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Ph. Science Midterm
Question | Answer |
---|---|
Atom | The smallest chemical unit of matter. |
Molecule | Two or more atoms linked together to make a substance with unique properties. |
Concentration | The quantity of a substance within a certain volume. |
Humidity | The moisture content of air. |
Absolute humidity | The mass of water vapor contained in a certain volume of air. |
Relative humidity | 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. |
Greenhouse effect | The process by which certain gases(principally water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane)trap the heat that radiates from earth. |
Atmosphere | The mass of air surrounding a planet. |
Barometer | An instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure. |
Homosphere | The lower layer of earth's atmosphere, which exists from ground level to roughly 80 km(50 miles)above sea level. |
Heterosphere | The upper layer of earth's atmosphere, which exists higher than roughly 80 km(50 miles)above sea level. |
Jet streams | Narrow bands of high-speed winds that circle the earth, blowing from west to east. |
Heat | Energy that is transferred as a consequence of temperature differences. |
Atmospheric pressure | The pressure exerted by the atmosphere on all objects within it. |
Polar molecule | A molecule that has a slight positive and negative charges due to an imbalance in the way electrons are shared. |
Solvent | A liquid substance capable of dissolving other substances. |
Solute | A substance that is dissolved in a solvent. |
Solution | Formed when you dissolve a solute in a solvent. |
Cohesion | The phenomenon that occurs when individual molecules are so strongly attracted that they tend to stay together, even when exposed to tension. |
Hydrosphere | The sum of all water on the planet. |
Transpiration | Evaporation of water from plants. |
Condensation | The process by which a gas turns into a liquid. |
Adiabatic cooling | The cooling of a gas that happens when a gas expands with no way of getting more energy. |
Sedimentary rock | Rock formed when chemical reactions cement sediments together, hardening them. |
Igneous rock | Rock that forms from molten rock. |
Metamorphic rock | Igneous or sedimentary rock that has been changed in to a new kind of rock as a result of great pressure and temperature. |
Plastic rock | Rock that behaves like something between a liquid and a solid. |
Fault | The boundary between two sections of rock that can move relaive to one another. |
Epicenter | The point on the surface of the earth directly above an earthquake's focus. |
Aphelion | The point at which the earth is farthest from the sun. |
Perihelion | The point at which the earth is closest to the sun. |
Coriolis effect | The way in which the rotation of the earth bends the path of winds, sea currents, and objects that fly through different latitudes. |
Air mass | A large body of air with relatively uniform air pressure, temperature, and humidity. |
Updraft | A current of rising air. |
Insulator | A substance that does not conduct electricity very well. |
Metric measure of mass. | Gram. |
Metric measure of distance. | Meter. |
Metric measure of volume. | Liter. |
Metric measure of time. | Second. |
English measure of mass. | Slug. |
English measure of distance. | Foot. |
English measure of volume. | Gallon. |
English measure of time. | Second. |
What gases make up the make up the heterosphere? | Oxygen, helium, hydrogen. |
What region(s) in the homosphere does temperature decrease with an increase in altitude. | Troposphere and mesosphere. |
What region(s) in the homosphere does the temperature increase with an increase in altitude. | Stratosphere (due to ozone layer) |
What region is called the "weather layer" and why? | The troposphere, because this is where almost all of the weather phenomena occurs. |
Understand the "ozone hole" | The ozone hole is caused by certain ozone-destroying agents(chlorofluorocarbons)which work only in the presence of the Polar Vortex which lifts them up into the stratosphere.Polar Vortex happens only in Antarctica,and only during fall.Deepens in fall. |
Polarity | Occurs when you have opposite charges within the same molecule. |
Hydrogen bonding | The bond that keeps water molecules close together but only when liquid. |
What causes the magnetic field of the earth? | The large amount of electrical current in the earth's core. |
Dynamo theory | Says the motion of the core is due to the temperature differences in the core and the rotation of the earth. |
Rapid-decay theory | Says the electrical current in the core started as a consequence of how the earth was formed and is reducing over time. |
Why is the magnetic field on earth so important to us? | It deflects harmful cosmic rays emitted from the sun that would otherwise hit the earth and kill all life on the planet. |
What is Pangaea? | A hypothetical super continent that might have existed in earth's past. |
What are the 4 types of mountains? | Fault-block, folded, domed, volcanic. |
What are the 4 basic types of clouds? | Cumulus, stratus, cirrus, lenticular. |
What season is the Northern Hemisphere having at aphelion? | Summer. |
What season is the Northern hemisphere having at perihelion? | Winter. |