Physical Science Final Exam
What are the three branches of science?
Earth, life, and physical science
Physical Science is:
is the study of matter and energy
What is the fundamental unit of length in the metric system?
meter
Density of the object is defined to be its ___ divided by its ____.
mass and volume
How do you find volume?
By multiplying its length, width, and height together.
What is the curving of the surface of a liquid?
meniscus
What is the difference between mass and weight?
An object weight can change depending on where the object is located. The mass of the object stays the same.
Define inertia.
Inertia is the ability of an object to resist a change in its motion.
How can elements be classified?
Based on their properties
What is a chemical change? What is a physical change?
Chemical change is when substances change into new substances that have different properties. Physical change is any change that affects the physical properties of a substance.
The three states of matter are:
solid, liquid, and gas
What do the gas laws describe?
How the temperature, pressure, and volume of a gas are related to each other.
Which law states that the volume of a gas is directly related to its Kelvin temperature when the pressure stays the same?
Charles's Law
What is the mixture where the particles are not large enough to settle out?
colloid
Define reference point.
An object that seems to stay in one place.
How can you describe the motion of an object?
Standard reference directions (north, south, east, west, right, left).
Explain the difference between speed and velocity.
Speed is the rate at which an object moves. Velocity is the speed of an object and its direction.
Define acceleration.
How quickly velocity changes.
What two properties do all forces have?
Direction and size
When does kinetic friction occur?
When force is applied to an object and the object moves.
What is the unit that describes the size of a force?
(N) Newton
What is the Law of Universal Gravitation?
Newton's ideas
How can terminal velocity be defined?
It falls at a constant velocity.
State and describe Newton's three laws of motion.
First law: the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass.
Second law: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Third Law: when one object exerts a force on another object, the second object exerts an equal and opposite force back on the first.
What happens when work is done on an object?
It causes the object to move in the direction of the force.
What is Law of Conservation of Energy?
A law that states energy cannot be created or destroyed. But can be changed from one form to another.
What is pulley?
Is a simple machine with a grooved wheel that holds a rope or a cable.
Define Kinetic Energy.
Is the energy of motion.
What is potential energy?
Is the energy an object has because of its position.
Define thermal energy.
Is all the kinetic energy from the movement of the particles in an object.
What are fossil fuels?
Are energy resources that formed from buried plants and animals that lived a very long time ago.
Explain the difference between nonrenewable and renewable energy resources.
Nonrenewable energy resources are resources that can never be replaced or are replaced more slowly than they are used. Renewable energy resources can almost produce an endless supply of energy.
List examples of renewable energy resources.
Solar energy, energy from water, wind energy, geothermal energy, and biomass.
What is the lowest temperature on the Kelvin scale called?
absolute zero
What is the transfer of energy as heat through a material?
conduction
What is the greenhouse effect?
When the atmosphere traps radiated energy.
What are changes of state? List examples.
Is a change of a substance from one state of matter to another. Freezing (liquid to solid), melting (solid to liquid), boiling (liquid to gas), and condensing (gas to liquid) and vaporization.
Define these terms: radiation, conduction, insulation, convection.
Radiation: is the transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves.
Conduction: is the transfer of thermal energy when two objects touch each other.
Insulation: a material that reduces or prevents the transfer of heat.
Convection: the transfer of thermal energy by the circulation or movement of a liquid or gas.
The smallest particle into which element can be divided and still keep its properties is known as a(n) _______.
Atom
What is the charge on electrons? Protons? Neutrons?
Electron- negative charge
Proton- positive charge
Neutron- no charge
Which scientist studied atoms reacting to light?
Niels Bohr
What particles are atoms made of?
Protons, neutrons, and electrons.
What is the atomic number of an element?
The number of protons in the nucleus.
Why must nuclei with more than one proton also have neutrons?
Because the protons repel each other, the atoms of every element, except hydrogen, must have neutrons in their nuclei.
What is electromagnetic force?
A force that causes objects with like charges to repel each other.
