Energy and Engineering Vocabulary:

  1. energy - usable power that comes from heat, electricity, or other sources
  2. light energy - form of energy that travels in rays, visible with the eye
  3. reflect - when light bounces from one object to another
  4. refract - the slowing down and bending of light that occurs when it enters a new medium
  5. opaque - no light passes through
  6. transparent - all light passes through
  7. translucent - some light passes through
  8. medium - any matter that waves travel through
  9. shadow - is the dark area created by an object that stops light (object will be opaque)
  10. prism - clear glass or plastic shape that bends light or breaks it up into the colors of the spectrum.
  11. concave lense -is thinner at the center; a beam of light passing through it is caused to diverge or spread out
  12. convex lense - is thicker at the center, a beam of light passing through is brought to a point or focus
  13. laser - concentrated beam of light.
  14. thermal energy - or heat, is the vibration and movement of the atoms and molecules within substances. As an object is heated up, its atoms and molecules move and collide faster.
  15. conduction - transfer of heat or electrical current from one substance to another by DIRECT contact
  16. radiation - energy that is radiated or transmitted in the form of rays or waves or particles
  17. convection - the transfer of heat through a fluid (liquid or gas) caused by molecules moving faster
  18. geothermal - heat that comes from within the Earth (used to heat buildings and produce electricity)
  19. fossil fuel - nonrenewable fuel formed from decayed remains of plants and animals (coal, oil, natural gas)-a form of chemical energy
  20. biofuel - fuels made from crops that can replace gasoline in vehicles
  21. petroleum - fossil fuel used to produce gasoline and oil
  22. renewable resource - A natural resource that can be replaced at the same rate at which the resource is consumed
  23. byproduct - unintended products
  24. thermometer - a tool used to measure temperature
  25. sound energy - is the movement of energy through substances in waves. Sound is produced when a force causes an object or substance to vibrate. The energy is transferred through the substance in a wave.
  26. wave - disturbance that carries energy through a medium
  27. wavelength - The distance between one crest of a wave and the next.
  28. wave frequency - the number of crests that pass by a certain point every second.
  29. pitch - how high or low the sound is; in music, a baritone has a lower pitch than a soprano
  30. amplitude - in sound, this determines how LOUD the sound is
  31. echo - the bouncing back of a sound wave after it hits a surface
  32. sonar - a machine that uses reflected sound (echoes) to locate things; ships use it to find icebergs
  33. ultrasound - the highest frequency that the human ear can detect is approximately 20,000 Hz. This is where the ultrasonic range begins. Ultrasound is used in electronic, navigational, industrial, and security applications. It is also used in medicine to view internal organs of the body.
  34. mechanical energy - is energy stored in objects by tension. Compressed springs and stretched rubber bands are examples of stored mechanical energy.
  35. potential energy - is energy stored in the position or structure of an object.
  36. kinetic energy - is the energy of a moving object.
  37. wedge -  is an object with at least one slanting side ending in a sharp edge, which cuts material apart.
  38. screw - is an inclined plane wrapped around a pole which holds things together or lifts materials.
  39. inclined plane - is a slanting surface connecting a lower level to a higher level.
  40. lever - is a stiff bar that rests on a support called a fulcrum which lifts or moves loads.
  41. wheel and axle - a wheel with a rod, called an axle, through its center lifts or moves loads
  42. pulley - is a simple machine that uses grooved wheels and a rope to raise, lower or move a load.
  43. electrical energy -  is delivered by tiny charged particles called electrons, typically moving through a wire. Lightning is an example of electrical energy in nature.
  44. current - the time rate of flow of electric charge
  45. flow - to proceed in a smooth and easy way
  46. work - is the amount of energy used to perform a task / or the measurement of the energy used to perform a task.
  47. parallel circuit - a circuit with more than one path for the current
  48. series circuit - an electric circuit with a single path.
  49. electromagnetic - a magnet created by passing a current through wire that's wrapped around an iron core
  50. hydroelectric - power generated from moving water.