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Physical Science > Midterm Exan > Flashcards

Midterm Exan Flashcards

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1
Q

The smallest chemical unit of matter

A

Atom

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2
Q

Two or more atoms linked together to make a substance with unique properties

A

Molecule

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3
Q

The quantity of a substance within a certain volume

A

Concentration

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4
Q

Sulfur is a yellow powder that is composed of sulfur atoms. Sulfur dioxide is a colorless, poisonous gas that contains sulfur atoms. Is sulfur dioxide composed of atoms or molecules?

A

Sulfur dioxide is composed of molecules

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5
Q

While looking at historical grave markers, you find a statuette that is blue-green in color. In order to read the inscription, you scrub the surface of the statuette, and the blue-green color comes off as a fine powder. What color is the statue underneath?

A

The statue will have a copper color underneath the green powder

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6
Q

Which picture represents a bunch of atoms? Which represents a bunch of molecules?

A

Picture A represents a bunch of molecules, whereas picture B is a representation of a bunch of atoms

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7
Q

You are reading a scientist’s notes and you notice a measurement that is listed as “12.3 kilograms.” Does this measurement represent length, mass, or volume?

A

This is a measurement of mass

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8
Q

What metric prefix means “1,000”?

A

kilo

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9
Q

How many centimeters are in 1.6 meters?

A

160 cm

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10
Q

An object’s volume is 0.12 kL. What is its volume in liters?

A

120 L

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11
Q

A rock has a mass of 45.1 kg. What is its mass in slugs? (1 slug = 14.59 kg)

A

3.09 slugs

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12
Q

Ammonia is the active ingredient in many household cleaners. Suppose I were to make up two buckets of cleaner. In the first, I take 5 cups of ammonia and add them to 45 cups of water. In the second, I will take 5 cups of ammonia and add them to 30 cups of water. Which bucket contains the most powerful cleaner?

A

The second bucket has the more powerful cleaner

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13
Q

The moisture content of air

A

Humidity

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14
Q

The mass of water vapor contained in a certain volume of air

A

Absolute humidity

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15
Q

The ratio of the mass of water vapor in the air at a given temperature to the maximum mass of water vapor the air could hold at that temperature, expressed as a percentage.

A

Relative humidity

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16
Q

The process by which certain gases (principally water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane) trap heat that radiates from earth

A

Greenhouse effect

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17
Q

The number of molecules (or atoms) of a substance in a mixture for every 1 million molecules (or atoms) in that mixture

A

Parts per million

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18
Q

When does water evaporate more slowly – under conditions of high humidity or low humidity?

A

Water evaporates slowly under conditions of high humidity

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19
Q

Will sweating help cool you down when the humidity is 100%?

A

No, sweating will not cool you down

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20
Q

What gas makes up the majority of the air we inhale?

A

Nitrogen

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21
Q

What gas makes up the majority of the air we exhale?

A

Nitrogen

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22
Q

A chemist is monitoring the rate at which a certain substance burns. The chemist burns the substance in a fireplace that uses the room’s air supply. The chemist then repeats the experiment, this time in a chamber whose air mixture is 50% oxygen and 50% nitrogen. In which trial will the substance burn the fastest?

A

The substance will burn the fastest in the second trial

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23
Q

Why is it important to have ozone in earth’s air?

A

Ozone blocks the ultraviolet light from the sun

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24
Q

For good health, should we increase or decrease the concentration of ground-level ozone in the air?

A

Ground-level ozone concentrations should be decreased

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25
Q

Has the average temperature of the earth increased significantly in the past 80 years?

A

No

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26
Q

Convert 1% into ppm.

A

10,000 ppm

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27
Q

The concentration of nitrogen oxides in the air today is about 0.018 ppm. What is that in percent?

A

0.0000018 %

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28
Q

What pollutant concentration was decreased by the mandate of catalytic converters?

