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Electricity Made the 1st Incandescent Lamp Possible
	Many Things We Take For Granted, Such As Incandescent Lights ( The Electric Light Bulbs Of Today), Were Not Invented Until Electricity Became Available Around 1900. Some Of Our Machines, Such As Sewing Machines, Clothes Washers, And Vacuum Cleaners, Were Hand Powered Until Electricity Made Automatic Machines Possible.

The cave man used the coal for heating and, later, for cooking. Burning coal was easier because coal burned longer than wood and, therefore, did not have to be collected as often.

First Uses of Fossil Energy Archeologists have found that in the ancient times of the pharaohs Egyptians used asphalt, a form of petroleum, to preserve human remains. The mummies from Egypt we see in museums today were preserved using this process.

First Uses of Fossil Energy Alexander the Great burned petroleum to scare away the war elephants of his enemies

First Uses of Fossil Energy Natural gas was first used commercially in the U.S. for lighting in homes and businesses. Due to the lack of modern pipelines that would allow long distance distribution, the natural gas could only be used by people close to the well. Some towns used the natural gas for outdoor lighting that burned day and night.

First Uses of Fossil Energy The first commercial oil well in the U.S. provided crude oil from which kerosene was created and used to fuel lanterns needed for home lighting.

Burning Coal To Make Electricity

A power plant can burn a fossil fuel, such as coal, in a giant closed tub called a "boiler" that contains water. As the coal is burned, the water gets hot and turns into steam. (This is like boiling water in a covered pot on your stove).

The steam is collected from the top of the boiler and sent through pipes to a "turbine" that contains a shaft or pole on which blades (somewhat like the propellers on a plane) are mounted. The steam rushing in causes the blades to turn like when you blow on the blades of a pinwheel.

The turning blades cause the shaft that holds them to also turn or rotate. This shaft runs from the turbine into a "generator" unit. In this last box, a coil of wire is mounted on the shaft. Surrounding the coil of wire and the shaft is a magnet. When the shaft causes the wire coil to rotate, an electrical current is created as the magnetic field is crossed by the wire coil. The electrical current is then collected by the wire coil and is sent out on wires to your home and school as electricity.

Resource Conservation

How can we make our fossil fuel resources last longer?

There are simple actions, called "conservation" methods, we can take to save energy and reduce the depletion of our resources.

1) Turn off lights when you leave the room and turn off the television or radio whenever you go to do something else.

2) Decide what you want from the refrigerator before opening the door. Do not hold the door open for a long time and let the cold air out. Check to make sure you shut the door completely when you are finished.

3) Whenever possible walk or ride your bicycle instead of taking a car.

4) Test your windows and doors to see if air leaks in or out. If it does, apply weather stripping to those with air leaks to seal the heating or air conditioning in your home.

5) Wear warmer or cooler clothing that allows you to set your thermostat lower in the winter (keep your home cooler) and higher in the summer (keep your home warmer).

6) Take short showers rather than baths to save on hot water (and wastewater that will have to be cleaned at the local water treatment facility).

7) Use as few disposable items as possible. The more items we throw away, the more land we will have to use for solid waste disposal. And the more it will cost you for collection and disposal of these waste items.

8) Recycle as many reusable items as possible. Recycling helps us reuse the resource that originally created the product rather than having to use more raw resources to make new products. For instance, recycling newspapers will reduce the number of trees required to make paper.

9) There are many other conservation methods that will help save our resources. Check with your local power company or recycling center for additional information.

Lesson 2 Word List

Do you know what these words mean?

Can you spell the words without looking at the list?

Can you find where the words are used on these pages in Dinosaurs & Power Plants?

Can you find the cities, states, bodies of water, and countries on a map?

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PAGE 14 ("For Emergency Only" Section)

Strategic Petroleum Reserve

Lesson 2 Energy Uses List

Coal

Acts as a Fuel to Power or Heat

Assists in the Production of These Products

Natural Gas

Acts as a Fuel to Power or Heat

Assists in the Production of These Products

Petroleum

Acts as a Fuel to Power and Heat

Assists in the Production of These Products

Lesson 2 Energy Use List

Things that are powered by electricity generated from fossil energy

What do YOU use that runs on electricity?

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