FSSA science prep

Symbiosis

• Mutualism: Both organisms benefit; for example, bees pollinating flowers.
• Commensalism: One organism benefits, the other is unaffected; for example, barnacles on a whale.
• Parasitism: One organism benefits, the other is harmed; for example, a tick on a dog.

Energy

• Forms of Energy: Kinetic (motion), potential (stored), thermal (heat), chemical (bonds), electrical (charge), electromagnetic (light), nuclear (atomic nuclei).
• Energy Transformation: Energy changes from one form to another (e.g., potential to kinetic in a falling object). For instance, a roller coaster car at the top of a hill has potential energy, which is converted to kinetic energy as it moves down the hill.
• Energy Conservation: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. The total energy in a closed system remains constant.

Ecology

• Ecosystem: A community of living organisms (biotic) interacting with their physical environment (abiotic). Examples include forests, lakes, and deserts.
• Food Chain: A linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another. For example, grass -> grasshopper -> frog -> snake -> hawk.
• Food Web: Interconnected food chains showing the complex feeding relationships in an ecosystem. This gives a more accurate representation of energy flow than a simple food chain.

Electromagnetic (EM) Spectrum

• EM Spectrum: The range of all types of EM radiation (radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma rays). Each type has different wavelengths and frequencies.
• Mechanical vs. EM Waves:
  • Mechanical waves require a medium (e.g., sound waves traveling through air).
  • EM waves can travel through a vacuum (e.g., light waves from the Sun reaching Earth).

Rocks

• Rock Types: Igneous (formed from cooled magma or lava), sedimentary (formed from compacted sediments), metamorphic (formed from existing rocks under heat and pressure).
• Rock Dating:
  • Relative dating: Determining the age of rocks based on their position in layers. Older layers are generally below younger layers.
  • Absolute dating: Using radiometric methods to determine the exact age of rocks. This involves measuring the decay of radioactive isotopes.

Earthquakes and Volcanoes

• Plate Tectonics: The theory that Earth's crust is divided into plates that move and interact, causing earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain formation. This movement is driven by convection currents in the mantle.
• Mountains: Formed by tectonic plate collisions. Examples include the Himalayas.
• Earthquakes: Sudden releases of energy in the Earth's crust, causing seismic waves. Measured using the Richter scale.
• Volcanoes: Formed when magma erupts onto the Earth's surface, creating structures like shield volcanoes and stratovolcanoes.

Waves

• Types of Waves: Transverse (e.g., light) and longitudinal (e.g., sound). Transverse waves oscillate perpendicular to the direction of propagation, while longitudinal waves oscillate parallel.

Scientific Method

• Steps: Observation, question, hypothesis, experiment, analysis, conclusion. This is an iterative process where conclusions can lead to new questions.

Space

• Life Cycle of Stars: Nebula, protostar, main sequence star, red giant, white dwarf/neutron star/black hole. The final stage depends on the star's initial mass.
• Universe: All of space and time and their contents, including galaxies, stars, planets, and everything in between.
• Comets: Icy bodies that release gas and dust as they orbit the Sun creating visible tails.
• Asteroids: Rocky objects that orbit the Sun, mainly between Mars and Jupiter.
• Meteors: Small pieces of debris that enter Earth's atmosphere and burn up, creating a streak of light.

Weather vs. Climate

• Weather: The condition of the atmosphere at a specific place and time, including temperature, humidity, precipitation, and wind.
• Climate: The average weather conditions in an area over a long period, typically 30 years or more.

Light and Sound Waves

• Light Waves: Electromagnetic waves that can travel through a vacuum. They exhibit properties of both waves and particles.
• Sound Waves: Mechanical waves that require a medium, such as air or water.

Sun

• Features of the Sun: Photosphere (visible surface), chromosphere (layer above photosphere), corona (outermost layer), sunspots (temporary dark spots), solar flares (sudden bursts of energy).

Physical and Chemical Changes

• Physical Change: A change that does not alter the chemical composition of a substance (e.g., melting ice, boiling water).
• Chemical Change: A change that results in the formation of new substances (e.g., burning wood, rusting iron).