A

Catalytic converters reduced the concentration of carbon monoxide

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29
Q

The mass of air surrounding a planet

A

Atmosphere

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30
Q

An instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure

A

Barometer

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31
Q

The lower layer of earth’s atmosphere, which exists from ground level to roughly 80 kilometers (50 miles) above sea level

A

Homosphere

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32
Q

The upper layer of earth’s atmosphere, which exists higher than roughly 80 kilometers (50 miles) above sea level

A

Heterosphere

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33
Q

Narrow bands of high-speed winds that circle the earth, blowing from west to east

A

Jet streams

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34
Q

Energy that is transferred as a consequence of temperature differences

A

Heat

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35
Q

A measure of the energy of random motion in a substance’s molecules

A

Temperature

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36
Q

If you want to study weather, which region of the atmosphere would you study?

A

You would study the troposphere

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37
Q

If you want to study the ozone layer, which region of the atmosphere would you study?

A

You would study the stratosphere

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38
Q

If a sample of air is predominately oxygen, did it most likely come from the homosphere or the heterosphere?

A

It must have come from the heterosphere

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39
Q

Which regions of the atmosphere are in the homosphere?

A

The troposphere, stratosphere, and mesosphere

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40
Q

Which regions of the atmosphere are in the heterosphere?

A

The thermosphere and exosphere are in the heterosphere

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41
Q

A barometer develops a leak in the column which is supposed to be free of air. As air seeps into the column, what will happen to the height of the liquid in that column?

A

The height of the column will decrease

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42
Q

In what region(s) of the homosphere does temperature increase with increasing altitude?

A

stratosphere

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43
Q

Why is the “ozone hole” a seasonal phenomenon that exists mostly at the South Pole?

A

The “ozone hole” is a seasonal phenomenon located only at the South Pole because ozone cannot be depleted by CFCs without the aid of the Polar Vortex

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44
Q

We all know that ice melts because of heat. Why is it correct to say that ice also freezes because of heat?

A

Heat is energy that is being transferred. To freeze water, energy must be transferred from the water to the surroundings

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45
Q

If you were able to measure the speed of the molecules in the air while you were traveling up through the troposphere, would the speed of the molecules increase, decrease, or stay the same as your altitude increased?

A

decrease

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46
Q

The use of electricity to break a molecule down into smaller units

A

Electrolysis

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47
Q

A molecule that has slight positive and negative charges due to an imbalance in the way electrons are shared

A

Polar molecule

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48
Q

A liquid substance capable of dissolving other substances

A

Solvent

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49
Q

A substance that is dissolved in a solvent

A

Solute

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50
Q

The phenomenon that occurs when individual molecules are so strongly attracted to each other that they tend to stay together, even when exposed to tension

A

Cohesion

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51
Q

Water that has certain dissolved ions in it – predominately calcium and magnesium ions

A

Hard water

52
Q

What is the chemical formula for water?

A

H2O

53
Q

Some metals tend to absorb oxygen but not hydrogen. Suppose such a metal was covering the battery in an electrolysis experiment like Experiment 4.1. Which is the more likely erroneous result the experiment would yield for the chemical formula of water: HO2 or H4O?

A

H4O would be the more likely erroneous result

54
Q

Why is water a liquid at room temperature when all other chemically similar substances are gases at room temperature?

A

Hydrogen bonding

55
Q

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the gases that we exhale when we breathe. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas associated with burning things under conditions of low oxygen. How many atoms are in one molecule of CO2? How many atoms are in one molecule of CO?

A

There are three atoms in a carbon dioxide molecule and two atoms in a carbon monoxide molecule

56
Q

An important component of gasoline is octane, which is composed of molecules that have eight carbon atoms (C) and eighteen hydrogen atoms (H). What is the chemical formula of octane?

A

C8H18

57
Q

Why are water molecules polar?

A

Water molecules are polar because both the oxygen atoms and the hydrogen atoms are fighting over the electrons they are supposed to be sharing. Oxygen can pull on those electrons harder, so it gets more than its fair share of electrons, making it slightly negative. Since the hydrogen atoms get less than their fair share of electrons, they end up slightly positive

58
Q

If a substance does not dissolve in water, is it most likely ionic, polar, or nonpolar?

A

nonpolar

59
Q

If a substance dissolves in water, will it dissolve in vegetable oil, a nonpolar substance?

