and use different amounts of energy. The most commonly used light bulbs are the “Edison” bulbs. They are one of the first types of light bulbs created. They work when electricity flows through them. They tend to heat up a lot more than other types of light bulbs wasting a lot of energy. Another kind of light bulb is the compact fluorescents. These light bulbs are significantly more energy efficient. This kind of light bulb works when a coating called phosphor has a reaction involving electricity going through a gas filled spiral. The most energy efficient of the three kinds of light bulbs are the light-emitting diodes. They are about 90% more efficient than the fluorescent light bulbs but they produce less light. Light-emitting diodes produce light by the movement of electrons in a semiconductor. In my household we use about 10 more light bulbs then the average household. Fortunately we make up for it by using more energy efficient light bulbs.We use 34.6 more energy efficient bulbs then the average household. Because of this we save $77.07 more than an average family. Energy costs a lot of money but by using energy efficient light bulbs it can cut costs.
Reply to Eric cartman:
I think it is interesting that there is a self driving car but it is probably really expensive to buy something like that. I wonder If they use those self driving cars for people with disabilities?
Did you hear on Feb 14 1981, a boy fell into a hole swirling with toxic gases? This was part of the Centralia blaze arguably the worst mine fire ever. The fire is still burning after 50, yes, 50 years! It may be the worst fire but it is definitely not the only one. There are 200 coal fires throughout 14 states still burning today. Mine fires are a serious health threat and and as long as we are mining coal the threat stands for our friends and family.
This fire has been burning for 50 years. This has happened in a lot of place. Where coal is in demand like China and India and all over the United States. But still no action was taken to stop this. I think it’s a very dangerous situation. Because someone could die I think something should be done to prevent an incident like that one. Since they can’t use them they should do something to stop it. Why aren’t any precautions made to stop or prevent this? If it has happened before and no one has stopped it and its still happening it will probably happen again.
Reply to RothX:
Really weird. But I wonder if we went around and asked 1,000,000 people for all their salt we could power a lot.
Reply to Eric cartman:
It is amazing how technology has evolved and that we are able to make things like a personal jetpack, a hand powered submarine, and a type of plane powered by your feet.
Reply to RothX:
It would be really cool if the salt could found in lakes or an ocean could be an actuall power source. Sine there so much of it available this energy source would never run out! We would be saving the earth by using a natural resource and we wouldn't be doing any harm.
Reply to Scarlett:
People really don't realize how much we use energy and how much we take it for granted and we need to find another way to get our energy so I think that this is great!
Osmotic power also known as silent power. It relies on a basic physical process called diffusion. Salty water molecules almost always move into freshwater nearby. It happens wherever rivers meet the sea, creating energy in the form of heat. By placing a barrier between the saltwater and the freshwater scientists might be able to make use of this energy. The diffusion of molecules through the membrane is called osmosis.
There is a oil rig aground in Alaska . The rig in Alaska was “stable” on Tuesday, there were no signs of spilled oil in the water. But high winds continued and savage seas hampered efforts to secure the oil vessel. There were 150,000 gallons of diesel fuel on the vessel. The vessel was called the Kulluk and it came to rest east of the Sitkalidak.
Reply to Eric cartman:
It is amazing how technology has evolved and that we are able to make things like a personal jetpack, a hand powered submarine, and a type of plane powered by your feet.
Reply to meek mill: Thats crazy
Reply to meek mill
I had know idea how a mine fire bured for 50 year. I also did not know that it was one of the worst is the U.S
I think that nuclear power is really good its pritty clean and doesn't pollute except for waste. But it should be away from cites in the rare case of a meltdown BOOOM
There is a oil rig aground in Alaska . The rig in Alaska was “stable” on Tuesday, there were no signs of spilled oil in the water. But high winds continued and crazy seas messed up efforts to secure the oil vessel. There were 150,000 gallons of diesel fuel on the vessel. The vessel was called the Kulluk and it came to rest east of the Sitkalidak.
Titan was announced to be the world's fastest supercomputer in Salt Lake City. There was a previous supercomputer named Jaguar but was replaced by a machine in Japan.
Titan is not like any other computer, hence the name ‘supercomputer.’ It can download information that would take around 60,000 years for 1,000 people working all at the same time to get all of the same calculations Titan can give you in a second. You can compare Titans power to solving 3 million math problems per second. When you download the newest games or the newest forms of technology, you’re actually helping improve science and get deeper into technology.
While watching the video on Dcscienceworld, I learned that Canada consumes almost 600,000 gigawatt hours of electricity a year and 16% of that power is nuclear. In Ontario, Canada, Bruce Power, one of the worlds largest nuclear power plants, produces at least 750 megawatts of power a year and that’s enough to power a city with the population of 5 million. Each Uranium rod Covered in Zirconium alloy can produce enough heat to make over 1,000,000 kilowatt hours of electricity.
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