energy

• specific heat capacity is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1kg of a substance by 1 degree
• the law of conservation of energy states that energy can be transferred usefully, stored or dissipated but it can not be created or destroyed
• work is done when one energy store is transfered to another
• mechanical work is using a force to move an object
• electrical work involves a current transferring energy
• power is the rate at which energy is transfered. 1W=1J per second
• the higher the thermal conductivity of a material, the higher the rate of energy transfer by conduction across that material
• to reduce thermal conductivity in buildings, cavities are filled with insulation, windows are doubled glazed, there is insulation in the loft and houses have thicker walls
• fossil fuels are reliable, release lots of energy, abundant, cheap but they release lots of co2 are non renewable and release other pollutants
• nuclear power is non renewable as it runs on uranium and plutonium. It does release co2 and is reliable but is very dangerous due to the radioactive material, dismantling the power plant is expensive and takes a long time and it produces radioactive waste.