APES Chapter 2 Questions and answers
What is an environmental system? - answer a set of interacting components which
exchange energy and matter so that a change in one part of the system effects other
part(s) of the system. (Ex:,digestive system, ecosystem, car, etc.)
How do systems vary in scale, and how does a large system include a smaller system?
- answer Systems can occur in any scale (with a cell, within an entire ocean, etc.) A
large system may contain many smaller systems within it. (Ex., photosynthesis, crop
cycle, food production, human population growth.)
What are the largest systems in the Mono Lake ecosystem? What are some examples
of smaller systems within that system? - answer Larger: water flow, salt deposits
Smaller: birds, shrimp, algae
matter - answer anything that occupies space and has mass
mass - answer measure of the amount of matter an object contains
atom - answer smallest particle which can contain the chemical properties of an
element; the building blocks of matter
element - answer substance composed of atoms and cannot be broken down into
smaller/simpler components; can occur as solids, liquids, or gases
periodic table - answer list of all known elements abbreviated in one or two letter
symbols; contains 94 naturally occurring elements and 24 lab produced elements (118
total.)
molecule - answer particle containing more than one atom
compound - answer molecule containing more than one element
atomic number - answer amount of protons in an atom's nucleus; unique property to
that element
mass number - answer total number of protons and neutrons in an atom's nucleus;
unique property to that element's isotope
isotopes - answer atoms of the same element, with different numbers of neutrons
radioactive decay - answer spontaneous release of material from the nucleus of an
unstable isotope
, half-life - answer time it takes for one-half of an element's original radiocative parent
atoms to decay
chemical bonds - answer how atoms interact/join together to form molecules or
compounds
covalent bonds - answer compounds made of elements which don't easily gain or
lose electrons and are instead held together through sharing electrons
ionic bonds - answer atoms whose transfer of electrons creates a charge imbalance
of ions which holds the molecule together as the opposites attract.
hydrogen bonds - answer weak chemical bond that forms when hydrogen atoms that
are covalently bonded to one atom are attracted to another atom on another molecule
polar molecule - answer molecule in which one side is more positive and one side is
more negative
surface tension - answer property of water molecules to cohere at the surface of a
body of water and form a sort of skin
capillary action - answer property of water to adhere to a surface stronger than the
cohesion between its molecules, resulting in absorption
acid - answer substance that contributes hydrogen ions to a solution (H+)
base - answer substance that contributes hydroxide ions to a solution (OH-)
pH scale - answer logarithmic scale that indicates strength of acids and bases in a
solution on a range of 0 to 14
chemical reaction - answer occurs when atoms separate from molecules or
recombine with other molecules
law of conservation of matter - answer states that matter can neither be created nor
destroyed; it can only change form
inorganic compounds - answer compounds which a) do not contain carbon b)
contain carbon bound to elements other than hydrogen
organic compounds - answer basis of biological molecules crucial to life; compounds
which have carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen bonds (such as macromolecules)
carbohydrates - answer compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen
atoms which form monosaccharides (glucose) or chains of polysaccharides (starch and
cellulose)
What is an environmental system? - answer a set of interacting components which
exchange energy and matter so that a change in one part of the system effects other
part(s) of the system. (Ex:,digestive system, ecosystem, car, etc.)
How do systems vary in scale, and how does a large system include a smaller system?
- answer Systems can occur in any scale (with a cell, within an entire ocean, etc.) A
large system may contain many smaller systems within it. (Ex., photosynthesis, crop
cycle, food production, human population growth.)
What are the largest systems in the Mono Lake ecosystem? What are some examples
of smaller systems within that system? - answer Larger: water flow, salt deposits
Smaller: birds, shrimp, algae
matter - answer anything that occupies space and has mass
mass - answer measure of the amount of matter an object contains
atom - answer smallest particle which can contain the chemical properties of an
element; the building blocks of matter
element - answer substance composed of atoms and cannot be broken down into
smaller/simpler components; can occur as solids, liquids, or gases
periodic table - answer list of all known elements abbreviated in one or two letter
symbols; contains 94 naturally occurring elements and 24 lab produced elements (118
total.)
molecule - answer particle containing more than one atom
compound - answer molecule containing more than one element
atomic number - answer amount of protons in an atom's nucleus; unique property to
that element
mass number - answer total number of protons and neutrons in an atom's nucleus;
unique property to that element's isotope
isotopes - answer atoms of the same element, with different numbers of neutrons
radioactive decay - answer spontaneous release of material from the nucleus of an
unstable isotope
, half-life - answer time it takes for one-half of an element's original radiocative parent
atoms to decay
chemical bonds - answer how atoms interact/join together to form molecules or
compounds
covalent bonds - answer compounds made of elements which don't easily gain or
lose electrons and are instead held together through sharing electrons
ionic bonds - answer atoms whose transfer of electrons creates a charge imbalance
of ions which holds the molecule together as the opposites attract.
hydrogen bonds - answer weak chemical bond that forms when hydrogen atoms that
are covalently bonded to one atom are attracted to another atom on another molecule
polar molecule - answer molecule in which one side is more positive and one side is
more negative
surface tension - answer property of water molecules to cohere at the surface of a
body of water and form a sort of skin
capillary action - answer property of water to adhere to a surface stronger than the
cohesion between its molecules, resulting in absorption
acid - answer substance that contributes hydrogen ions to a solution (H+)
base - answer substance that contributes hydroxide ions to a solution (OH-)
pH scale - answer logarithmic scale that indicates strength of acids and bases in a
solution on a range of 0 to 14
chemical reaction - answer occurs when atoms separate from molecules or
recombine with other molecules
law of conservation of matter - answer states that matter can neither be created nor
destroyed; it can only change form
inorganic compounds - answer compounds which a) do not contain carbon b)
contain carbon bound to elements other than hydrogen
organic compounds - answer basis of biological molecules crucial to life; compounds
which have carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen bonds (such as macromolecules)
carbohydrates - answer compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen
atoms which form monosaccharides (glucose) or chains of polysaccharides (starch and
cellulose)
