Module 1: Elements of Physical Geography

Question 1

geography

Answer 1

study of our home planet and all of its components: its lands, waters, atmosphere, and interior

Question 2

geographic thinking

Answer 2

Knowing where something is, and how its location influences its characteristics and relationships with other phenomena

Question 3

spatial science

Answer 3

location, region, place, movement, human-environment interaction

Question 4

location

Answer 4

the position in space

Question 5

region

Answer 5

the area which compares temperatures, precipitation, vegetation, soils, and fauna found

Question 6

place

Answer 6

an area that is defined with everything in it including its culture, language, and people

Question 7

movement

Answer 7

migration by the human race in search of a better place to live, better food, or better climate

Question 8

human-environment interaction

Answer 8

the use of dependency, adaptation, and modification to achieve specific goals of living

Question 9

dependency

Answer 9

explores how humans are dependent on nature for a living

Question 10

adaptation

Answer 10

relates to how humans modify themselves, their lifestyles and their behavior to live in a new environment

Question 11

modification

Answer 11

modifying the environment for comfortable living

Question 12

geographic continuum

Answer 12

when physical and human geography blend together to help scientists better understand the natural environment and world

Question 13

physical geography

Answer 13

studies the natural attributes of the environment

Question 14

human geography

Answer 14

deals with the human aspect, such as activities and culture

Question 15

scientific method

Answer 15

observation, question, hypothesis, experiment, analysis, and conclusion

Question 16

reference maps

Answer 16

meant to be used to view boundaries for specific geographic areas such as countries, cities, rivers, etc.

Question 17

thematic maps

Answer 17

show not only locations but also attributes or statistics about spatial patterns of those attributes and the relationships between places

Question 18

topographic maps

Answer 18

represent a 3D image in a 2Dmap, especially with contour lines

Question 19

remote sensing and geographic information systems

Answer 19

Satellites combine state-of-the-art technology in imaging, communication, navigation, weather, espionage, and more to the study of Earth in detail

Question 20

global positioning system

Answer 20

Uses a ground receptor, a minimum of 4 satellites, and a mathematical process called triangulation to determine your location.

Question 21

remote sensing

Answer 21

the ability to study an object without touching it

Question 22

visible spectrum

Answer 22

Your eyes are a remote sensor set up for a specific wavelength window (390-700 nm)

Question 23

passive remote sensing

Answer 23

our eyes cannot see any other wavelength and also cannot see at night; absorbs electromagnetic energy reflected or transmitted by an object, similar to a photographic camera

Question 24

active remote sensing

Answer 24

generates its own pulse of energy, like a police radar, sonars, and bats

Question 25

eratosthenes

Answer 25

provided the first line of evidence to support a near spherical Earth, and pointing out shadows

Question 26

Strabo (64 BC – 24 AD)

Answer 26

put forward an observation that sailors, looking at ships and lighthouses on the horizon, had been making for centuries

Question 27

Aryabhatta (476–550 AD)

Answer 27

an Indian astronomer and mathematician who studied the Earth and the motion of planets; the calculation of Earth’s circumference to 39,968 km

Question 28

geodesy

Answer 28

the science that studies the Earth by use of its gravitational field, tides, and crust motion

Question 29

the specific name of earth’s physical shape

Answer 29

ellipsoid, more specifically, an oblate spheroid

Question 30

geoid

Answer 30

Geodesy studies use the orbits of Earth satellites to produce an even more accurate model for Earth’s shape

Question 31

mercator

Answer 31

The meridians are evenly spaced; however, the distance between the parallels increases at higher latitude

Question 32

goode

Answer 32

this projection depicts the actual size of landmasses on the Earth’s surface

Question 33

polar

Answer 33

This projection is used to represent geographical features near the poles