Test 1, Chapter 1 Flashcards
What measures the pull of gravity on an object?
weight
A good scientitfic experiment includes
several constant factors and one variable
What are substances composed of only one type of atom called?
elements
In order for soil to drain well and not retain excess water, it must contain
sand
Humus is formed as a result of
decomposition
The type of soil that contains a mixture of sand, silt, clay and humus is
loam
The primary plant food element found in the ashes of burned fruits is
potassium
A substance having a pH of 10 would be
basic
A theory that has never been proven false is called a
law
A fertilizer bag labeled 10-8-14 would contain 10% of the element
nitrogen
What measures the amount of matter in an object?
mass
Plants that have short stems, few leaves, and a pale green color need the plant food element
nitrogen
The plant food element that a farmer should apply when his crop begins to ripen is
phosphorus
Nitrates are formed by
lightning, nitrifying bacteria, nitrogen-fixing bacteria
Legumes allow nitrogen-fixing bacteria to form swellings called _____ on their roots
nodules
What measures how tightly packed matter is?
density
A sensible explanation to a scientific problem is a
hypothesis
What are substances composed of 2 or more elements bonded together called?
compounds
The primary plant food elements are
nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium
When scientists perform experiments, they record facts and information called
data
The study of soil is
pedology
The study of the matter and movement of God’s physical creation is
science
The express acidity and basicity of substances, chemists use the
pH scale
The upper surface of ground water is the
water table
Soil and porous rock that cannot hold any more water are said to be
saturated
List the 6 steps of the scientific method.
- State the problem.
- Gather information about the problem.
- Formulate a hypothesis.
- Test the hypothesis by designing and performing an experiment.
- Record and analyze any changes during the experiment.
- State the conclusions.
any soil material primarily derived from living organisms
organic
any soil material primarily derived from nonliving matter
mineral
breakdown of organisms
decompose
substances composed of decayed organisms’ particles
humus
reusing old materials
recycling
process that breaks rocks down into soil
weathering
top 2 to 6 inches of soil
topsoil
layer of solid rock below the soil
bedrock
What is the substance of the physical world called?
matter
What is an area of ground water collected in a layer of rock or soil?
aquifer
What is a “self-pumping” well called?
artesian well
What is the upward movement of water through a tiny space in response to surface tension?
capillarity
What are the most basic units of matter?
atoms
What are the air pockets called that are found in the soil?
pore spaces
Describe what the nitrogen cycle is, why it is imports to plants, and one way in which nitrogen compounds are formed.
The nitrogen cycle is the movement of nitrogen from the air to the soil to be used by plants and then returned to the atmosphere to be used again.
It is important because plants cannot use the form of nitrogen that is in air unless it is combined with other elements to form certain compounds.
Nitrogen compounds are formed when lightning causes nitrogen & oxygen to form compounds that are carried to the soil by rain.
Nitrogen compounds are formed by nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
