EP 318 Physics of Energy
Homework Questions
Please e mail to [email protected] after answer 33 questions before June 2, 2017.
Answer only 33 questions!!!
1) After you long and illustrious career as an engineer, you are encouraged to take your
extensive knowledge of the physical world into the political arena where you can have an
affect on policy decisions. When faced with the question of which policy to set for the future
direction of energy (i.e. which forms of energy you will encourage to be developed) in your
city/country, describe what recommendations you will make to your constituents, and why?
2) What is a realistic energy profile for the future? Can renewables play a significant percentage
of energy consumption? To what degree will dependence on fossil fuels be maintained?
3) If you were asked by the President to choose only one source of energy to use in the future
which one would you choose?
4) What will be the most prevalent energy source 20 years from now and why?
5) What renewable energy source has the potential for the most growth in the next 50 years in
Turkey?
6) What energy sources should we pursue and why? Which ones should we stay away from and
why?
7) Describe what the octane number means and why it is important to use the right octane
number for you car.
8) Will this growth cause this source to have a significant impact on the distribution of energy
production?
9) The government mandates that you get 15% of your home’s energy from renewables. What
do you do?
10) What are the most common photovoltaic cells used today?
11) Who discovered the photovoltaic effect?
12) Roughly how much did the cost of PV solar panels decrease or increase between 2010 and
2017, in Turkey?
13) What's the difference between photovoltaic and concentrating solar power? Can you name
the soft costs of installing solar energy systems?
14) How much solar energy reaches the Earth's surface at any given moment?
15) Mention two disadvantages of using wood as fuel.
16) State two limitations of solar energy.
17) State two limitations of biogas plants.
18) What are the two advantages of wind energy?
19) Explain the principle underlying the working of a solar cell.
20) What is a solar panel?
21) State the two limitations of tidal energy.
22) What are the two kinds of nuclear reactions? Define them.
23) Which component (due to its frequency or wavelength) of sun's energy is responsible for
drying clothes?
24) What type of energy is possessed by wind?
25) Though a hot iron emits radiations, it is not visible to us. Why?
26) How is the conductivity of a semi-conductor affected when light falls on it?
27) What is the minimum wind speed required for generating electricity in a wind mill?
28) List the uses of solar cells.
29) Write a short note on ocean thermal energy.
30) List the uses of solar cells.
31) List the hazards of nuclear power generation.
32) What is a fuel? Give any four characteristics of a good fuel.
33) Briefly explain the construction and working of a fixed dome type biogas plant.
34) Explain the construction and working of a hydro-electric power plant with a neat schematic
diagram.
35) Explain the working of two devices that use solar energy.
36) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using solar cells
37) Write two differences between nuclear fission and fusion reactions.
38) State the characteristics of a good fuel.
39) Where is the largest wind energy farm established in Turkey?
40) What is a wind farm?
41) A solar powered device being used to recharge a battery. On average the solar cell produce
0.6 W electric energy and its efficiency is 0.15. Calculateaverage energy inputeach second to
the battery.
42) A homeowner had a new gas boiler installed. The following information is an extract from
the infrmation booklet supplied with the boiler. Calculate the energy transferred each
second by the gasboiler to the water inside the boiler.
43) What are the three main aspects that make an energy source sustainable?
44) Discuss the status of current energy sources (gas, coal, etc), their advantages, disadvantages,
and projected growth.
45) What makes hydrogen an attractive energy source and how might it be implemented?
46) Discuss the future of carbon emissions. If restrictions were to be imposed, where would the
greatest difference be made, who would need to be restricted, what are the options for
carbon sequestration, and how would that contribute to energy costs?
47) Why is hydrogen not a feasible energy source? Discuss safety, storage, production, etc.
48) In your opinion, what kind of energy should we be investing in for the future and why?
49) Why are electric vehicles not in widespread use? Also, compare fossil fuel powered vehicles
to electric powered vehicles.
50) If you were to build a power plant, which type (fuel) would you build? Why?
51) (Include at least 6 benefits and disadvantages to your power plant type)
52) In 100 years, where do you think our primary energy will come from? Why?
53) Why do people use fossil fuels, instead of alternative fuels if alternative fuels are supposed to
be better for the environment?
54) If nuclear power is so great, why aren’t countries building more nuclear power plants?
55) Explain one constraint against increasing wind power generation.
56) Why is wind power growing so rapidly?
57) Name 6 factors affecting the real price of solar energy.
58) Why does nuclear power rock so much?
59) What are heating and cooling degree days and how are they useful?
60) How is geothermal energy captured? How big of a percentage of renewable energy is it?