What do elements in the same group share?
They tend to share chemical and physical properties.
What categories of elements are found on the periodic table.
Metals, nonmetals, metalloids, and inert gases.
List the characteristics of a metal.
Tend to be shiny.
Most are ductile.
Good conductors.
Malleable.
What four pieces of information about an element are shown in the periodic table?
Atomic number, chemical symbol, element name, and atomic mass.
How many protons does Chlorine have?
17
What elements have properties similar to lithium (Li)?
Na (sodium), K (potassium), Rb (rubidium), Cs (cesium), and Fr (francium).
What is a chemical bond?
The bond that forms when two atoms join.
What is an ionic bond?
The attractive force between oppositely charged ions, which form when electrons are transferred from one atom to another.
Which is a covalent bond?
A bond formed when atoms share one or more pairs of electrons.
What are reactants?
A substance or molecule that particpates in a chemical reaction.
What is an acid? What is a base?
Acid is any compound that increases the number of hydronium ions when dissolved in water. A base is any compound that increases the number of hydroxide ions when dissolved in water.
What does the strength of an acid or base depend on?
The number of ions formed
List the three ways to charge an object.
Friction, conduction, and induction.
When does charging by conduction occur?
When electrons move from one object to another by direct contact or a spark.
What makes metals good conductors of electricity?
When they have electrons that are free to move.
What is static electricity?
Is the electric charge at rest on an object.
Describe the two types of circuits.
A series circuit is all the parts connect in a single loop. There is only one path for charges to follow. So the charges moving through a series circuit must flow through each part of the circuit. A parallel circuit is a circuit in which loads are connected side by side. Current in a parallel circuit flows through more than one path.
Define voltage.
Is the potential difference between two points in a circuit.
What converts light energy into electrical energy?
Solar cells
What is the relationship between voltage and current?
The voltage between two points on a wire causes charges to flow through the wire. The size of the current depends on the voltage. If the voltage between two points on a wire is increased more current will flow in the wire.
Explain how parts connect in a series circuit.
Parts connect in a series circuit in a single loop. There is only one path for charges to follow.
List the properties of magnets.
1. Magnetic poles (north and south)
2. Magnetic forces
3. Magnetic fields
What is an electric motor?
Is a device that changes electrical energy into mechanical energy.
Define wave.
Is any disturbance that transmits energy through matter or empty space.
Describe transverse waves and give an example.
Transverse waves are waves in which the particles vibrate in a up and down motion. All electromagnetic waves are transverse waves. Their wave vibrations are at the right angles to the direction the wave is traveling.
Define longitundinal waves and give an example.
Longitudial waves are waves in which the particles of the medium vibrate back and forth along the path of the wave. Ex; pushing together two ends of a spring causes the coils to crowd together. When you let go, a longitundinal wave is created in the spring that travels along the length of the spring.
Define frequency.
the number of waves produced in a given amount of time.
Define Amplitude
is the maximum distance the particles of the wave vibrate away from their rest position.
Define Wavelength
is the distance between any point on a wave and the identical point on the next wave.
Define Wave speed
is the speed at which a wave travels through a medium.
What is refraction?
Is the bending of a wave as the wave passes from one medium to another.
When does resonance occur?
When two objects naturally vibrate at the same frequency.
What does the pitch of sound depend on?
The frequency of the sound wave.
What is radiation?
The transfer of light or other forms of energy an EM waves.
Why is the sound of thunder often heard several seconds after the appearance of its corresponding lightning?
Because light travels faster.
List the following waves in order how fast they travel: gamma rays, sound waves, visible light, radio waves.
(fastest to slowest)
Gamma Rays
Visible Light
Radio waves
Sound waves
Define biology.
Is the study of life.
What are the characteristics of life?
Reproduction, growth, development, and environment
Define adaptation.
Any behavior, structure, or internal process that allows an organism to make changes in response to enviromental factors and live long enough to reproduce.
What is evolution?
Gradual change in a species through adaptations over time.