A

It will not dissolve in vegetable oil

60
Q

Is hard water the result of a city’s water treatment process?

A

No

61
Q

Evaporation of water from plants

A

Transpiration

62
Q

The process by which a gas turns into a liquid

A

Condensation

63
Q

The average time a given particle will stay in a given system

A

Residence time

64
Q

The process by which water moves downward in the soil, toward the water table

A

Percolation

65
Q

The cooling of a gas that happens when the gas expands with no way of getting more energy

A

Adiabatic cooling

66
Q

Where does the majority of earth’s water reside?

A

oceans

67
Q

What is the largest source of liquid freshwater on the planet?

A

Groundwater

68
Q

What water source is a molecule of water in once it has gone through transpiration?

A

atmosphere

69
Q

Water was in the ocean and is now in a cloud. What two hydrologic cycle processes happened in order to make that transfer?

A

Evaporation, condensation

70
Q

Where is the residence time longer: in the ocean or in a fast-moving stream?

A

the ocean

71
Q

If a lake has no means of getting rid of water except evaporation, does it contain saltwater or freshwater?

A

It contains saltwater

72
Q

What do the oceans tell us about the age of the earth?

A

They tell us that the earth can’t be billions of years old

73
Q

An enormous amount of ocean water in the polar region freezes. Does it form an iceberg? Why or why not?

A

It does not form an iceberg. Icebergs are freshwater and come from glaciers

74
Q

What process in the hydrologic cycle is responsible for making glaciers?

A

Precipitation

75
Q

What causes the temperature change that allows for condensation, which makes most clouds?

A

Adiabatic cooling

76
Q

If a sample of gas is compressed and nothing else is allowed to change, what will happen to the temperature of the gas?

A

The temperature will increase

77
Q

If there is a lot more rain than normal in an area over an extensive length of time, what happens to the depth of the water table?

A

The depth of the water table will decrease

78
Q

Why is groundwater pollution so hard to trace back to its original source?

A

The nature of groundwater flow makes it such that a lake can be polluted by groundwater that originally soaked into the soil hundreds of miles away

79
Q

Rock formed when chemical reactions cement sediments together, hardening them

A

Sedimentary rock

80
Q

Rock that behaves like something between a liquid and a solid

A

Plastic rock

81
Q

The boundary between two sections of rock that can move relative to one another

A

Fault

82
Q

The point on the surface of the earth directly above an earthquake’s focus

A

Epicenter

83
Q

Label the sections (a-e) of the earth shown in the figure:

A

a. crust
b. asthenosphere c. mantle
d. outer core
e. inner core

84
Q

What have scientists observed in order to learn about earth’s interior?

A

seismic waves

85
Q

Between what two regions of the earth can you find the Moho?

A

crust, mantle

86
Q

What causes the earth’s magnetic field?

A

Electrical flow in the core

87
Q

What two theories attempt to explain the earth’s magnetic field? Which theory is the most scientifically valid?

A

The dynamo theory and the rapid- decay theory, The rapid-decay theory is more scientifically valid

88
Q

What major benefit do we derive from the earth’s magnetic field?

A

The earth’s magnetic field blocks cosmic rays from the sun

89
Q

In a survey of the deep ocean, sonar measurements detect a deep trench on the bottom that runs as far as the instruments detect. What is the most likely cause of the trench?

A

The trench is probably the site where one plate interacts with another

90
Q

The earthquake activity of two regions on earth is measured. The first region sits near the middle of one of the plates in the earth’s crust, while the other is very near a boundary between two plates. Which will (most likely) have the greatest earthquake activity?

A

The region nearest the plate boundary should have more earthquakes

91
Q

Many powerful earthquakes are followed later by less-powerful earthquakes called “aftershocks.” If an earthquake measures 6 on the Richter scale and is followed by an aftershock that measures 4, how many times more energy was released in the original earthquake as compared to the aftershock?

A

1,024 times more energetic than the aftershock

92
Q

If a region of the earth has a lot of volcanic activity, what kinds of mountains do you expect to find there?

A

You expect to find both volcanic mountains and domed mountains

93
Q

Many scientists think that at one time, all the continents might have fit together to form a supercontinent. What is the name of this supercontinent?

