Lecture 1 - Sept 5

Question 1

What is Physical Geography?

Answer 1

The study of Earth’s living and nonliving physical systems and how they change through space and time, naturally or by human activity.

Question 2

What is a system in physical geography?

Answer 2

A set of interacting parts or processes that function as a unit, such as a leaf, a tree, or a forest.

Question 3

What is Earth systems science?

Answer 3

It considers interactions and feedbacks between Earth’s cycles, processes, and “spheres.”

Question 4

What is spatial scale?

Answer 4

The physical size, length, distance, or area of an object or the physical space occupied by a process.

Question 5

What is temporal scale?

Answer 5

The window of time used to examine phenomena and processes, or the length of time they develop or change.

Question 6

What is the difference between large-scale and small-scale perspectives?

Answer 6

Large-scale perspectives:
Make geographic features large to show more detail

Small-scale perspectives:
Make geographic features small to cover broad regions

Question 7

Define energy in the context of physical geography.

Answer 7

Energy is the capacity to do work on or change the state of matter.

Question 8

What is matter?

Answer 8

Matter is any material that possesses mass and occupies space, existing in three states: solid, liquid, or gas.

Question 9

What is positive feedback in a system?

Answer 9

process by which interacting parts in a system destabilize the system (e.g., global warming → more water vapor → more warming).

Question 10

What is negative feedback in a system?

Answer 10

A process by which interacting parts in a system stabilize the system (e.g., global warming → more water vapor → more clouds → slowed warming).