Name the four steps in the scientific method.
1. Observation
2. Hypothesis
3. Experiment
4. Conclusion
Define independent variable and dependent variable.
Independent variable: is the one condition in an experiment that is tested.
Dependent variable: is the condition that changes because of a change in the independent variable.
What are the two main types of scientific research?
Qualitative and Quantitative research
What is ecology?
The study of relationships between organisms and their environment.
What is the portion of the Earth that supports living things?
biosphere
What are abiotic factors?
The nonliving parts of the enviroment; ex: temperature, moisture, light, and soil.
List the correct order for the levels of organization in the biosphere.
Organism, population, community, and ecosystem.
Define the following relationships: Parasitic
Is a relationship in which a member of one species benefits at a expense of another species.
Define the following relationships: Mutualistic
is a relationship between two species that live together in which both species benefit.
Define the following relationships: Symbolic
a relationship in which there is a close and permanent association between organisms of different species.
What happens when energy is transferred between trophic levels?
heat
What is a food chain? What is a food web?
Food chain show how matter and energy move through an ecosystem. Food web are models that show all possible feeding relationships at each tropic levels in a community.
What percent of our atmosphere is made up of nitrogen?
78%
Define succession.
Is the process of graudual, natural change and species replacement that takes place in the communities of an ecosystem over time.
Describe the following: biome.
a group of ecosystems with the same climax communities biomes on land are called terrestrial biomes, those in water are called aquatic biome.
Define the following: Estuary
Coastal body of water, partially surrounded by land, where salt water and freshwater mix.
Describe the following: Lake
Serve as homes to many organisms
Describe the following: Tide
a wave-like change in the ocean's water level that occurs due to the gravitational pull of the moon and sun on Earth.
List the terrestrial biomes.
Tundras, taigas, deserts, grasslands, temperature forests, and tropical rain forests.
What is the difference between a tundra biome and a tiaga biome?
A tundra circles the north pole; only a few grasses and small plants grow. A taiga is south of the north pole, climate here is warmer and wetter than the tundra and forests of trees, such as fir and spruce.
Describe the following biomes: Desert biome
The driest biome is an arid region with little to no plant life. The plants that do grow there are well adapted to these any areas.
Describe the following biomes: Grassland biome
Are large communities covered with rich soil, grasses, and other grasslike plants. Grassland most often exist in climates that have a dry season.
Describe the following biomes: Rainforest biome
Are home to more types of life than any other biome. There are two types of rain forests " the temperature rain forest and the tropical rain forest."
Describe the following biomes: Temperate forest biome
Have precipitation that ranges from 70 to 150 cm annually. The soil has a rich humus top layer and a deeper layer of clay.
Why is biodiversity important?
All living things are interdependent. Meaning that they depend on other living things to stay alive.
What is a threatened species? What is an endangered species?
Threatened species: is when a species is likely to become endangered.
Endangered species: its numbers become so low that extinction is possible.
What is the most important compound in living organisms?
Nucleic acids
What is a hydrogen bond?
Weak chemical bond formed by the attraction of positively charged hydrogen atoms to other negatively charged atom.
What effects how quickly particles diffuse?
concentration, temperature, and pressure.
Who developed the first compound microscope to observe small organisms?
Robert Hooke
What three elements make up carbohydrates?
carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen
Describe cell theory
Theory that states all organisms are made of one or more cells; the cells is the basic unit of organisms and all cells come from preexisting cells.
What are prokaryotes?
Unicelluar organisms (like bacteria) that lack membrane-bound organelles.
What are eukaryotes?
Unicelluar or multicelluar organisms (like yeast, plants, and animals) that contain a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles.
Identify or describe the following: Cytoplasm
to make protein, ribosomes move out of the nucleus and into a thick fluid in the cell.
Identify or describe the following: Mitochondria
Are in plants and animals. They also transform energy for cells.
Identify or describe the following: DNA
Chromatin are located within the nucleus. The chromatin tells the cell what kinds of protein to make. When a cell divides the chromatin condenses and become chromosomes.
