Science Set 1 Flashcards
In a common undergraduate lab, students synthesize this compound through phosphoric acid-catalyzed
ester-ification. This compound’s starting chemical was formerly extracted from (*) willow bark by doctors,
and its modern form was patented by Bayer. Acetyl-salicylic acid is another name for, for ten points, which NSAID
[en-sed] pain reliever that can cause more gastro-intestinal side effects than ibuprofen?
aspirin
The Lockheed WP-3D Orion is a nicknamed a “hunter” of these systems, which cannot form near the
equator due to a weak Coriolis force. The Saffir-Simpson scale classifies these weather systems, which have
an (*) eyewall that drives a storm surge onto land in instances of these system classified as “Category 5.” For ten
points, name these violent, tropical Atlantic cyclones exemplified by Ida and Katrina.
hurricanes
Systems composed of a pendulum and this device can be modeled by the Duffing equation. This device’s
force is equal to stiffness times extension, or “kx” [K-X], according to (*) Hooke’s law, which describes these
simple harmonic oscillators. For ten points, name this device, used in trampolines and pogo sticks, that stores energy
in its often-metal coils.
springs
) Larvae of the insect family Agro-myzi-dae are “miners” of these structures, where bundle-sheath
cells are found. These structures can be “palmately compound,” and they have parallel veins in monocots.
Carotenoid pigments that are (*) yellow and orange become more prominent in these structures before they are
shed by deciduous trees. For ten points, name these green plant structures that are the primary site of photosynthesis.
: leaf (accept leaves;
W and Z particles mediate this fundamental force responsible for beta decay. The physicists Glashow, Weinberg,
and Salam successfully unified this force with electromagnetism
weak nuclear force
Most attempts at a unified theory fail because of this force, which Newton used to explain the motion of planets
around the Sun. In relativity, this force is a distortion in spacetime around an object.
gravity
The observed decay of these positively-charged particles would be good evidence for several unified theories, but
experiments suggest it may take 1035 years [ten to the thirty-fifth years] to occur.
protons
Name this astronomical object that can experience namesake “spots,” dark regions on its surface caused by magnetic
activity.
sun
Sunspots are still very bright; they only look dark compared to this layer, the “visible” surface of the sun, where
energy is released as light.
photosphere
This other phenomenon can make parts of the sun appear dark. In these events, a syzygy, or the lining-up of three
astronomical objects, causes the moon to block out the Earth’s view of the sun.
solar eclipse
Name this group of roughly six elements that includes boron, arsenic, and germanium. This group’s name reflects
that its properties are between those of elements like gold and oxygen.
metalloids
The semiconductor industry relies heavily on germanium and this element with symbol Si to build components like
transistors and microchips
: silicon
When the metalloid antimony is blended with tin, the result is this alloy, traditionally used to make dishes, pitchers,
and beer tankard
pewter
Name this mechanism of evolution in which individuals with favorable traits for an environment survive longer and
pass those traits to their offspring.
natural selection
Unlike “directional” selection, this type of natural selection favors two extreme phenotypes. This type of selection
explains why finches on Santa Cruz island have either small or large beaks, with very few having medium-sized
beaks
: disruptive selection
In some African countries like Mozambique, this trait has increased in elephant populations from five to thirty-five
percent in two generations. Pressure from poachers has created a directional selection for this trait, especially in
female elephants.
: tuskless (accept any description of elephants having no tusks)
) Each of bromine and this element name a type of number used to characterize the unsaturation of fats.
A common clock reaction changes color when this element complexes with starch. Pills containing potassium
and this element may be issued to victims of (*) nuclear disasters. A product whose name combines this element
and “beta” is a popular skin antiseptic. For ten points, name this purplish halogen that can be added to table salt for
thyroid health, and that has atomic number 53 and symbol I [EYE
Iodine
Xanthe-lasma is caused by deposits of this compound under the skin. It is not bile, but yellow gallstones
are primarily crystals of this molecule, whose four-ring structure is the precursor of (*) steroid hormones.
The best-selling drug of all time is a statin that lowers this molecule’s LDL or “bad” form. For ten points, name this
lipid molecule that is concentrated in shellfish and egg yolks, and that forms plaques that harden arteries.
cholesterol
A McLeod gauge is attached to equipment operating under this condition, which minimizes heat
conduction within a Dewar flask. This phenomenon exists between Magdeburg hemispheres, and is found
above the mercury (*) column in a Torricelli barometer. Robert Boyle designed an air pump to prove that sound
cannot travel through this medium. Aristotle said that “nature abhors,” for ten points, what condition in which a
space is entirely devoid of matter?
vacuum
This astronomical body is orbited by the second most trojans in the solar system, and by the largestknown non-spherical satellite, Proteus. This planet’s surface has the solar system’s fastest winds, which
create the (*) “Scooter” cloud formation as well as a now-dissipated storm nicknamed the “Great Dark Spot.”
