Over the course of a lifetime of a fluorescent bulb, have the students determine the total purchase price of the one fluorescent bulb, the price of the many incandescent light bulbs that will last as long as the incandescent bulb, and the price of operating the two types of bulbs. Let's do an example. Now, let's determine how much it will cost to buy enough incandescent light bulbs to last 10,000 hours and how much it will cost to use them for that length of time. Since a light bulb lasts for 1000 hours in our example, it will take 10 of them to last for 10,000 hours. They should understand that using energy results in pollution of our environment.
Energy is used by power plants to make electricity.
It is also used when we drive cars, take airplanes, mow the lawn and cook our food. Many types of pollutants are produced by power plants. In San Diego County, both oil and gas are burned during the production of electricity. CO2 contributes to the global warming of the environment. Particulates are small particles that can contribute to smog.