Identify or describe the following: Chloroplast
Are green in plants and some protists. They capture light energy and light energy and change into chemical energy.
Explain the function of the following oragnelles. Vaculoe
a sac inside a membrane. Inside the vaculoe, materials needed by the cell are temporarily stored. Some vacuole store food and enzymes.
Explain the function of the following oragnelles. Golgi Apparatus
Sorts proteins and then packs them into structures called vesicles. The vesicles are then sent to where they are needed.
Explain the function of the following oragnelles. Lysosomes
Have the job of removing the waste. They are organelles filled with digestive enzymes. Lysosomes join a vacuole and send their enzymes into it. The enzymes digest the contents.
Describe the following solutions: Hypotonic solution
In cells solution in which the concentration of dissolved substances is lower in the solution outside the cell than the concentration inside the cell. Causes a cell to swell and possibly burst as water enters the cell.
Describe the following solutions: Isotonic solution
The concentration of dissolved substances in the solution is the same as the concentration of dissolved substances inside a cell.
Describe the following solutions: Hypertonic solution
In cells solution in which the concentration of dissolve substances outside the cell is higher than the concentration inside the cell, causes a cell to shrink as water leaves.
What is the difference between active and passive transport?
Active transport is a energy needing process by which cells transport materials across the cell membrane against a concentration gradient. Passive transport is a movement of particles across cell membranes by diffusion or osmosis; the cell uses no energy to move particles across the membrane.
Lists the order of the phases of mitosis.
Prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase
What are tissues?
Groups of cells that work together to perform a specific function.
What is an organ?
Group of two or more tissues organized to perform complex activities within an organism.
What is the function of adenosine triphosphate?
Provides quick energy for cells when they need it.
What does an electron transport chain do?
passes down electrons from protein to protein
What are the three stages of celluar respiration?
Glycosis, the citric acid cycle, and the electron transport chain.
What does anaerobic mean?
Chemical reactions that do not require oxygen.
What is lactic acid fermentation?
Is a process that supplies energy when oxygen is not avaliable.
Male and female sex cells are referred to as ______.
gametes
What is the difference between phenotypes and genotypes?
The genotype is the genetic heritage of an individual. It describes the set of alleles of an individual for a given gene. The phenotype is the way the genotype manifests itself.
_________ is when two alleles for a trait are the same and _____ is when two alleles for a trait are different.
homozygous and heterozygous
A cell with two of each chromosome is called ______.
diploid
What is meiosis?
type of cell division where one specialized body cell produces four gametes, each containing half the number of chromosomes as a parentis body cell.
How many pairs of chromosomes do humans have?
23
Define the following terms: Polygenic inheritance
Inheritance pattern of a trait controlled by two or more genes; genes may be on the same or different chromosomes.
Define the following term: Incomplete dominance
Neither allele of the parent is completely dominant but combine and display a new trait.
Define the following terms: Multiple alleles
Presence of more than two alleles for a genetic trait.
Define the following terms: Codominant alleles
Pattern where phenotypes of both homozygous parent's alleles appear equally.
Brown eyes represent an example of a dominant trait. Blue eyes represent an example of a recessive trait. Whether an eye color is brown or blue is determined from two alleles, one taken from each parent. Which scenario represents a case where the offspring must have blue eyes?
The father has blue eyes and the mother has blue eyes.
What is the process in which organisms with favorable traits tend to survive and pass on these traits to their offspring?
Natural selection
Define homologous structures and analogous structures.
Homologous structures are the structural features with a common evolutionary origin. Analogous structures are when do not have a common evolutionary origin but are similar in function.
What is adaptive radiation?
Divergent evolution in which ancestral species evolve into a variety of species that fit diverse habits.
Carolus Linnaeus developed a two-word naming system called
classifying organisms
What is the broadest range of organisms in the biological taxonomy? The narrowest range?
broadest: kingdom
narrowest: species
The branching diagram used to show derived characterstics in organisms is called a _________.
cladogram
What two characteristics seperate the six different kingdoms?
