Ch 2 Key Terms Flashcards
atomic number
of protons
Atom
Smallest unit of matter with distinctive chem properties
atomic theory
All matter is made up of atoms
confirmation bias
bias towards finding the desired answer to a hypothesis.
Ecological niche
Role and position a species has in its environment- how it meets needs for food and shelter, survives, and reproduces
ecological tipping point
the point at which a fundamental shift in the behavior of an environment occurs.
electromagnetic radiation
E travels in the form of a wave as a result of changes in electrical and magnetic fields
Electrons
Negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit the outside of atoms
Element
One type of atom
Energy
Capacity to work or transfer heat
energy efficiency
Getting more work out of the E we use (ex: internal combustion engine, LED lightbulbs)
energy quality
High vs low, based on capacity to do work
environmental tipping point
The point at which a fundamental shift in the behavior of a system occurs
Feedback
Any process that increases or decreases a change to a system
feedback loop
When an output of matter, energy, or information is fed back into the system as an input and leads to changes in that system
first law of thermodynamics
Energy in the universe is constant- (cannot be created nor destroyed)
Fundamental niche
Total range of environmental conditions that are suitable for existence without the influence of interspecific competition or predation from other species
Heat
Thermal energy
high-quality energy
Concentrated energy that has a high capacity to do useful work
inputs
what is put into a system.
Ion
An atom or a group of atoms with one or more net positive or negative electrical charges
Isotopes
Versions of an element that have a different mass number than the original (their # of neutrons are either less or more than the # of protons in an element)
kinetic energy
Energy associated with motion
Ex: electricity (movement of electrons)
law of conservation of energy
whenever energy is converted from one form to another, no energy is created or destroyed.
law of conservation of matter
Whenever matter undergoes a physical or chemical change, no atoms are created or destroyed
low-quality energy
Energy that is so dispersed that it has little capacity to do useful work
mass number
of protons + neutrons
Matter
Anything that has mass and takes up space (can be a physical S, L, or G, and can be a chemical element or compound)
model
a way of simulating a system in order to improve understanding of that system.
molecule
structure made up of several atoms
negative (corrective) feedback loop
Causes a system to change in the opposite direction from which it is moving
Ex: When a tree fals, it creates light and space availability for new plants to grow.
Neutrons
No electrical charge- located within the nucleus
Niche
All of a species’ interactions with the biotic and abiotic factors of its environment
nuclear fission
a process in which an atomic nucleus decays into 2 smaller atoms.
nuclear fusion
a process in which 2 atomic nuclei combine to form one or more larger atoms.
outputs
the products of a system.
organic compound
a compound that usually contains at least 2 carbon atoms.
peer review
the act of analyzing or repeating an experiment in order to make sure the findings are credible.
periodic table of the elements
a model that categorizes all known elements.
positive feedback loop
the output from a system enters the system again as an input and amplifies the response
potential energy
Stored energy (because of physical or chemical position
protons
positively charged particles in the nucleus of an atom.
Realized niche
Describes the part of the fundamental niche that is actually occupied by the species
Science
Systematic attempt to uncover natural truths and understand how they work
scientific hypothesis
Proposed explanation for an observation/phenomenon- should be testable
scientific law (law of nature)
A well tested and widely accepted description of a phenomenon happening repeatedly and in the same way in nature-doesn’t explain why the phenomenon exists or what causes it
scientific method
General process that scientists use to discover and test ideas about how the natural world works
scientific theory
A well-tested and widely accepted explanation of a phenomenon happening repeatedly and in the same way in nature
second law of thermodynamics
E transformations are not completely efficient. When E is converted from one form to another, the result is lower quality E
Synergy
When two or more processes interact so that the combined effect is greater than the sum of their separate effects (ex: when geese fly together, each goose provides additional lift and reduces air resistance for the goose flying behind it)
System
Set of components that function and interact in some regular way
thermal energy
temperature related to average kinetic energy of particles in a substance.
Work
When any object is moved (force x distance)
Combustion
Combustion is a chemical process in which a substance reacts rapidly with oxygen and gives off heat. The original substance is called the fuel, and the source of oxygen is called the oxidizer. New chemical substances are created from the fuel and the oxidizer. These substances are called exhaust– Any flame requires three ingredients: oxygen, fuel and heat.
