Chapter 1 Understanding Science Flashcards
What type of observation is without personal bias?
Objective
What is pseudoscience?
An explanation that cannot be tested, or does not meet scientific standards.
What are the 5 steps of the scientific method?
Observation, Hypothesis, Experiment, Peer review, Theory development
What method of analysis did Aristotle use?
Deductive reasoning - generalized principles and logical explanations. Ex. If all birds have feathers, and a sparrow is a bird, then a sparrow must have feathers.
Who is regarded as the first modern scientist?
Galileo, because he would conduct experiments to prove or disprove falsifiable ideas, while concluding based on quantifiable evidence.
Which scientist coined the principle of Uniformitarianism? “The present is the key to the past.”
James Hutton
Which scientist was the first to compile enough data to support the idea of plate tectonics?
Alfred Wegener
What role does geology play in society?
Essential to locating, extracting natural resources; also evaluating the environmental impacts of using these resources; mitigating the effects of natural hazards
What are the steps of the Rock Cycle?
Magma -> Igneous rocks -> Sediment -> Sedimentary rocks -> Metamorphic rocks -> Magma
Not all rocks follow this pattern, and often require more pressure and heat or weathering to change phases.
What are the layers of the earth?
Crust, Mantle, Outer Core, Inner Core.
Which layer is the driver of motion for earthquakes? “Underlying mobile layer”
Asthenosphere
What type of rock is continental crust composed of?
low-density igneous and sedimentary rocks
What type of rock is Oceanic Crust composed of?
high-density igneous basalt -type rocks.
Tectonic plates are made of crust and a portion of the upper mantle forming a rigid physical layer called the ______________.
Lithosphere
Which layer is the largest chemical layer by volume?
The mantle
How old is the Earth?
Approximately 4.54+0.05 billion years old.
