Energy and Human Ambitions on a Finite Planet, 2021a

437
Stefan–Boltzmann constant
(σ) has a value of 5.67 × 10 −8 W/m 2 /K 4 <strong>and</strong> is used in the Stefan–Boltzmann law relating to
infrared radiation. 10, 144, 199, 437
Stefan–Boltzmann law
says that the power emitted from a surface of area, A, <strong>and</strong> temperature, T will be P AσT 4 ,
where σ is the Stefan–Boltzmann constant. 10, 144, 199, 431, 437
stoichiometry
amounts to the counting of atoms <strong>and</strong> balancing formulas in chemical reactions to reflect the
survival of every atom in a reaction: none created or destroyed. 377, 378
strong nuclear force
is the force that binds nucleons together in a nucleus, overcoming the electrical repulsion of
protons. 240, 245, 247, 395, 433, 438
substitution
refers to interchangeability between goods <strong>and</strong> services, so that an unavailable or inferior
resource can be replaced by an alternative, possibly superior one. 21
terraforming
is the speculative idea of transforming the atmosphere <strong>and</strong> environment of a planet hostile to
human life into one that is suited to human needs. 60, 61
Therm
is a unit of energy defined as 100,000 British thermal units, <strong>and</strong> is equivalent to 1.055 × 10 8
Joules. 76, 335, 337, 348
thermal energy
is the energy of heat, <strong>and</strong> is really just r<strong>and</strong>omized kinetic energy (motion) of atoms <strong>and</strong>
molecules vibrating <strong>and</strong> zipping around. 70, 71, 84, 86, 89, 99, 165, 194, 203, 227, 246, 275, 277,
294, 334, 335, 373, 395, 396, 401, 420, 423, 427, 429, 430, 433
thermal equivalent
is a construct used to compare thermal energy sources like coal, oil, <strong>and</strong> natural gas to sources
like solar, wind, <strong>and</strong> hydroelectricity, which do not derive from thermal sources. Usually in
the context of electricity production, multiplying by about 2.7 puts non-thermal sources into
thermal-equivalent terms. 106–108, 170, 256, 279
thermal expansion
describes how materials exp<strong>and</strong>, or swell, as temperature increases. Typical rates of expansion
are in the range of 5–100 ppm per ◦ C. 155
thermal neutron
is a neutron whose kinetic energy (speed) is no greater than it would naturally possess based
on the temperature of its surroundings. Sometimes it is called a “slow” neutron because it is not
traveling faster than thermal jostling would establish. 250, 428, 432
tokamak
is the name of a donut-shaped chamber in which high-temperature plasma can be confined,
<strong>and</strong> potentially used to generate fusion. 267
transmutation
describes the transformation of a nucleus into a different one, usually via neutron absorption—
possibly followed by radioactive decay. 259, 268
tritium
is an isotope of hydrogen, in which the nucleus (called a triton) contains one proton <strong>and</strong> two
neutrons. 265–268, 299, 438
© 2021 T. W. Murphy, Jr.; Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Lic.; Freely available at:
https://escholarship.org/uc/energy_ambitions.