Exercises Flashcards
What would be the ecological impact if the first trophic level were eliminated?
Without plants at the first trophic level, the other trophic levels could not exist and most species would die
Why is the transfer of energy so inefficient when it moves between trophic levels
A great deal of heat energy is lost at each level by metabolic processes
What is the main difference in diet for organisms at the second trophic level versus the third trophic level?
Organisms at the second trophic level consume plants and those at the third level consume organisms that eat plants.
When a meteorite hits Earth, heat is generated. Which of the following statements best describes this process?
(a) Gravitational potential energy is converted into heat.
(b) Electrical potential energy is converted into heat.
(c) Chemical energy is converted into heat.
(d) Magnetic energy is converted into heat.
(e) Elastic potential energy is converted into heat.
When a meteorite hits Earth, heat is generated. Which of the following statements best describes this process?
(a) Gravitational potential energy is converted into heat.
Under what circumstances could Earth be considered a closed system?
Under what circumstances could Earth be considered a closed system?
If the matter could not freely exchange with space outside the realm of the Earth, this would be a closed system
Obviously, the Earth is not a closed system because the Earth receives mass from space (meteorites, etc.) we also have the ability of sending satellites (mass) into other parts of the solar system outside of earth
The first law of thermodynamics states:
while the kind of energy in a closed system can change, the total amount cannot.
The conservation law in science states that:
the amount of energy in an isolated system stays the same.
All popular weight loss diets are based on:
(a) the conservation law.
(b) increasing the exercise you do each day.
(c) the first law of thermodynamics.
(d) increasing protein intake.
(e) decreasing the exercise you do each day
All popular weight loss diets are based on:
(a) the conservation law.
(c) the first law of thermodynamics.
What is the difference between food calories and a calorie as defined by physicists?
One food calorie is a kilocalorie (or 1000 calories as defined by physicists).
In an isolated system, the total amount of what is conserved?
energy
Compare the rate of global fossil fuel consumption to the rate of production of fossil fuel from organic materials.
There really is no good comparison because such an immense amount of time is required for the remains of plants and animals to be turned into fossil fuel compared with the way our population is increasingly using fossil fuels
When a group of organisms get all their energy from the same source, we refer to them as
a trophic level
Form the point of view of a system, the planet Earth is (system)
entirely open
Let’s say that a partially closed system contains 5000 J now and that this system cannot gain any new energy but will lose at least 100 J per year. After 50 years, how much energy would you expect to find in this system?
0J
Under normal circumstances, in order to maintain human body functions, you have to consume how many calories per day for each pound of body weight?
15
The interior of the Earth has gained what fraction of its internal energy from radioactive decay processes?
One-half
The main source of energy used in the United States is:
oil
What type of energy-efficient automobile uses a gasoline engine to charge the car’s batteries that are in turn supplying energy to run the vehicle?
(a) Plug-in hybrid car (b) Electric car (c) Fuel cell car (d) Standard hybrid car
(a) Plug-in hybrid car
(d) Standard hybrid car
If one were to introduce a fast moving molecule into a container of slower moving molecules the outcome will be:
(b) all molecules will end up traveling the same speed.
Temperature is a measure of:
the average kinetic energy of the atoms within a substance.
Absolute zero is defined as the temperature at which:
(b) all heat has been extracted from a substance.
If one were to introduce a fast moving molecule into a container of slower moving molecules the outcome will be:
all molecules will end up traveling the same speed.
The standard used to calibrate thermometers is:
pure water
Which substance has the lowest specific heat capacity?
(a) Water (b) copper (c) ice (d) steam (e) both ice and copper
(b) copper
How is the dimension of time different from the dimensions defining space?
Time is the only dimension that has just one direction
Describe what happens at absolute zero.
Absolute zero (0 Kelvin) is the coldest theoretically attainable temperature; the temperature at which no more kinetic energy can be extracted from atoms or molecules
Explain why radiation is the only form of heat transfer energy that can travel through the emptiness of space
Radiation involves heat transfer by electromagnetic radiation like visible light. Light moves through empty space, for example, from the Sun to the Earth. Conduction and convection, in contrast, require a medium largely or completely filled with atoms or molecules to transfer heat.
A term that compares how vigorous atoms are moving in a substance is:
Temperature.
Energy can be transferred through a solid by:
(a) radiation only.
(b) both conduction and convection.
(c) both conduction and radiation.
(d) conduction only.
(e) convection only
(d) conduction only.
Through which material will heat be conducted the best?
(a) Steel
(b) water
(c) wood
(d) fur
(e) fat
steel
The heat island effect in cities creates convection cells:
(a) by drawing in cool moist air from the suburbs.
Insulation in the attic is used to reduce heat loss by:
(a) Conduction.
(b) Convection.
(c) Radiation.
(d) Efficiency.
(e) Heat death.
(a) Conduction.
(b) Convection.
Radiation is heat transfer by:
(a) electromagnetic waves of radiation
What is the primary way heat is transferred in a moving fluid?
Convection
How does the human body maintain its temperature?
When the body temperature rises, blood vessels near the surface of the skin dilate, so that the blood can carry more heat by convection to the surface where it is radiated away. When the body temperature falls, the opposite occurs.
How are urban heat islands responsible for extra rain in the city?
During the summer the parking lots and buildings heat more quickly than the surrounding non-urban areas. The rising warm air of the urban heat island pulls in cooler, moisture-laden air from the surrounding areas. This air ascends in the convection cell and produces clouds and rain over the city.
After mixing the ingredients for a salad, why do the ingredients (lettuce, tomato, cabbage, carrot, etc.) remain mixed? In other words, why do they not unmix themselves?
The statistical likelihood of this happening is so low that the chance of it happening is essentially zero.
In science, heat is commonly measured in what unit?
Calorie
The coldest possible temperature—absolute zero—is which of the following?
0 K
If the temperature of an object changes by 5*C then it also changes by
5 K
