EB Chapter 2 Open Book + Smartwork Assignments

Statistical tests…

A) provide us with raw numbers such as the number of people in a given city.

B) focus on determining the probability that observed phenomena occurred by chance.

C) are only used in science to influence political decision-making.

D) provide only fake numbers.

B) focus on determining the probability that observed phenomena occurred by chance.

Homeostasis refers to

A) a tendency to change.

B) equilibrium.

C) spatial homogeneity.

D) the environment.

B) equilibrium.

Double-blind studies are especially useful in

A) genetic experiments.

B) health studies.

C) statistical analysis.

D) opinion surveys.

E) double-blind studies are not useful in any situation.

B) health studies.

Networks of interactions among interdependent factors are known as

A) science.

B) ecology.

C) systems.

D) processes.

E) negative feedback loops.

C) systems.

A scientific consensus 

A) is typically broad in its statements.

B) uses feedback from many scientists.

C) can lead to paradigm shifts.

D) All of these answers are correct.

D) All of these answers are correct.

Science is both the accumulated body of knowledge produced by many scientists and ______.

a process for understanding the natural world

You have a group of 5 students who all measure the length of a salamander that is 17 cm long. The measurements are: 16.1 cm, 16. 2 cm, 16.1 cm, 16.2 cm, and 16.2 cm. These measurements are ______.

precise but not accurate

The type of scientific reasoning that logically follows a general principle and applies it to a specific instance is ______ reasoning, whereas ______ reasoning uses specific observations to create a general rule.

deductive; inductive

Which of the following is not a scientific hypothesis?

The sun appears to rise each day because the earth is rotating.

God does not exist because people get sick.

The lamp does not work because it is not plugged into the electrical outlet.

God does not exist because people get sick.

The likelihood of something occurring is measured in terms of probability, which is based on ______.

standard statistical measures

previous measurements

The process through which we understand the natural world by making precise observations, and conduct methodical research to test hypotheses, is ______________. It is also a cumulative body of knowledge.

science

Determining the probability that observed results could have occurred by chance is accomplished through ______.

statistics

Contrast the words accuracy and precision by matching each to its correct meaning.

Accuracy

Precision

How close your measurements are to each other

How close you are to the real measurement

Accuracy—How close you are to the real measurement

Precision—How close your measurements are to each other

A study of events that have already happened is a(n) __________ experiment.

natural

Match the type of reasoning to its correct description.

Deductive reasoning

Inductive reasoning

Reasoning that logically follows a general principle and applies it to a specific instance

Reasoning that uses specific observations to create a general rule

Deductive reasoning—Reasoning that logically follows a general principle and applies it to a specific instance

Inductive reasoning—Reasoning that uses specific observations to create a general rule

Representations of environmental systems are known as ____________. Although some are physical, most are numeric, and they vary from the simple to the very complex. At the present time, these are often used to predict climate change.

models

A possible explanation of scientific phenomena that is testable is a(n) ___________.

hypothesis

A network of processes and interdependent components through which matter and energy flow is a(n) _____________.

system

The likelihood of an event occurring is estimated by ______.

probability

Match the appropriate "system" scientific terms to their correct definitions.

Open system

Closed system

Throughput

Receives inputs and produces outputs

Energy that flows in, through, and out of a system

Exchanges no energy with its surroundings

Open system—Receives inputs and produces outputs

Closed system—Exchanges no energy with its surroundings

Throughput—Energy that flows in, through, and out of a system

Statistics are useful in environmental science, as we use them to ______.

provide a degree of confidence in research findings

calculate the probability that observed results could have occurred by chance

Match the system science terms to their correct definitions.

Homeostasis

Disturbance

Resilience

State shift

A large-scale change to a system due to multiple disturbances

The ability for a system to recover from a change

An event that changes a system

Tendency for a system to remain stable

Homeostasis—Tendency for a system to remain stable

Disturbance—An event that changes a system

Resilience—The ability for a system to recover from a change

State shift—A large-scale change to a system due to multiple disturbances

What is a natural experiment?

Study of an event that has already occurred

Well-established scientific ideas may be abandoned for new explanations due to new technologies and data. These paradigm shifts often ______.

are not readily accepted by scientists and the general public

One of the primary benefits of using a numeric model to represent an environmental system is that ______.

variables can be altered without actually destroying anything

Politicians, private enterprise, and the media may not present scientific information accurately, such as information about climate change, because:

they may have an interest in how the information affects them.

A system in science describes a ______.

network of interdependent components and processes, with materials and energy flowing from one component of the system to another

Which of the following would be the least appropriate step in evaluating the validity of scientific claims?

Conducting internet research on your own and examining the top links found on major search engines

A system that receives inputs from its surroundings and produces outputs that leave the system is a(n) __________ system. A(n) ____________ system, which is extremely rare, exchanges no energy or matter with its surroundings.

open, closed

The tendency for a system to remain stable is ______, and an event that changes a system is a ______. The ability for a system to recover from a change is ______, and a large-scale change to a system due to multiple disruptions is ______.

homeostasis, disturbance, resilience, a state shift

Major changes in scientific thought are ______ that occur when old explanations no longer are adequate for explaining new observations.

paradigm shifts

Scientific information is commonly misunderstood by the general public because:

the media, politicians, and private enterprise do not present the facts in an unbiased manner.

Which of the following are reliable steps in evaluating the validity of scientific claims?

Examining the expertise of the researcher(s) who conducted the study

Critically thinking about the logic of the claim and whether or not it contradicts established theories

Examining the agency or group that funded the study