Cell type (prokaryotic or eukaryotic) and method of nutrition (autotrophic or heterotrophic).
A layer of cells on the inner surface of the gastrula that eventually develops into the lining of the animal’s digestive tract and organs associated with digestion is called ______.
Endoderm
What is behavior?
is anything an animal does in response to a stimulus.
Define innate behavior and learned behavior.
Innate behavior is the inherited behavior of animals. Learned behavior takes place when behavior changes through practice or experience.
What is dominance hieracy?
Is a form of social ranking in which some individuals are more subordinate than others.
How do animals navigate?
Using the positions of the sun and stars, geographic clues such as mountain ranges, and Earth's magnetic field.
What happens to an animal during hibernation?
estivation
What are the four ways that animals communicate?
sounds, sights, touches, and smells.
What is the largest organ in the body?
skin
What are the four types of body tissue?
Epithelial, connective, muscle, and nervous.
Which of the following do human beings produce from sunlight?
Vitamin D
The skeletal system contains ______ bones.
206
What is the function of bursae?
Decrease friction, and help bones and tendons move smoothly together.
What are the main two types of bone tissue?
Compact and spongy
Which of the following vitamins or minerals is most useful for the creation and maintenance of healthy bones and teeth?
Calcium
What are examples of involuntary muscles?
Smooth and cardiac muscles
What organs are part of the human digestive system?
The mouth, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and rectum.
Explain mechanical digestion and chemical digestion.
Mechanical digestion is the physical process of breaking down food into smaller pieces through actions like chewing and stomach churning, while chemical digestion involves the use of enzymes to break down the chemical bonds within food molecules, transforming them into smaller, absorbable nutrients
The ______ is a soft, flattened gland that secretes both digestive enzymes and hormones.
pancreas
The space between neurons is called _______.
synapse
What are the two main divisions of the nervous system?
Central and peripheral nervous system
What are the three main sections of the brain?
Cerebrum, cerebellum, and brain stem
What is the main job of platelets?
They help blood cells to clot after an injury.
Define Depressant.
Drugs that lower or depress the activity of the nervous system.
Define Stimulant
Drugs that lower or depress the activity of the central and sympathetic nervous systems.
Define Narcotic
Analgesics that work on the central nervous system.
Define Hallucinogen
Stimulate the CNS altering moods, thoughts, and sensory perceptions.
Where does gas exchange during respiration occur?
alveoi
What is blood pressure?
Is the force that blood exerts on the blood vessels.
What are the phagocytes and macrophages?
Phagocytes are white blood cells that destroys pathogens by surrounding and engulfing them.
Macrophages are white blood cells that provide the first defense against pathogens that have entered the tissues.
Define Acquired immunity
Defending against a specific pathogen by gradually building up a resistance to it is.
Define Innate immunity
The ability of your immune system to defend the body against any and all pathogens white blood cells play significant role in providing innate immunity for your body.
Define Vaccine
Is a substance that consists of weakened, dead, or incomplete portions of pathogens or antigens.
What is passive immunity?
Develops by acquiring antibodies that are generated in another host.
What is a mineral?
Is a naturally formed, inorganic solid that forms crystals and is always made of the same elements.
What are the two most common elements in the Earth’s crust?
Silicon and oxygen
How are minerals identified?
Color, luster, streak, cleavage, and fracture, density, hardness, and special properites.
Define ore.
Is a rock or mineral that contains enough useful materials for it to be mined at a point.
Define luster.
the way a surface reflects light.
Define streak.
the color of a mineral in powdered form.
Define cleavage.
the tendency of a mineral to split along specific planes of weakness to form smooth, flat surfaces.
Define erosion
happens when water, wind, ice, or gravity move sediment over the Earth's surface.
How do geologists determine the way a rock was formed?
By studying its features such as compostion and texture.
