Renewable vs. Nonrenewable?

Question

Wind - - Renewable
Hydro - - ??
Solar - - Renewable.. I think
Nuclear - - Nonrenewable..right?

Then I also have a question on my test tomarrow that asks what energy conversions would be with pushing a chair across the room. Can you help?

Answer 1

When limited to the earth, wind, hydro, and solar are renewable. Energy that is ultimately derived from the sun, which includes wind, hydro, and solar, is considered to be renewable, since energy from these sources are replenished by the sun. Nuclear derives energy from nuclear materials mined from the earth, so there is a limited amount of these materials that we can mine from the earth, so the are nonrenewable.

Conversion of energy from pushing a chair across the room would include conversion of biochemical energy from food that we digested to mechanical energy through the muscles to the chair, which would receive kinetic energy to be accelerated and to attain a velocity. Then there is friction between the legs of the chair and floor which would convert the kinetic energy into heat.

Answer 2

Something is renewable if it is not used up in the process of using it. Water, wind and water are all classic renewables. Nuclear is not renewable, but it is possible to make reactors that produce more useable nuclear fuel. There is only a limited amount of uranium to use, but it can be converted in the process of generating electrical power into smaller amounts of different nuclear fuel.

When you push something across a surface, you are converting (bio)chemical energy your body makes into mechanical energy.

Answer 3

Hydro - renewable as you can let the dam recharge its water level after you spill water to make electricity

Nuclear - I'd call it renewable as you can use a breeder reactor to create more nuclear material.

However:
In 1977 President Jimmy Carter called for an indefinite deferral of construction of commercial breeder reactors . So in essense without breeders Nuclear fuel becomes a non-renewable resource

Answer 4

when u do some action,
like pushing chair across the room
Energy conversion is

POTENTIAL Energy to KINETIC Energy