Water
True or false: only water in liquid form can cause weathering.
False. Ice and water vapor also contribute.
Why is prevention better than cleanup?
Less costly, protects health, prevents long term environmental damage.
Which planets have rings around them?
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune: all the gas giants!
When air or water cools, do its molecules speed up and rise, or slow down and sink?
Slow down and sink
Identify the reactants and products in:
Reactants: N₂, 3H₂
Products: 2NH₃
Specific heat is defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 degree Celsius. Does water have high or low specific heat?
High! This high specific heat allows water to absorb a lot of heat before beginning to heat hot, playing a crucial role in regulating temperatures of ecosystems and Earth's climate.
How can individuals reduce water and air pollution?
Conserve water, reduce car emissions, plant trees...
What celestial body lies at the center of the solar system (and universe), according to the geocentric model?
Earth
Visible light, infrared (heat), and ultraviolet (UV) are examples of what type of radiation?
Solar radiation
What type of bond shares electrons?
Covalent bond
What percentage of Earth's water is salt water?
97%
Give a cause-and-effect relationship between human activity and the environment.
Overfishing → fewer fish; burning coal → air pollution; deforestation → habitat loss.
What model of the Solar System did Nicolaus Copernicus develop?
The heliocentric model
Which of the three energy transfer mechanisms works via transfer through direct contact?
Conduction
What are the four of the six most common elements in living matter?
"CHNOPS": carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur. 96-99% of an organism's mass
What happens to water molecules when thermal energy (heat) is added?
They start to move faster, temperature rises, warmer molecules rise, may change state
How can individuals influence public policy?
Vote, participate in campaigns, advocate for environmental laws.
Telescope Observations: who discovered Jupiter's four biggest moons?
Galileo Galilei
Which of the three energy transfer mechanisms works via transfer via movement of fluids (water or air)?
Convection
What are the three most common elements in the earth's crust?
Oxygen (46.6%), found in silicate materials and oxides
Silicon (27.7%), forms silicate minerals like quartz and feldspar
Aluminum (8.1%), found in minerals such as feldspar and bauxite, but never found in its pure form in nature!
What is the difference between physical and chemical weathering by water?
Physical weathering is when water breaks or carries away rock, soil etc without changing minerals (erosion). Chemical weathering is when water reacts with minerals, dissolving them and forming new compounds.
Responsible management and care of natural resources is called Environmental __________ ?
Stewardship
Explain why Pluto, Ceres, and Eris are considered dwarf planets rather than full planets.
They have not cleared their orbital path of other celestial bodies.
What process gives plants the ability to transform solar energy into chemical (food) energy?
Photosynthesis
Name one example of a chemical reaction seen in everyday life?
Burning wood, baking bread, rust on gardening tools, etc