Questions: Radioactive decay and energy left over from the formation of the planet provide Earth with an internal source of
Transcript text: Fill in the Blank Question
Radioactive decay and energy left over from the formation of the planet provide Earth with an internal source of $\square$ Need help? Review these concept resources.
Solution
Radioactive decay and energy left over from the formation of the planet provide Earth with an internal source of heat.
Explanation:
Radioactive decay: This process involves the breakdown of unstable atomic nuclei, which releases energy in the form of heat. This heat contributes to the internal temperature of the Earth.
Energy left over from the formation of the planet: When Earth formed, gravitational energy was converted into heat. Some of this primordial heat is still present within the Earth's interior.
Thus, the internal source provided by these processes is heat.