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Fossil Fuel

Nuclear Power BackgroundNuclear

WindHydroelectric

Types of Electricity Generation

Solar

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Turbine

Water

Steam

Magnet

Metal Wire

E

EE

EE

Generator

EE

1. Burn fossil fuel to make heat2. Use heat to boil water and make steam3. Use steam to spin an enormous turbine4. The turbine spins huge magnets in the generator, making electricity How a fossil

fuel power plant works

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Fossil Fuel

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A coal fired power plant

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Another coal power plant

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Coal pile next to plant

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Turbine

Magnet

Metal Wire

E

EE

EE

Generator

EE

1. Use water to spin an enormous turbine2. The turbine spins huge magnets in the generator, making electricity

How a hydroelectric power plant works

Water trapped by dam

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Home

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The inside of a hydroelectric

plant

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Magnet

Metal Wire

E

EE

EE

Generator

EE

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1. Use wind to spin an enormous turbine2. The turbine spins huge magnets in the generator, making electricity

How a wind power plant

works

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Some windmills

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To understand how a nuclear power plant works, you need to remember a little bit about how atoms are put together…

P

NP

N

N

P

E

E

E

P

NP

N

N

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E

E

E

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NP

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First some background: everything is made of atoms –

including this pencil

No

. 2

Wood

magnified 10 times

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The wood is made of cellsCells

magnified 1000 times

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Cells have parts inside them, like DNA

DNA

magnified 10,000,000

times

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DNA and everything else are made of atoms

O

H

Atoms

CCH

CC

magnified 50,000,000

times

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Atoms are made of a few parts: protons, electrons, and neutrons

O

H

CC

H

CC

PNP

N

NP

E

E

E

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The protons and neutrons are stuck together in the center of the atom; this center is called the nucleus.

PNP

N

NP

The basic parts of an atom

E

P

N Neutron (0)

Proton (+)

Electron (-)

There is a lot of space between electrons and the nucleus.

The electrons spin around the outside of the nucleus.

Key

E

E

E

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PNP

PN N

NN

N

PPP

If you break an atom’s nucleus apart, it gives off some heat energy

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PP

PN

NN N

NN

PPP

If you break an atom’s nucleus apart, it gives off some heat energy

N

Neutron “bullet”

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NN

NN

PP

NN

N

PP

N

P

P

N

N NN N

PPP

PN

NN

PP

PNP

PN

NN

PPP P

PP

NN

N

PP

PN

N

PPP

PNP

P NN

N

P

NN

When you break apart a large atom like uranium, 3 neutrons get separated

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N

P

P

N

P

P

N

N N

N N

P

P

P

NP

P

N

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N

N

N

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P P

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PP N NN

These neutrons that get knocked off can bump into other atoms and break them apart too…

N

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P

N

N

NN

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P

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N

PP

P

P

P

P

N

N

N

P

P

P

N

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PP

PP

PN

N

N

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This is called a nuclear chain reaction

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Multiplying by 3 speeds up quickly

Round Nuclear Explosions

Reset

N

P

P

N

P

P

N

N N

N N

P

P

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P P

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Turbine

Water

Steam

Magnet

Metal Wire

E

EE

EE

Generator

EE

1. Split uranium atoms to make heat2. Use heat to boil water and make steam3. Use steam to spin an enormous turbine4. The turbine spins huge magnets in the generator, making electricity How a nuclear

power plant works

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Uranium

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How solar power works

Sun

Rays of sunlight

When light hits the photovoltaic cell, electrons are knocked loose from the atoms inside it, creating

electricity.

Solar panel (made out of photovoltaic cells)

E

E

E

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Some solar

panels