Quiz 1: Science, Water, Waste, and Life

Scientific Process

1. Make an Observation
2. Form a Hypothesis
3. Perform an Experiment
4. Collect Data
5. Analyze the Results
6. Repeat the experiment

Independent Variable

variable that is manipulated (x)

Dependent Variable

The outcome factor (y)

the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable.

Control

the standard for comparison

Everyday scenario you could use the scientific process for

finding a good laundry detergent

Why is water important to life?

1. It is the greatest solvent
2. Used in almost every chemical process
3. The majority of our makeup

adhesion

An attraction between molecules of different substances

cohesion

an attraction between molecules of the same substance

Why does ice float?

As water freezes, it expands and its density decreases.

Why is ice floating important?

It insulates the water below and allows for life to exist under the frozen surface

Three things water is water used for?

1. Drinking
2. Domestic Cleaning
3. Irrigation of Crops

Why is there a world water crises?
Explain 2-5 sentences

- More than half the world's wetlands have disappeared.
- Agriculture consumes more water than any other source and wastes much of that through inefficiencies.
- Climate change is altering patterns of weather and water around the world, causing shortages and droughts in some areas and floods in others.

What type of waste material do you throw away the most

Plastic brags and wrappers

What is municipal waste?

Waste produced by households and businesses (ex. food, plastic, sanitary waste

Waste 3Rs

Reduce
Reuse
Recycle

Two issues that come from the use of sanitary landfills?

1. Landfill sites take up a lot of space
2. They destroy habitats

How do 2 of the countries we talked about in class deal with municipal waste?

Germany: deposit-refund systems for bottles

South Korea: Animal Feed creation

In the video what other materials could be molded into usable products? (double check)

polypropylene
polyethelene
polycarbonate
polystryene
nylon

Biodegradable

Able to be broken down by natural biological processes

What is bioaccumulation?

Build up of a material in an organism

What is biomagnification?

buildup of pollutants at higher levels of the food chain

Are bioaccumulation and biomagnification always bad in nature?

Not always!

Bioaccumulation can be good because it can remove heavy materials from contaminated sites and

Biomagnification can be good because as it concentrates mercury up the food chain, seabirds that eat more clams than fish will be exposed to lower concentrations of toxins and have a better chance of survival!

How can a nurdle that falls from a train get to the Gulf of Mexico?

Nurdles spilt on land at industrial facilities, float off down drains and ultimately, and out to sea where currents and wind disperse them.

What is the problem with celluloid material?

It is highly flammable and deteriorates over time due to many chemical and physical processes

Who designed celluloid?

Hyatt

What is a nurdle?

pre-production plastic pellet

3 problems associated with nurdles?

1. Nurdle pollution can be devastating to wildlife, often mistaken for food.

2. Human can ingest nurdles causing health problems

3. Nurdles absorb chemicals

When looking on shore why are number 4 and 5 nurdles the most numerous?

PP and LDPE are the most numerous because they are low-density.

This makes both of them relatively inexpensive to produce, highly versatile in their applications, easy to process, and have good chemical resistance

What is so special about ocean gyres in this block of study?

They help drive the "ocean conveyor belt", which circulates ocean water around the entire planet.

Essential for: regulating temperature, salinity, and nutrient flow throughout the ocean.

Which type (number) of plastic nurdles seem to cause the most problems?

PET/PETE (Type 1)

What is a resin identification code?

a set of symbols appearing on plastic products that identify the plastic resin out of which the product is made

What is bioplastic?

A material made from a renewable source that is biodegradable

How are bioplastics made?

Bioplastics are made wholly or in part from renewable biomass sources such as sugarcane and corn, or from microbe such as yeast

Is Biodegradable plastic the same as bioplastic? How or how not?

bioplastics: bio-based plastics (plastics made at least partly from biological matter)

biodegradable plastics: (plastics that can be completely broken down by microbes in a reasonable timeframe, given specific conditions).