section 2

• turbines and generators

  steam rotating turbines that are linked to generators that tirn inside a coil of wire to produce electricity
• fossil fuels

  Coal, oil, natural gas, and other fuels that are ancient remains of plants and animals. finite
• shale gas


  Natural gas occurring within or extracted from shale in the earth's crust
• Fracking

  The pumping of water at high pressure to break apart rocks in order to release natural gas
• renewable resource

  A natural resource that can be replaced at the same rate at which the resource is consumed. includes uranium
• photovoltaic cells

  a solar energy cell, usually made from silicon, that collects solar rays to generate electricity
• stored energy in a spring

  store physical energy from winding process, released slowly from cogs and gears through movement
• Pneumatics

  The use of gas flowing under pressure to transmit power from one location to another.
• Hydraulics

  The use of a liquid (oil) flowing under pressure to transmit power from one location to another.
• kinetic energy

  energy of motion
• flywheel

  a heavy spinning wheel that regulates and stores energy
• Batteries

  contain electrochemicals that react with each other to produce electricity
• Alkaline cells


  higher capacity for their size, uses less space to produce the same power
• rechargeable batteries

  can regain energy by applying energy
• disposal of batteries

  if put in landfills the toxins will enter into the earth and possible water systems
• modern material

  material invented within the last 50 years
• Cornstarch polymers

  made from vegetable starches and are fully biodegradable, cannot be recycled because they decompose too easily
• flexible MDF

  made from wood pulp with groves that go through most of the thickness so it can bend.
• Titanium

  can be allowed to other metals to enhance its properties. does not react with human body. highly strength-to-weight ration. excellent corrosion resistance.
• fibre optics

  technology which involves the use of fibers to transmit light and digital information.

  used medically with cameras at the end (endoscopes).
• graphene

  a single sheet of carbon atoms (like one layer of graphite), flexible, conductive and stretchable
• liquid crystal display (LCD)

  A flat-panel monitor that creates an image when liquid crystals become electronically charged.
• Nanomaterials

  material between 1-100 nanometers
• metal foams

  25% of the mass of the base metal for their comparative size. lightweight. made by injecting gas into liquid metals.
• polymorph

  smart material, non toxic, biodegradable. when heated at 62degrees it becomes mouldable, when cools becomes solid again
• Smart materials


  Materials which change in response to their surroundings, such as light levels or temperature.
• Thermochromic pigments


  inks/does that react to heat by changing colour at specific temperatures
• Photochromic Materials

  Materials that change colour in response to changes in light levels (uv)
• Shape memory alloys

  Alloys that 'remember' their original shape and return to it when heated. they can remember a present shape and return to it despite being dramatically reshaped. eg nitinol
• self healing materials

  self healing polymers and bio-concrete are materials that can respond to stress fractures by releasing bacteria that fills fractures for solid repair
• quantum tunnelling composite

  can be conductor or insulator. when stress applied the electrical resistance lessens. stress means the nanoparticles touch so conduct electricity
• Piezoelectric Materials

  produces electrical voltage under pressure. if voltage applied the material changes shape (electrical signal makes the metallic diaphragm move, which creates sound and the same for the opposite way round)
• litmus paper

  an indicator paper that turns red in an acid and blue in a base based off ph levels
• composite materials

  Materials which are a mixture of two or more materials with improved properties and functionality
• Thermosetting plastics

  Set into permanent shapes during forming and cannot be softened again by heating. Nonrecylable. glass and carbon-fibre
• glass reinforced plastic

  GRP, lightweight, good strength to weight ratio, good corrosion, chemical and heat resistance, waterproof, labour intensive to produce.
• carbon-fibre reinforced plastic

  CRP, very high strength to weight ratio, good tensile strength but not good compressive strength, stiff and rigid, very expensive, waterproof, resistant to chemicals, labour intensive and skilled process
• Gore-tex

  gore-tex membrane has holes large enough for water vapour to escape but small enough that water droplets cannot go through. 150 mill pores per square centimetre
• Aramids

  high tensile strength, cut and tear resistant, thermal protection, non flammable, good chemical resistance, flexible and lightweight
• e-textiles

  highly conductive threads and fabrics that allow an electrical signal to pass through them with very little resistance