A

Pangaea

94
Q

The point at which the earth is farthest from the sun

A

Aphelion

95
Q

The point at which the earth is closest to the sun

A

Perihelion

96
Q

The way in which the rotation of the earth bends the path of winds, sea currents, and objects that fly through different latitudes

A

Coriolis effect

97
Q

A large body of air with relatively uniform pressure, temperature, and humidity

A

Air mass

98
Q

A boundary between two air masses

A

Weather front

99
Q

Identify the clouds in the following pictures:

A

a. stratus (stratonimbus or nimbostratus is okay also) b. cirrus c. cumulus

100
Q

Of the 3 main factors that influence weather, which is mostly responsible for winds?

A

uneven distribution of thermal energy

101
Q

What are dark cumulus clouds called?

A

cumulonimbus

102
Q

If an area receives a large amount of insolation, is it likely to be warm or cold?

A

it is warm

103
Q

In the Northern Hemisphere, are the day lengths greater than or less than 12 hours between the winter solstice and the spring equinox? Are the day lengths increasing or decreasing during that time?

A

increasing, less than 12 hours

104
Q

Why is the Northern Hemisphere in winter when the earth is closest to the sun?

A

The Northern Hemisphere is pointed away from the sun

105
Q

Suppose you are at the equator and want to fire a missile at a target due north of your location. Would you aim the missile north, northwest, or northeast in order to ensure it hits the intended target?

A

northwest

106
Q

Without two specific factors, the global wind patterns would be simple. They would blow from the poles to the equator. What two factors shape the global winds into the complex patterns that we actually see?

A

The change in temperature caused by air changing latitude, the Coriolis effect

107
Q

What causes the wind in a certain region to be different from what we expect based on the global patterns we see?

A

Local winds

108
Q

An air mass is dry and warm. What kind of air mass is it?

A

continental tropical

109
Q

You watch the sky as cirrus clouds form followed by stratus and nimbostratus clouds. Do you expect a violent rainstorm or a long, lighter rain?

A

long, lighter rain

110
Q

A current of rising air

A

Updraft

111
Q

A substance that does not conduct electricity very well

A

Insulator

112
Q

The same cloud precipitates snow on a mountain and rain in the nearby valley. Does the Bergeron process or the collision-coalescence theory best describe the process causing precipitation from that cloud?

A

The Bergeron process

113
Q

What is the dew point? What two factors influence it?

A

The dew point is the temperature at which water vapor condenses out of the air onto ground-level surfaces, humidity, pressure

114
Q

A thunderstorm cell is raining, and there is no updraft. In what stage is the thunderstorm cell? Will there be hail at this point in the thunderstorm?

A

The thunderstorm is in its dissipation stage. No hail will exist

115
Q

If the mature stage of a thunderstorm lasts for 30 minutes maximum, why can thunderstorms rain heavy sheets of rain for several hours?

A

These thunderstorms are made up of several cells

116
Q

Why don’t you see lightning from nimbostratus clouds?

A

The charge imbalance that causes lightning starts in a cloud and cannot form unless the cloud is tall

117
Q

What happens first in a lightning bolt: a return stroke or a stepped leader?

A

The stepped leader

118
Q

How does lightning cause thunder?

A

Lightning causes thunder by heating up the air through which it passes

119
Q

Is it possible for sheet lightning to strike a person?

A

Sheet lightning cannot strike a person

120
Q

A tornado is in its organization stage. Has it touched the ground yet?

A

Yes, it has touched ground

121
Q

What differentiates a tropical storm from a tropical disturbance?

A

Wind speed

122
Q

Where is the calmest part of a hurricane?

A

eye

123
Q

Is the atmospheric pressure in Houston, TX higher, lower, or equivalent to that in Atlanta, GA?

A

is equivalent

124
Q

Is the atmospheric pressure in Chicago, IL higher, lower, or equivalent to that in New York, NY?

A

higher

125
Q

What city listed on the map might have been experiencing thundershowers at the time this map was drawn

A

New York

126
Q

What city listed on the map should expect warmer weather?

A

Houston

Physical Science (12 decks)

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