Describe the following: Limestone
Made from the skeletons of creatures called coral. It is an organic sedimentary rock. Is mainly of the minerals calcite and aragonite.
Describe the following: Sedimentary rock
Is classified by how it forms. Some sedimentary rock forms when rock or mineral fragments are stuck together. Some forms when minerals crystalize out of water. Other sedimentary rock forms from the remains of plants and animals.
Describe the following: Feldspar
a group of minerals that make up a large portion of the Earth's crust and are used in many industries
Describe the following: Conglomerate
a sedimentary rock made up of rounded gravel-sized pieces of rock (clasts) surrounded by a finer-grained matrix of sand, silt, or clay.
Describe the following: Stratification
the process in which sedimentary rocks are arranged in layers. Contains strata.
How is intrusive igneous rock formed?
formed when magma cools below the Earth's surface.
How are sedimentary rocks are formed?
formed when loose particles, called sediments, created by the weathering and erosion of existing rocks, are deposited in layers, compacted together, and cemented over time, essentially "gluing" the particles together to form a solid rock.
Which term describes the texture of metamorphic rock in which the mineral grains are arranged in planes or bands?
foliated
List the layers of the Earth in order from most interal to most external.
The core, mantle, and crust.
Which layer of the Earth’s structure is responsible for the majority of the planet’s volume?
Mantle
About 250 million years ago, the continents of Earth were joined as one supercontinent. What is the name attributed to this ancient continent?
Pangaea
Describe the following plate boundaries (include how they are formed): Convergent
Forms where plates are moving together; have continent-continent boundaries , continent ocean boundaries, and ocean-ocean boundaries.
Describe the following plate boundaries (include how they are formed): Transform
Forms where plates slide past each other horizontally. Are found near mid- ocean ridges.
Describe the following plate boundaries (include how they are formed): Divergent
Forms where plates are moving apart. Found beneath the oceans.
Describe the three types of convergent boundaries: Continent- continent boundaries
form when continential lithosphere on one place collides with continential lithosphere on another plate.
Describe the three types of convergent boundaries: continent ocean boundaries
form when continential lithosphere on one plate collides with oceanic lithosphere on another plate.
Describe the three types of convergent boundaries: Ocean-ocean boundaries
form when oceanic lithosphere on one plate collides with oceanic lithosphere on another plate.
Define these terms: Fault
the crack that forms when rocks break and move past each other.
Define these terms: tension
is stress that pulls rock apart.
Define these terms: folding
happens when rock layers bend under stress.
Define these terms: compression
is stress that pushes rock together.
Describe the following: ridge push
Gravity pulls the new lithosphere down the plate slides away from the mid-ocean ridge.
Describe the following: Slab pull
Lithosphere at the edge of the plate sinks, it pulls the rest of the plate along with it.
Describe the following: Convention currents
the rising hot material and the sinking cold material.
Describe the following faults: reverse
Hanging wall moves up, or the footwall moves down, or both. Form when rock is under compression.
Describe the following faults: Normal
The hanging wall moves down or the footwall moves up, or both. Form when rock is under tenison.
Describe the following faults: Strike- slip
Blocks move past each other horizontally. From when rock is under shear stress.
What is the Pacific Ring of Fire?
Most of Earth's active volcanoes are concentrated around the edge of the Pacific Ocean.
How was the Grand Canyon formed?
The rock in the area began to lift upward because of plate tectonics. As Earth's crust lifted upward, water began to run downhill.
What is the water cycle?
Is the nonstop movement of water between the air, the land, and the oceans.
What source of energy drives the water cycle?
The sun
Define these terms: Divide
Watersheds are separated from each other by an area of higher ground.
Define these terms: Tributary
is a stream that flows into a lake or a larger stream.
Define these terms: Watershed
is the land that is drained by a river system.
Define these terms: Channel
is the path that a stream follows.
Define these terms: Gradient
is a measure of the change in the height of a stream over a certain distance.
