Untitled Flashcards Set

Matter & Atoms

Q: What is matter made up of?
A: Atoms.

Q: What particles are found in the nucleus of an atom?
A: Protons and neutrons.

Q: Why do water vapor, liquid water, and ice have different properties?
A: They have the same chemical composition but different molecular arrangements.

Energy & Thermodynamics

Q: What is kinetic energy?
A: Energy of motion (e.g., water flowing downhill).

Q: What is potential energy?
A: Stored energy (e.g., water behind a dam).

Q: What is entropy?
A: Energy that cannot be used to do useful work.

Q: What is sensible heat?
A: Heat transferred from a hot object to another.

Q: What is latent heat?
A: Heat absorbed or released during phase changes.

Q: What is combustion?
A: The burning of fuel to obtain heat.

Q: When energy is converted from one form to another, what is usually lost?
A: Heat.

Scientific Method & Reproducibility

Q: What are the characteristics of the scientific method?
A: It is reliable, impartial, and limited in when it can be used.

Q: What is reproducibility in science?
A: The ability of other scientists to repeat an experiment and get similar results.

Q: What is pseudoscience?
A: A misleading, deceptive practice that appears scientific but lacks evidence.

Photosynthesis & Respiration

Q: What process converts inorganic materials into organic matter?
A: Photosynthesis.

Q: What two molecules are converted to form sugar in photosynthesis?
A: Water and carbon dioxide.

Q: What is respiration?
A: The process of releasing stored energy from food.

Chemical Reactions & Biological Processes

Q: What are enzymes?
A: Proteins that speed up chemical reactions.

Q: What does the pH scale measure?
A: The acidity or basicity of a substance.

Q: What type of relationship do tapeworms have with their hosts?

A: Endoparasitism (they live inside the host).

Q: What is coevolution?

A: When two species influence each other’s evolution over time (e.g., grazing animals and grasses).

Q: What are the two types of competition in ecosystems?

A:

Intraspecific Competition – Between members of the same species.

Interspecific Competition – Between different species.

Q: What is the competitive exclusion principle?

A: No two species can occupy the same exact niche at the same time.

Energy Flow in Ecosystems

Q: What is a trophic level?

A: A step in the flow of energy through an ecosystem.

Q: What is a producer?

A: An organism that makes its own food, like plants.

Q: What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?

A:

Food Chain – A single pathway of energy transfer.

Food Web – Multiple interconnected food chains.

Nutrient Cycles

Q: What is the role of nitrogen-fixing bacteria?

A: They convert atmospheric nitrogen into a form plants can use.

Q: What do denitrifying bacteria do?

A: Convert nitrogen compounds back into nitrogen gas.

Q: How is phosphorus released from rocks?

A: Through weathering and erosion.

Q: How does carbon cycle through an ecosystem?

A: Through photosynthesis, respiration, and decomposition.

Q: What are the two primary nutrients in agricultural runoff?

A: Nitrogen and phosphorus.

Limiting Factors

Q: What is a limiting factor?

A: A factor that restricts the growth or success of a species.

Q: What is a common limiting factor for fish like trout?

A: Dissolved oxygen in water.

Q: What is the most common limiting factor for plants in soil?

A: Nitrogen.

Species & Adaptations

Q: What defines a species?

A: A group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

Q: What is a keystone species?

A: A species that has a crucial role in maintaining the structure of an ecosystem.

Q: What adaptation is common in prey species?

A: A high reproductive rate to maintain population despite predation.

Q: How do keystone species affect biodiversity? A: They help to maintain the diversity of other species in the ecosystem by controlling populations and providing resources.

Fossil Fuels & Energy Sources

Q: Which fossil fuel is the most abundant?
A: Coal.

Q: What percentage of the world’s commercial energy comes from fossil fuels?
A: 80%.

Q: What is the most common human-caused source of oil pollution in the ocean?
A: Oil pollution from the use of machinery on land and on the oceans.

Q: What technique is used to extract the maximum amount of oil or gas from a well?
A: Secondary recovery.

Q: What type of energy is provided by processes that replenish themselves or are continuously present in the solar system?
A: Renewable energy.

Nuclear Energy & Radiation

Q: What radioactive isotope is commonly used as nuclear fuel?
A: Uranium-235.

Q: What is the process of decontaminating and disassembling a nuclear power plant called?
A: Decommissioning.

Q: What are the three basic principles of radiation protection?
A: Time, distance, and shielding.

Q: What is the time it takes for 50% of a radioactive isotope to decay?
A: Radioactive half-life.

Q: What type of radiation consists of electrons released from the nuclei of fissionable atoms?
A: Beta radiation.

Q: What term describes energy that travels through space in waves or particles?
A: Radiation.

Coal & Mining Environmental Impacts

Q: Which environmental issue is NOT related to coal mining?
A: Loss of jobs in the mining industry.

Q: What is a major environmental concern associated with coal mining?
A: Acid mine drainage.

Natural Gas & Oil

Q: What is natural gas called when it is converted into liquid form?
A: Liquefied natural gas.

Q: What is the most common process that formed oil and natural gas?
A: The same processes involving organic matter decomposition under heat and pressure.