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GEO 111: Landforms > Chapter 1: Intro To Earth > Flashcards

Chapter 1: Intro To Earth Flashcards

1
Q

What is geography?

A

From Greek gē (Earth) and -graphia (writing). The study of the spatio-temporal distribution and relationships of Earth and it’s features.

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2
Q

Describe the differences between physical and cultural geography.

A

Physical geography studies the environment, things like landforms, climate, water, animals, etc. Cultural geography studies human endeavors, things like population, politics, economics, etc. The divisions between physical and cultural geography are soft, with considerable overlap

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3
Q

What is globalization?

A

The process and consequences of an increasingly interconnected world

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4
Q

What are the steps of the scientific method?

A
  1. Observation
  2. Question
  3. Research
  4. Hypothesis
  5. Experiment
  6. Analysis
  7. Report
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5
Q

What is the difference between a hypothesis and theory?

A

A hypothesis is a testable educated guess, often made from observation while a theory is an explanation of a phenomenon backed by multiple experiments.

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6
Q

What is VGI and why is it important to geography?

A

VGI, or volunteered geographic information, is a data collection method relying on participatory reporting that allows geographers to generate large quantities of current information.

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7
Q

Give the approximate conversions of S.I to English units:

  1. 1 centimeter
  2. 1 meter
  3. 1 kilometer
  4. 1 liter
  5. 1 gram
  6. 1 kilogram
  7. 1*C change
A
  1. ~1/2 inch
  2. ~3 feet
  3. ~2/3 mile
  4. ~1 quart
  5. ~1/30 ounce
  6. ~2 pounds
  7. 1.8*F
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8
Q

Give the approximate conversions of English to S.I units

  1. 1 inch
  2. 1 foot
  3. 1 yard
  4. 1 mile
  5. 1 quart
  6. 1 gallon
  7. 1 ounce
  8. 1 pound
  9. 1*F change
A
  1. ~2 1/2 centimeters
  2. ~1/3 meter
  3. ~1 meter
  4. ~1 1/2 kilometers
  5. ~1 liter
  6. ~4 liters
  7. ~30 grams
  8. ~1/2 kilogram
  9. ~.6*C
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9
Q

Describe the 4 Earth systems

A
  1. Lithosphere- from Greek “litho” (stone), the Earth’s crust
  2. Atmosphere- from Greek “atmo” (air), the Earth’s air
  3. Hydrosphere- from Greek “hydro” (water), the Earth’s water
  4. Biosphere- from Greek “bio” (life), the Earth’s life.
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10
Q

What is a system?

A

Interrelated entities that form a unified whole more complex than the sum of its parts.

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11
Q

What is the difference between an, “isolated”, “closed”, and “open” system?

A

Isolated systems do not exchange matter or energy across the system boundary. Closed systems do not exchange matter but do exchange energy across the system boundary. Open systems exchange both energy and matter across its boundary.

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12
Q

Describe the differences between micro, meso, and exo.

A

Microsystems are those closest to a client. Mesosystems are the relationships between systems in an environment. Exosystems are relationships between systems that influence another system.

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13
Q

Describe the key features of a system

A
  1. Equilibrium/homeostasis- when system inputs and outputs remain constant
  2. Emergence- the increase of complexity over scale and time in a system
  3. Self-organization- the process of systems where order emerges from the local interactions of a system.
  4. Evolution/adaptation- the tendency of systems to make internal changes to maintain equilibrium.
  5. Feedback loops- the process where changes to a system feed back into the system to maintain the change (positive feedback loop) or resist it (negative feedback loop)
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14
Q

Describe the general organization of the solar system.