The process by which sediment is laid down is called _______.
deposition
A layer of rock or sediment that stores groundwater and allows it to flow is known as a(n) ____.
aquifer
Where is the recharge zone found?
In the soil and rock above an aquifer.
What is a dripstone column?
When a stalactite and stalagmite join together.
How much water does the average household in the United States use everyday?
100 gallons
What is salinity?
Is a measure of the amount of solid material that is dissolved in certain amount of liquid.
The climate in the United Kingdom is warmer than its northern position on the globe might suggest. Which of the following has the greatest warming effect on the island nation?
The North Altantic Current
Describe the following: Continental Slope
Is the steepest part of the continental margin.
Describe the following: Continental slope
is the part of the margin that begins at the shoreline and slopes gently toward the open ocean.
Describe the following: Continental rise
is the base of the continental slope.
List the features of the ocean floor.
Seamount, mid-ocean ridge, ocean trench, and rift valleys.
Describe the following part of the benthic zone: Intertidal zone
is the shallowest benthic zone. It is located on the beach between the low tide and high tide limits.
Describe the following part of the benthic zone: Hadal zone
is the deepest zone in the benthic environment.
Describe the following part of the benthic zone: Abyssal zone
is located on the abyssal plain.
Describe the following part of the benthic zone: sublittoral zone
begins where the intertidal zone ends-at-the -low-tide limit.
Describe the following part of the benthic zone: bathyal zone
extends from the edge of the continential shelf to the abyssal plain.
What are considered the most valuable resources in the ocean?
Oil and natural gas.
What is upwelling?
Happens when cold, nutrient-rich water from the deep ocean replaces warm surface water.
What is El Nino?
Periodic change in the location of warm and cool surface waters.
Describe the parts of a wave: Crest
is the highest point of the wave.
Describe the parts of a wave: Trough
is the lowest point of the wave.
Explain what is meant by the following: Wave height
the distance in height between the crest and the trough.
Explain what is meant by the following: Wavelength
the distance between one crest and the next, or between one trough and the next.
Explain what is meant by the following: Wave period
is the time between the passage of two wave crests or trough at a fixed point.
What is the tidal range?
Is the difference between levels of ocean water at high tide and low tide.
Explain when each type of tide occurs: Spring tides
when the sun, moon, and Earth are aligned.
Explain when each type of tide occurs: Neap Tides
When the sun, moon, and Earth are at a 90 degree angle.
Define atmosphere.
a layer of gases that surrounds a planet or moon.
Describe each of the layers of Earth's atmosphere: Troposphere
The layer of the atmosphere that we live in. Dense and made of 90% of the gases. Wind and rain takes place here.
Describe each of the layers of Earth's atmosphere: Stratosphere
Gases are layered. They don't mix. Above ground temperature decreases. Increases when altitude goes up 15 km.
Describe each of the layers of Earth's atmosphere: Mesosphere
Above the ozone layer, an altitude of about 50 km. The temperature begins to drop again.
Describe each of the layers of Earth's atmosphere: Thermosphere
The uppermost layer of the atmosphere. Temperatures being to rise again. Have extremely high temperature above 1000 celsius.
Almost ______ of the gases in the atmosphere are in the troposphere.
80%
What is the main reason the temperature increases in the stratosphere?
Absorption
Which layer of Earth’s atmosphere is responsible for the creation of the aurora borealis?
Thermosphere
Define the following terms: Convection
is the transfer of thermal energy by the circulation or movement of a liquid or gas.
Define the following terms: Radiation
is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or a material medium.
Define the following terms: Conduction
is the process by which heat energy is transmitted through collisions between neighboring atoms or molecules.
What is the Coriolis effect?
The curving of the path of the moving object from an otherwise straight path due to Earth’s rotation.
______________ is defined as the process through which water converts from a liquid to a gas.
Evaporation
The change of state from a gas to a liquid.
Condensation
Any form of water that fails to Earth's surface.
Precipitation
The amount of water vapor in the air from the clouds.
Humidity
The ratio of the amount of water vapor in the air to the amount of water needed to reach saturation at a given temperature.
