Reference no: EM132449835

Week 1

1. Define renewable resources and nonrenewable resources.  Give examples of each.

2. Explain why a single child born in the U.S. can have a greater effect on the environment than 12 or more children born in a developing country.

3. Describe sustainable use of forest and atmosphere resources versus unsustainable use of these.

4. Describe the Tragedy of the Commons.

5. Explain the five steps in addressing the Lake Washington pollution problem of the 1950s.

Week 2

1.  Thomas Henry Huxley once wrote, "The great tragedy of science - the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact."  Explain what he meant, based on what you have learned about the nature of science and the scientific method.

2.  Consider the example of the orbit of the planet Mercury around the Sun.  What were two hypotheses explaining the odd shape of the orbit?  How was one hypothesis disproven?  How was one hypothesis supported?

3.  What is the difference between the word "theory" as used in everyday language versus "theory"  used scientifically?

4.  Explain the difference between a hypothesis, a law, and a theory in science.

Week 3

1.  What is a chemical element?  Give examples of common elements in nature.

2.  Describe the properties and functions of the following subatomic particles:  electrons, protons, and neutrons.

3.  Answer the following questions about the element Carbon.

a)  How many protons does it have in the nucleus?

b)  How many electrons does it have?

c)  How many neutrons does the isotope carbon-12 have?

d)  How many neutrons does the isotope carbon-14 have?

1.  Describe three unusual properties of water.

2.  Describe hydrogen bonding and why it results in the high specific heat capacity and high melting/boiling points of water.

3.  How does water's high specific heat capacity explain why there is more variation in temperatures in the desert than at the beach?

4.  Explain what would happen to lakes in cold climates if ice were denser than water.

Week 4

1.  Describe what happens during the process of photosynthesis.  What types of organisms can perform photosynthesis?

2.  Describe what happens during the process of cellular respiration.  What organisms perform cellular respiration?

3.  Give an example of a pyramid of numbers for an ecosystem of your choice.

4.  You go running after eating a hamburger.  Describe the path of energy provided to your body, starting with the Sun.

Week 5

1.  Describe the main steps in the carbon cycle.

2.  Describe the main steps in the nitrogen cycle.

3.  Explain why Earth's temperature changes with latitude and with the seasons.

4.  Describe the four layers of Earth's atmosphere.

Week 6

1. Explain the four premises of evolution by natural selection as proposed by Charles Darwin.

2. Charles Darwin once said, "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change."  How does this statement relate to the definition of evolution?

3. Describe four different kinds of evidence for evolution.

4. Define population, and explain the four factors that produce changes in population size.

5. Explain why in the absence of competition and with unlimited resources populations follow a J-shaped curve and why in reality most populations follow a S-shaped curve.

6. Define density-dependent and density-independent factors that affect population size, and give examples of each.

1. Define competitive exclusion, and explain how resource partitioning is used to avoid competitive exclusion.  Describe the use of resource partitioning by North American warblers.

2. Define the following types of symbiosis and give examples of each:  mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.

3. Describe the impact of the gray wolf as a keystone species in Yellowstone National Park.

4. Define ecosystem services, and describe the ecosystem services of the Amazon rainforest.

Week 7

Consider the eight aquatic ecosystems:  flowing-water ecosystem, standing-water ecosystem, freshwater wetlands, estuary, intertidal zone, benthic environment, neritic province, and oceanic province.  For each of these,

- describe the ecosystem

- give examples of typical plant and animal life in the ecosystem

- identify at least one ecosystem service provided by that ecosystem

Consider the nine major terrestrial biomes of the world:  tundra, boreal forest, temperate rain forest, temperate deciduous forest, temperate grassland, chaparral, desert, savannah, and tropical rain forest.  For each of these biomes, describe the following:

- climate (temperature and precipitation)

- location

- typical plants and animals

- human foods available

Week 8

1.  Define energy efficiency and energy conservation, and explain the differences between them.

2.  Describe the advantages and disadvantages of coal as an energy source.

3.  Describe the advantages and disadvantages of solar photovoltaic as an energy source.

4.  Explain how electricity is generated and transported.

Week 9

1. What are the differences between coal, oil, and natural gas, and how are each of these formed?

2.  What are the environmental impacts of mining and burning coal?

3.  What are the environmental impacts of producing and burning oil?

4.  Explain the pros and cons of using natural gas, including the process of fracking.

Week 10

1. Describe some techniques (passive and active) for harnessing direct solar energy.

2. Explain how solar thermal electric generation works and state where you can find a solar thermal power plant in Southern California.

3. Explain how solar cells (photovoltaics) work and what some of their applications are.

4. Describe how a hydroelectric dam works, including how the generator produces electricity.  What are some of the environmental impacts of dams?

1. Describe how a hydroelectric power plant works.  Where does the energy of flowing water ultimately come from?  How is electricity generated?

2. What are some environmental pros and cons associated with building dams?

3. How does a nuclear power plant work?  What physical process is responsible for producing the energy?  How is electricity generated?

4. What are some environmental pros and cons associated with nuclear power?