Oceanography - Exam 1

Question 1

What is a scientific theory?

Answer 1

When the hypothesis has been well tested the hypothesis becomes a theory.
> In science a theory is well tested and generally believed. However, even after it becomes a theory it is still open to retesting and modification

Question 2

What is a scientific hypothesis?

Answer 2

a hypothesis is a preliminary, untested explanation is given to explain the facts. The hypothesis is compared to the facts to see is it passes the test. New facts are continually collected and compared to the hypothesis.

Question 3

What is a scientific law?

Answer 3

In some specific, generally mathematical, explanations become scientific laws. Scientific laws are no more certain than scientific theories. Even scientific laws are open to modification, but it rarely happens.

Question 4

What are the 6 levels of Blooms taxonomy in order from the simplest to the most complex?

Answer 4

Lowest level: Level 1 Knowledge
Level 2 Comprehension
Level 3 Application
Level 4 Analysis
Level 5 Synthesis
> Highest level: Level 6 Evaluation

Question 5

Of Bloomm’s taxonomy - which is the simplest? Give an example

Answer 5

Lowest level: Level 1 Knowledge; example is: For example a child can memorize the multiplication table without understanding it

Question 6

Of Bloomm’s taxonomy - which is the deepest one? Give an example

Answer 6

Highest level: Level 6 Evaluation Example: evaluate the different number systems to decide the advantages and disadvantages of each.
> Evaluate octal (base 8) system versus decimal (base 10) system for computer use

Question 7

Why must some knowledge, the lowest level of thinking, be learned in a class like this?

Answer 7

There is a certain amount of memorization needed for this class. If you don’t have some knowledge, there’s nothing to comprehend, analyze, evaluate, etc

Question 8

Why is it important to use higher orders of thinking?

Answer 8

The smartest people in the world are constantly analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating. If we just used the basic order of thinking, knowledge, nothing new will ever come about. If we take everything at face value and never expound on our knowledge, we should then just be robots.

Question 9

Describe the present best explanation of how the solar system formed.

Answer 9

Most likely, when an O or B star reached the end of its life cycle – it turned into a Supernova. This Supernova exploded, sending out massive radiation, heat, and disruption throughout the interstellar medium. This disruption caused a collapse in the dust which started to heat up and spin. The larger, hotter, and faster it became the more unstable this dust storm became. It then started to organize, pulling itself together, and collapsing upon itself. The spinning and flattening creates a protostar (our sun). Our sun starts going through its evolutionary process of becoming an adult star as it is today on the main sequence of the H-R diagram. The rest of our planets were formed by a process called accretion.

Question 10

What is the process of how the solar system formed called?

Answer 10

The nebular hypothesis

Question 11

Why are the inner planets rocky and the outer planets gaseous?

Answer 11

Fusion, from the star Sun, causes solar wind to blow most of the lighter elements out of inner solar system, This causes rocky inner planets (like Earth) and gaseous outer planets (like Jupiter).

Question 12

Give an example of a scientific hypothesis.

Answer 12

The nebular hypothesis is the best explanation of how the solar system formed

Question 13

Give an example of a scientific theory.

Answer 13

Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity - This was a theory first and then experiments were designed to test the theory which is a variation to the basic scientific method

Question 14

Was the atmosphere and ocean of the Earth present in the very early Earth? If so, describe it and if not, why
not?

Answer 14

No, early Earth went through Gravitational collapse, meteor impacts, and radioactivity heated the Earth making it semi-molten. This allowed denser metals like iron to move lower toward center forming dense core. Outer core is still molten while inner core is solid. This process is called density stratification and lasted about 100 million years. The Earth began to cool and form a solid surface about 4.6 billion years ago.
The very early atmosphere is unknown.

Question 15

Where did the materials for the atmosphere and ocean of Earth come from? Briefly describe the process

Answer 15

As the Earth continued to cool it outgassed. The Earth was still too hot for liquid water at the surface, it was surrounded by thick clouds.
> Eventually the upper clouds cooled enough for condensation, but rain evaporated as it fell.
> Then it cooled enough for liquid water at the surface and the ocean began

Question 16

What is the process that forms life from organic compounds?

Answer 16

Biosynthesis is the process of forming life from the organic compounds. Early atmospheric components when exposed to sunlight and lightning form organic compounds. that these components of air with energy from light, heat, and lightning, produce many of the important organic compounds.
The absence of free oxygen is important, because it can destroy these large molecules.

Question 17

About when did life begin on Earth?

Answer 17

The oldest fossils are about 3.5 billion years old shown in Fig. 116a and artist reconstruction in Fig. 1.16b, p. 15.
> They are remnants of fairly complex bacteria like organisms.
> This would mean that the simpler life would have had to develop even earlier.
> Simple carbon formations, believed to be based on life, found in even older rocks in Greenland.
> These 3.85 billion year old “fossils” are found in some of the oldest rocks ever found.