Relative humidity
Which of the following must occur for clouds to form?
When air rises and cools.
Thin, feathery-looking clouds made of ice crystals. They form a high altitudes when the wind is strong.
Cirrus
Layered clouds that stretch across the sky. They form when a large body of air rises.
Stratus
Puffy, like cotton balls. They form when warm air rises. Large cumulonimbus clouds can produce thunderstorms.
Cumulus
Very large volume of air that has a certain temperature and moisture content.
Air mass
Two or more air masses meet.
Front
An area of the atmosphere that has lower pressure than the surrounding air.
Cyclone
An area of the atmosphere that has higher pressure than the surrounding area.
Anticyclone
Where does an occluded front occur?
It occurs when a warm air mass is caught between two cold air masses.
Measures wind speed.
Anemometer
Measures air pressure
Barometer
Measures temperature
Thermometer
A cone shaped cloth bag that is open at both ends.
Windsock
What is the difference between climate and weather?
Weather is the condition of the atmosphere at a certain time. Climate describes the average weather conditions in a region over a long period of time.
What are the two main things that determine climate?
Temperature and precipitation.
List all the biomes in each of Earth's major climate zone: Tropical
Rainforests, savannas, and deserts.
List all the biomes in each of Earth's major climate zone: Temperature
Forests, grasslands, chaparrals, and deserts.
List all the biomes in each of Earth's major climate zone: Polar
Tundra and taiga
What is a microclimate?
The climate of a small area.(Like Alpine biomes and cities).
________ states that gases in the atmosphere absorb heat energy coming from Earth and then they radiate it back to Earth's surface.
Greenhouse effect
Why are stars different colors?
Indicates the different temperatures of the stars.
What are the two main elements that stars are made of?
Hydrogen and Helium
Which colored star gives off the most heat?
blue star
What causes the change from day to night?
The Earth's rotation.
What causes seasons?
The Earth's tilt on its axis relative to the plane of its orbit around the sun.
An object so massive and dense that even light cannot escape its gravity.
Black hole
A massive star collapses in a gigantic explosion.
Supernova
A rapidly spinning neutron star that emits pulses of radio and optical energy.
Pulsar
A large, reddish star late in its life cycle.
Red giant
A star that has collapsed under gravity to the point that the electrons and protons have smashed together to form neutrons.
Neutron Star
A small, hot, dim star that is the leftover center of an old star.
White dwarf
What is the study of the origin, properties, processes, and evolution of the universe?
Cosmology
How old do scientists think that the universe is?
14 billion years old.
Cooler dark spots on the photosphere.
Sunspots
Mats of fossilized algae.
Stromatolite
Define a revolution in terms of the planets.
One complete trip around the sun.
How many Earth days does Mercury take to complete one orbit?
88 Earth days
What force keeps the moon from falling to Earth?
Gravity
What are the four terrestrial planets? Why are they called terrestrial planets?
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. They all have a chemical makeup similar to the Earth. They are much smaller, denser, and more rocky than most of the outer planet.
_______ is considered a twin of the Earth.
Venus
What are the four gas giant planets? Why are they called gas giant planets?
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Have very thick atmospheres and not very much hard, rocky material on the surfaces.
Which is NOT a similarity between all the outer planets of Earth's solar system?
They are all bigger than Earth and they all have exactly one moon.
The Great Red Spot is in which planet’s atmosphere?
Jupiter
What is Saturn’s atmosphere mainly composed of?
Hydrogen and helium
Why is only one side of the moon visible from Earth?
The moon orbits around the Earth with a synchronous rotation.
When the shadow of one body in space falls on another.
Eclipse
Pieces of dust and debris from asteriods and comets.
Meteoroids
Is a small, loosely packed body of ice, rock, and dust.
Comet
Meteoroids pass through the atmosphere without burning up completely.
Meteorite
What do scientists use to track objects that are close to Earth and rate their chance of hitting Earth?
Torino scale