Fourteen moons, including Triton, orbit, for ten points, what vivid blue eighth planet from the Sun?
Neptune
Humus [HYOO-muss], a dark organic matter made of the decomposed remains of dead plants and animals,
forms much of the top layer of this substance. For ten points each,
Name this substance made of organic matter and sand, silt, or clay, in which plants can grow
soil (accept topsoil; accept dirt; accept earth)
By one estimate, each gram of soil contains one million organisms from this kingdom, which does much of the
work of decomposition. This kingdom includes mold and yeast.
fungi (accept fungus)
In the tundra and taiga biomes, the most abundant animal life in the soil is worms from this phylum that includes
the model organism C. elegans
Nematoda (accept nematodes; accept roundworms
Above eight thousand meters, this layer is called the “death zone” because its effective oxygen percentage is
just eight percent, compared to twenty-one percent at sea level. For ten points each,
Name this lowest region of Earth’s atmosphere, where all weather occurs.
troposphere
The troposphere over large urban areas like Los Angeles and Mexico City tends to trap this visible, toxic form of air
pollution that consists of nitrogen and sulfur oxides
smog
Urban air tends to trap smog close to the ground because of an inversion of this quantity, which normally decreases
with altitude toward the top of the troposphere, where it can drop below negative fifty Celsius.
temperature
Along with a flame test, elements in solution can be identified using qualitative analysis. Answer these
questions about the process, for ten points each.
Much of qualitative analysis depends on this kind of reaction in which two ions combine to form a solid that sinks
to the bottom of a test tube.
precipitation (accept precipitate)
Lead [led], silver, and mercury can be identified quickly because they precipitate with this anion found in table salt.
chloride
Because it behaves so much like iron, this metal is difficult to identify in solution, requiring eight steps to form a
rose red precipitate. This element has chemical symbol Ni [N-I
nickel
A boat’s outboard motor in water produces this type of motion, which is contrasted with laminar flow. For ten
points each,
Name this type of fluid movement in which particles experience unpredictable changes in velocity and pressure.
Airplanes experience this phenomenon at the boundaries of air masses moving at different speeds.
turbulence
The transition from laminar to turbulent flow can be predicted using this dimensionless number named for a British
physicist. For a circular water pipe, turbulence occurs when this number is greater than four thousand.
Reynolds
The dimples on this type of ball increase its Reynolds number to about fifty thousand, greatly reducing air resistance
and increasing distance when it is struck with a club such as a three-iron
golf ball
A “Wankel” [VON-kull] one of these devices uses a Reauleaux triangle rotor. This device’s “Carnot”
[kar-NOH] type has perfect efficiency. A “four-stroke” type of these devices once relied on carburetors for
proper air mixture. (*) Piston compression causes ignition in the “Diesel” type of these devices, which may
convey rotational motion via crankshaft. For ten points, which device’s “internal combustion” type is found in most
cars?
engines accept motors
One of these objects is at the center of astronomical object 3C 273, which is the most distant object visible
through a backyard telescope because it is brighter than all stars in its surrounding galaxy combined. For ten points
each,
Name these astronomical objects that are so dense that not even light can escape from their event horizons
black holes
3C 273 is one of these objects, the most luminous type of object in the universe. These objects are composed of an
active galactic nucleus powered by a supermassive black hole.
quasars
Radio astronomer Maarten Schmidt confirmed the vast distance between quasars and Earth by measuring the high
degree of this shift, an example of the Doppler effect
redshift
You’ve decided to buy a DNA testing kit and get your genealogical profile. Answer these questions about the
process, for ten points each.
Before the company can sequence the DNA in your saliva sample, this process is used to amplify the DNA. This
process uses a thermal cycler and Taq [tack] polymerase enzyme
PCR (accept polymerase chain reaction)
The company can trace your matrilineal ancestry using DNA from your mitochondria. If you are male, your father’s
line can be traced using this chromosome.
Y chromosome
Since 2012, companies can look for variants in genes like SPAG17 and TTF1 to determine what percentage of your
DNA was inherited from this other humanoid species that went extinct about forty thousand years ago.
Neanderthals
In theory, a meta-material super-lens could be used to see a nano-machine at work because the lens has a
negative value for this quantity. For ten points each,
Name this optical quantity, the ratio of light’s speed in a vacuum to its speed in a medium. This quantity is about
1.33 for water and 2.42 for diamond.
: index of refraction
For a light wave at the boundary of two media, this law states the ratio of the sine of angle of incidence to the sine
of angle of refraction equals the reciprocal ratio of the indices of refraction
Snell’s law
At the boundary between air and a polished silver surface, Snell’s law predicts that 95% of incident light will
experience this phenomenon instead of refraction. This phenomenon explains why you can see yourself in a mirror.
reflection
Perfectly elastic collisions and negligible particle volume are two of the assumptions made in the kinetic
theory of these substances. For ten points each,
Name this state of matter whose molecules are in constant, random motion, but with much greater separation
between particles than in a liquid.
gases
