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Science of Coal – Starter Pack

Summary

This section provides a complete science of coal quiz and vocabulary resource tailored for high school students. It defines essential technical terms like geologic time, scrubber, particulates, and molecular structure. The quiz assesses student understanding of core concepts, including how coal is formed, the economic trade-offs of its use, and the technologies used to mitigate its environmental impacts.

Bell Ringer

Instructions: Answer the prompt provided by your teacher.










Vocabulary

Instructions: Watch the Science of Coal video and listen for the vocabulary words.

WordDefinitionExample
Radiation suitnoun phrase; a special outfit worn to protect people from harmful radiation, which can damage living cells“You wouldn’t have to wear a special radiation suit just to handle [coal].”
Swampnoun; a low, wet area of land where water collects and trees and other plants grow“It started as plants settled to the bottom of swamps.”
Sedimentnoun; small pieces of rock, sand, or dirt that is transported by wind or water and can settle in flat, open areas or at the bottom of water like swamps or rivers“They were covered by sediment, compacted, and cooked into coal.”
Compactedverb; pressed tightly together so there is little or no space left“They were covered by sediment, compacted, and cooked into coal.”
Geologic timenoun phrase; term used to describe the timeline of the Earth’s development and the sequence of events that have shaped it“Throughout geologic time, Earth has been hotter and wetter.”
Molecular structurenoun phrase; three-dimensional structure or arrangement of atoms in a molecule, which are tiny building blocks of matter made of atoms“ . . . coal is complicated. That’s its molecular structure.”
Emissionsnoun; pollutants released into the air, usually from burning fuel“But all this other stuff [in coal] causes emissions.”
Toxinsnoun; harmful substances made by living things, such as bacteria, plants or animals“There are heavy metals and toxins . . . mixed in with the coal . . .”
Pilot projectnoun; a small test project done to see if an idea will work before doing it in a bigger way“There are a few pilot projects to add units onto existing coal plants to capture carbon . . .”
Commercial scalenoun phrase; making or doing something in large amounts so it can be sold to many people“[These technologies] are too experimental and expensive to roll out at the huge commercial scales necessary to make a difference today.”
Particulatesnoun; tiny pieces of dust, dirt, smoke, or other solids that float in the air“There are, however, technologies to reduce particulates and other pollutants produced by burning coal.”
Scrubbernoun; machine that cleans harmful gases or particles out of smoke before it goes into the air“Scrubbers and catalysts capture sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and some of the mercury.”
Catalystsnoun; something that speeds up a chemical reaction without being changed itself“Scrubbers and catalysts capture sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and some of the mercury.”
Complexitynoun; the quality of having many parts or being hard to understand or do“So we can clean up . . . coal plants, but with greater cost, complexity and carbon emissions.”

Quiz

Instructions: Circle the correct answer based on what you learned in the Science of Coal video.

Q1. Which of the following accurately describes the formation of coal?

  1. Hot, metamorphic rock cools in layers near the surface of the Earth before being buried by sediment.
  2. Dead plants in swamps are buried, compressed, and heated over millions of years, eventually forming coal. 
  3. Ocean organisms die and decay on the ocean floor and are compressed into rock.
  4. Nitrogen and oxygen from air and water filter into soil to form mineral deposits that solidify into rock.

Q2. What is one positive economic impact of coal?

  1. It provides low-cost energy for developing countries. 
  2. It provides an increasing number of jobs in the United States.
  3. It is easy and safe to acquire in all areas where it is mined.
  4. It helps prevent climate change by reducing CO2 emissions.

Q3. Which of the following describes an experimental technology being used to reduce carbon emissions from coal?

  1. Burning coal at higher temperatures to remove carbon dioxide.
  2. Using scrubbers to remove carbon dioxide from coal.
  3. Turning coal into gas before it is burned to remove the carbon dioxide.
  4. Turning coal into gas before it is burned to remove the sulfur dioxide.

Q4. Worldwide, why do most coal plants not capture pollutants from the burning of coal?

  1. Many countries do not have enough energy to support the technology.
  2. Many countries rely on the affordability of coal, and capturing pollutants would make it expensive.
  3. Many countries are funded by the coal industry.
  4. Many countries believe that coal pollutants do not harm the environment.

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