A
  1. The Sun
  2. The Inner or “Terrestrial” Planets
    • Mercury
    • Venus
    • Earth
    • Mars
  3. The Asteroid Belt
  4. The Outer or “Jovian” Planets
    • Jupiter
    • Saturn
    • Uranus
    • Neptune
  5. The Keiper Belt or trans-Neptunian region
  6. Oort Cloud
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15
Q

What are the following measurements of the Earth

  1. Distance from the Sun
  2. Diameter of the Earth
  3. Highest Mountain Peak
  4. Deepest Ocean Trench
A
  1. 150mil KM or 239,000 miles
  2. 13,000 KM or 7900 miles
  3. Mt Everest- 8850 meters or 29,035 feet
  4. Mariana Trench- 11,033 meters or 36,198 feet
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16
Q

Describe the North Pole, South Pole, and equator and the relationships between them

A

The North and South Poles are the tips of the rotational axis of the Earth and the equator is the perpendicular plane halfway between the poles

17
Q

What is a “great circle” and it’s two special properties?

A

A great circle is the plane that bisects through the middle of a sphere and has two special properties:

  1. Two equal halves are on either side, called hemispheres
  2. The path between two points along the arc of a great circle is always the shortest routes between those points
18
Q

Describe latitude and longitude

A

Latitude is a description of location expressed as an angle north or south of the equator.

Longitude is the angular distance of a location east or west of Greenwhich, England.

19
Q

What are the latitudes of the following parallels

  1. Equator
  2. Tropic of Cancer
  3. Tropic of Capricorn
  4. Arctic Circle
  5. Antarctic Circle
  6. North Pole
  7. South Pole
A
  1. 0*
  2. 23.5* N
  3. 23.5* S
  4. 66.5* N
  5. 66.5* S
  6. 90* N
  7. 90* S
20
Q

Describe the following zones of latitude:

  1. Low latitude
  2. Midlatitude
  3. High latitude
  4. Equatorial
  5. Tropical
  6. Subtropical
  7. Polar
A
  1. Within 30* N/S of the equator
  2. Between 30-60* N/S
  3. Greater than 60* N/S
  4. Within a few degrees of the equator
  5. Between 23.5* N/S of the equator
  6. 20-25* N/S
  7. Within a few degrees of the poles
21
Q

Describe the measurements of a nautical mile and knot

A

There are ~111 km between degrees of latitude. A nautical mile is the distance covered by one minute of latitude, approximately 1,852 meters or 1.1508 miles. A knot is a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour.

22
Q

What is aphelion and perihelion? What causes them?

A

Aphelion is the point at which the Earth is farthest from the Sun at 152.1mil KM or 94mil miles and occurs ~July 4. Perihelion is the point at which the Earth is closest from the Sun at 147.1mil KM or 91.4mil miles and occurs ~Jan 3. The difference in distance is caused by the Earth’s rotation around the Sun being elliptical instead of circular

23
Q

How long does it take for the Earth to complete a revolution around the Sun?

A

365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds

24
Q

What is the inclination of the Earth’s axis?

A

Earth’s axis is not perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic but is tilted 23.5 degrees.

25
Q

What is the polarity of Earth’s axis?

A

The Earth’s axis always points toward the North Star, Polaris

26
Q

What are the dates and declinations of the Sun for the Solstices and Equinoxes?

A

June Solstice- June 21, 23.5* N (Tropic of Cancer)
March Equinox- March 20, 0*
December Solstice- Dec 21, 23.5* S (Tropic of Capricorn)
September Equinox- Sep 22, 0*

27
Q

What are the three conditions that determine the seasons?

A
  1. The declination of the Sun, or the latitude receiving the vertical rays of the sun
  2. The solar altitude, or the height of the noon Sun above the horizon
  3. The length of day at different latitudes
28
Q

What is the circle of illumination?

A

A great circle dividing the day and night half’s of the Earth

29
Q

What is A.M. and P.M.?

A

A.M.- ante meridian (before noon)

P.M.- post meridian (after noon)

30
Q

One hour of time equals how many degrees of Earth’s rotation?

A

15*

GEO 111: Landforms (2 decks)

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