Vocabulary for Unit 6
Vocabulary Term
biomass
Definition
renewable organic
matter from plants and
animals, such as wood
and animal manure,
that can be burned to
provide heat
fossil fuel
oil, natural gas, and
coal; formed from the
decayed remains of
ancient plants and
animals
coal
sedimentary rock
formed from decayed
plant material; the
world’s most abundant
fossil fuel
oil
(petroleum)
natural gas
liquid fossil fuel
formed from
marine
organisms that is
burned to obtain
energy and used
in the
manufacture of
plastics
fossil fuel
formed from
marine
organisms that is
found in rock
layers and is
used for heating
and cooking
Illustration
nuclear
energy
energy produced from
the splitting apart of
billions of uranium
nuclei by a nuclear
fission reaction
geothermal
thermal energy
in hot magma;
can be converted
by a power plant
into electrical
energy
hydropower
electricity produced
from the energy of
falling water
solar
energy from the Sun
that is clean,
inexhaustible, and can
be transformed into
electricity by solar
cells
wind
windmills use
wind to generate
electricity
Vocabulary Term
Definition
energy resource
anything that can be used
as a source of energy
renewable
resource
natural resources, such as
water, sunlight, and crops,
that are constantly being
recycled or replaced by
nature
nonrenewable
natural resource, such as
fossil fuels, that cannot be
replaced by natural
processes as quickly as it
is used (not in a human
lifetime)
Illustration