What are natural resources?
Q: What are natural resources?
A: Natural resources are resources that come from the natural environment and can be used by people. Examples include air, water, wood, oil, wind energy, natural gas, iron, and coal.
Q: What is the difference between natural resources and man-made resources?
A: The dividing line between natural resources and man-made resources is not clear-cut. For example, hydro-electric energy is not a natural resource because people use turbines to convert the energy from moving water, while petroleum and iron ores are natural but need work to make them into usable refined oil and steel.
Q: What is atomic energy made from?
A: Atomic energy comes from metallic nuclear fuel, like fissionable uranium and plutonium, but rocks need technical work to make them into these nuclear fuels.
Q: Is wind energy a natural resource?
A: Yes, wind energy is a natural resource because it comes from the natural environment.
Q: Are rocks a natural resource?
A: Yes, rocks are a natural resource because they come from the natural environment.
Q: Are natural resources limited?
A: Yes, natural resources are limited because they come from the natural environment and cannot be infinitely replenished.
Q: Why do natural resources need work to be made into usable products?
A: Some natural resources need work to be made into usable products because they may need to be refined, processed or transformed to make them useful to people. For instance, iron and crude oil are natural resources that need to be refined before people can use it.