Physical science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Physical science - Essay Example Thirdly, fission and fusion reactions possess the capacity turn the energy associated with ordering of subatomic particles into nuclear energy (How is Energy Converted). Fossil fuels pertain to fuels formed out of the organic remains of prehistoric plants and animals that undergo natural process of anaerobic decomposition and these fuels are chiefly comprised in coal, gas, and oil. It normally takes nearly 700 million years for decaying plant and animal matters to be fossilized upon exposure to extreme levels of heat and pressure into usable fossil fuels which are mostly rich in carbon with coal, natural gas, and petroleum by composition. Being a non-renewable source of energy, fossil fuels may be volatile or non-volatile as materials ranging from those of minimal C to H ratios as methane gas and liquid petroleum to materials with heavier carbon content than hydrogen as in the case of anthracite coal. In modern times, fossil fuels are confronted with the perils of continuous depletio n at a rate that alarmingly exceeds that of their production which implies that renewable substitutes with equivalent advantages ought to be discovered and settled at for corrective resolution (Lecture 10: Fossil Fuels as Energy Sources). Aside from being a flexible non-renewable energy source, according to their structure, depositional environment, and thermal reactions, fossil fuels draw a potential attraction due to the fact that most of world’s reserves of oil and natural gas come from deformed rocks whereas a great quantity of coal may be derived from sedimentary rock layers that do not undergo deformation. Sediments are readily found everywhere on which are comprised marine organic matter filled with oil and gas in high proportions to make opulent fossil fuel amounts. Because of low oxygen concentration on environments in which massive deposits are preserved and coal forms that gather toward bogs and swamps, fossil fuels can be acquired with much convenience. Under natu ral circumstances, fossil fuels are made beyond human intervention since thermal processes may occur spontaneously after decomposing organics goes through preservation to become fossil fuels at a later time. Aside from fossil fuels, renewable alternatives could be wind energy and geothermal energy or heat derived from the earth by means of a natural geologic process. As a form of solar energy, the energy of the wind is found to comprise turbulent masses of air rushing to even out the differences in atmospheric pressure formed when the sun heats the air more in one place than in another. For centuries, wind power has been utilized extensively in pumping water, grinding grain, and producing electricity of the modern age. Wind turbines as major replacements to windmills perform the course of wind power upon conversion of the wind’s kinetic energy to mechanical energy which sustains small to large farms and villages with clean and renewable loads of electricity (Freris, 1990). Mo dern technological advancements in the fields of engineering and science have revolutionized the old design in windmills with a flexible range of