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Natural Resources and Energy - Exhaustible vs Inexhaustible Resources

Grade 5CBSE

Review the key concepts, formulae, and examples before starting your quiz.

🔑Concepts

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Natural Resources are materials or substances found in nature that are useful to humans, such as air, water, soil, minerals, and sunlight.

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Inexhaustible Resources (Renewable) are resources present in unlimited quantities in nature and are not likely to be exhausted by human activities. Examples include Solar energy, Wind energy, and Water (H2OH_2O).

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Exhaustible Resources (Non-renewable) are resources present in limited quantities and can be exhausted by human consumption. They take millions of years to form. Examples include Coal, Petroleum, and Natural Gas.

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Fossil Fuels are formed from the remains of dead plants and animals buried under the earth for millions of years under high pressure (PP) and temperature (TT).

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Burning fossil fuels releases energy but also produces greenhouse gases like Carbon Dioxide (CO2CO_2), which contributes to global warming.

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Conservation of Energy is the practice of using resources efficiently and switching to inexhaustible sources to protect the environment.

📐Formulae

Total Energy=Kinetic Energy+Potential Energy\text{Total Energy} = \text{Kinetic Energy} + \text{Potential Energy}

Coal+O2→CombustionCO2+Heat Energy\text{Coal} + O_2 \xrightarrow{\text{Combustion}} CO_2 + \text{Heat Energy}

Work Done=Force×Distance\text{Work Done} = \text{Force} \times \text{Distance}

💡Examples

Problem 1:

Why is Petroleum considered an exhaustible resource while Sunlight is considered inexhaustible?

Solution:

Petroleum is exhaustible because its formation takes millions of years and the current rate of consumption exceeds its rate of formation. Sunlight is inexhaustible because it is a continuous source of energy from the Sun that will not be depleted by human use.

Explanation:

Resources that have a fixed stock and cannot be replenished quickly are 'exhaustible', whereas resources that are constantly replenished by nature are 'inexhaustible'.

Problem 2:

Calculate the total energy if a system has a Potential Energy (PEPE) of 50 J50\text{ J} and a Kinetic Energy (KEKE) of 30 J30\text{ J}.

Solution:

Total Energy = 50 J+30 J=80 J50\text{ J} + 30\text{ J} = 80\text{ J}

Explanation:

According to the mechanical energy principle, the total energy of a system is the sum of its potential and kinetic energies.

Problem 3:

Identify the gas represented by CO2CO_2 and explain its relation to exhaustible resources.

Solution:

CO2CO_2 stands for Carbon Dioxide.

Explanation:

When exhaustible resources like coal or petrol are burned (combustion), they react with Oxygen (O2O_2) to release CO2CO_2 and energy. High levels of CO2CO_2 in the atmosphere lead to the greenhouse effect.