Study Guide – Second Semester Final
It’s the end of the year and I know it is so difficult to study but I want you to end the year doing just as well as you have since September when you wowed me with your intelligence! Make sure you take the time to study and take advantage of all of the help I am offering to learn and understand the material. If you have questions, make sure to find a time to ask! I know you will do great and then you can relax and enjoy your summer vacation!
I. The Atmosphere and Weather (page 256 - 281)
A. You need to know the definition for atmosphere and weather
B. You should know the gases that make up the atmosphere and the percentages for each
C. You should know that carbon dioxide and methane are greenhouses gases and trap infrared radiation (heat) in the atmosphere. They are increasing in our atmosphere because of human activity like burning fossil fuels and raising large numbers of animals for food.
D. You should know that Nitrogen does nothing to us above the water. It is a non-reactive gas.
E. Air has mass and takes up space. We showed that air has mass when we found the mass of a balloon before and after blowing it up. Air does not have much mass though!
F. The density of air is greater at sea level than it is at higher altitudes
G. Air pushes on us. We call this air pressure. Air pressure is measured in pounds per square inch and the pressure at sea level is about 14.7 psi.
H. When you go up in an airplane or travel to higher altitudes, air pressure decreases as the density of air decreases.
I. We crushed cans in class using only air pressure by lowering the pressure inside the can. I boiled water in the can. The hot air is less dense than the cold air outside the can and when the opening of the can is sealed, the higher pressure outside the can crushes the can.
J. Air pressure helps planes fly using a principle called Bernoulli’s principle. Fast moving air has less pressure than slow moving air so the slow moving air under the wing of an airplane has greater pressure and pushes the wings and airplane up in the air.
K. The atmosphere has many layers. We live in the troposphere and this is where weather occurs.
L. The ozone layer is a special layer of gas in the stratosphere that absorbs and reflects ultraviolet radiation. This helps protect us from burns.
M. Energy from the Sun comes to us in the form of electromagnetic radiation. Most energy from the Sun is in the form of visible light. Visible light is all of the colors of the rainbow – all of the colors our eyes can see. Infrared radiation is felt as heat and warms the Earth. Infrared radiation is absorbed by greenhouse gases and makes life possible on Earth. Ultraviolet radiation causes burns, tanning and can cause skin cancer and eye damage.
N. The Sun warms our Earth making life possible. The Greenhouse Effect is not all bad!!!! The amount of heat in our atmosphere is described as the amount of thermal energy. The more thermal energy or heat in the atmosphere, the more the molecules of gas move around.
O. Radiation is energy in the atmosphere that moves through empty space. Conduction is the transfer of heat when objects touch. Convection in the main way the troposphere is heated. Infrared energy is absorbed by the ground, which then heats the air close to the ground. Hot air rises, cools and then falls.
II. Energy (Chapter 12)
A. Energy that we use to power our homes, cars and businesses can be divided into two types of energy, Renewable and Nonrenewable.
B. Nonrenewable energy sources are types of energy that once used, can never be used again. It may take millions of years to replace them. Fossil Fuels are the main source of our energy at this time. Fossil fuels were formed as plants and animals that lived millions of years ago broke down in the Earth. The main fossil fuels are coal, oil and natural gas. We use these forms of energy by burning them (combustion). They produce greenhouse gases as one by-product of their use.
C. Renewable energy sources are types of energy that don’t run out. We can use them over and over. Some popular renewable energy sources are Solar Power, Wind Power, Geothermal Energy, Tidal and Wave Power, Hydroelectric Power and Biofuels.
III. Living Things (look at your notes and notes online – some information on pages 393-394 and 404 – 407)
A. Living organisms all have at least one cell, move, reproduce, eat, get rid of poisonous waste and respond and adapt to their environment.
B. Kingdom Monera is the simplest form of life. These are the bacteria. They are all single celled and very small. They cause disease but they also help break down material in the environment (decomposers). Examples are anthrax and E. coli.
C. Kingdom Protista are almost all single celled and are the algae and protozoa. Protists live in water environments. Some make their own food (algae) but most have to eat other living things for food.
D. Both Monera and Protists reproduce by replicating and dividing. This is called binary fission.
E. Kingdom Fungi do not make their own food. They eat other organisms and are also one of the main decomposers in the environment. Most are multi-celled. They include the mushrooms and mold.
F. Any living thing that makes their own food does so through a process called photosynthesis where the organism absorbs energy from the Sun along with carbon dioxide and water. The green pigment called chlorophyll works to make sugar (glucose) and oxygen.
G. Kingdom Plantae – All make their own food from the Sun through photosynthesis. All are multi-celled and most reproduce sexually. The lower plants are the mosses and ferns. They don’t make seeds. Gymnosperms and Angiosperms make seeds in cones and flowers (fruits). Angiosperms are flowering plants. Flowers are the reproductive organs and usually contain male and female sex cells that when fertilized make a fruit which contains seeds to make a new plant.
H. Kingdom Animalia contains the invertebrate and vertebrate animals. All animals are multi-celled and they do not make their own food. Invertebrate animals have no skeleton and no vertebral column (backbone). They may have an exoskeleton (crunchy on the outside) like a cockroach. Some have no exoskeleton like a jellyfish. Animals with an internal skeleton and a vertebral column are called Vertebrates. Vertebrates include fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals.
I. Except for sea sponges, all animals display some kind of symmetry. If an animal can be divided equally into may different parts like a pie, they have radial symmetry. If an animal can be divided equally only once, they have bilateral symmetry. Jellyfish and sea stars have radial symmetry and you have bilateral symmetry.
J. In an ecosystem, every living thing plays a role. If one organism is removed from an ecosystem then the whole ecosystem may collapse. If all of the plants die or are burned, all of the things that eat the plants either die or move.
K. Organisms that make food for themselves and other organisms are called producers. Plants and algae are producers.
L. Organisms that consume other animals and plants are called consumers. You are a consumer as are all animals.
M. Organisms that break down dead and decaying matter are called decomposers. Fungi and bacteria are decomposers.
N. All of the organisms that produce and consume food are in a food web. Producers form the bottom of the web and go all the way to the carnivore or omnivore at the top of the web. Food webs show the interconnectedness of all of the living things in an environment.
O. Something that is living or once living is called organic. Something that was never alive like a rock or a mineral is inorganic. Living things are also called biotic. Nonliving things in an environment are abiotic.
