Deck 2: Science, Matter, Energy, and Systems

Question 1

Electromagnetic energy travels in _____.

A)waves
B)packets
C)nodes
D)modules
E)chunks

Answer 1

A

Question 2

What is the distinct piece of DNA containing instructions for making proteins?

A)chromosome
B)nucleotide
C)amino acid
D)cell membrane
E)hydrocarbon

Answer 2

C

Question 3

What is the most basic building block of matter?

A)molecules
B)compounds
C)ions
D)atoms
E)minerals

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Complex carbohydrates are a type of ____.

A)lipid
B)chemical formula
C)monomer
D)protein
E)organic polymer

Question 5

What is the fundamental structural and functional unit of life?

A)atom
B)macromolecule
C)DNA
D)cell
E)organism

Question 6

What law states that when matter undergoes a physical or chemical change, no atoms are created or destroyed?

A)The second law of thermodynamics
B)The law of conservation of matter
C)The first law of thermodynamics
D)The atomic exchange law
E)The law of conservation of energy

Question 7

What is a well-tested and widely accepted description of what scientists find happening repeatedly in nature in the same way?

A)theory
B)scientific law
C)hypothesis
D)conclusion
E)model

Question 8

Which substance is a compound?

A)water
B)oxygen
C)nitrogen
D)hydrogen
E)carbon

Question 9

Which of the following is an example of an organic compound?

A)H₂O
B)NaCl
C)H₂SO₄
D)N₂O
E)CH₄

Question 10

When an overwhelming body of observations and measurements supports a scientific hypothesis or group of related hypotheses, it becomes a(n)____.

A)hypothesis
B)scientific law
C)scientific variable
D)scientific theory
E)conclusion

Question 11

Fundamental types of matter that have unique sets of properties and cannot be broken down into simpler substances by chemical means are called ____.

A)mixtures
B)compounds
C)isotopes
D)elements
E)atoms

Question 12

What is the definition of a scientific hypothesis?

A)A simulation of a system being studied
B)A possible explanation for an observation or experimentation
C)The data needed to answer a question
D)Procedures carried out under controlled conditions to gather information
E)A widely accepted theory

Question 13

Radioactive decay is best characterized as a type of ____.

A)physical change
B)nuclear change
C)chemical change
D)chemical decay
E)organic change

Question 14

Matter is anything that ____.

A)has mass and takes up space
B)has the capacity to do work
C)can be changed in form
D)can produce change
E)moves mass

Question 15

In 1963, Bormann and Likens compared the output of two river valleys, one forested and the other clear cut. What were their findings?

A)The deforested valley had higher water flow and a decrease in nutrient loss.
B)The forested valley had higher water flow and a decrease in nutrient loss.
C)The forested valley had lower water flow and increase in nutrient loss.
D)The deforested valley had lower water flow and increase in nutrient loss.
E)The deforested valley had higher water flow and increase in nutrient loss.

Question 16

Protons, neutrons, and electrons are all ____.

A)forms of energy
B)equal in mass
C)subatomic particles
D)negative ions
E)charged particles

Question 17

Nuclear ____ occurs when two nuclei are forced together.

A)decay
B)fission
C)dissipation
D)fusion
E)equilibrium

Question 18

Thousands of genes make up a single ____.

A)chromosome
B)DNA
C)cell nucleus
D)trait
E)organism

Question 19

Which statement is an example of a chemical change?

A)Confetti is cut from pieces of paper.
B)Water evaporates from a lake.
C)Ice cubes are formed in the freezer.
D)A plant converts carbon dioxide into carbohydrates.
E)A tree is cut down in the forest.

Question 20

What is the correct order of applying the scientific process to a problem?

A)hypothesis − question − observation − experimentation − conclusion − analysis
B)hypothesis − conclusion − question − observation − experimentation − analysis
C)observation − hypothesis − conclusion − experimentation − analysis − question
D)observation − question − hypothesis − experimentation − analysis − conclusion
E)hypothesis − experimentation − observation − analysis − question − conclusion

Question 21

Which law states that no energy can be created or destroyed?

A)The first law of thermodynamics
B)The second law of thermodynamics
C)The law of conservation of matter
D)The environmental exchange law
E)The law of homeostasis

Question 22

The atomic number is the number of ____.

A)atoms in a molecule
B)protons in an atom
C)neutrons in a molecule
D)electrons in an atom
E)protons, electrons, and neutrons in an atom

Question 23

Isotopes are forms of an element that differ from one another by having different ____.

A)atomic numbers
B)numbers of electrons
C)numbers of protons
D)mass numbers
E)electrical charges

Question 24

What describes the measurement of the concentration of hydrogen ions compared to the concentration of hydroxide ions in a solution?

A)ionization
B)pH
C)alkalinity
D)covalent bonding
E)isotope

Question 25

High-quality energy can best be characterized as ____.

A)fossilized
B)pure
C)electromagnetic
D)kinetic
E)concentrated

Question 26

Energy can be formally defined as ____.

A)the random motion of molecules
B)the ability to do work and transfer heat
C)a force that is exerted over some distance
D)the movement of molecules
E)the loss of matter

Question 27

Scientists classify energy as either ____.

A)chemical or physical
B)kinetic or mechanical
C)potential or mechanical
D)potential or kinetic
E)chemical or kinetic

Question 28

Fossil fuels are best characterized as a type of ____.

A)atomic particle
B)renewable energy
C)nonrenewable energy
D)electromagnetic energy
E)thermal energy

Question 29

The energy "lost" by a system is ____.

A)converted into an equal amount of matter
B)equal to the energy the system creates
C)converted to lower-quality energy
D)returned to the system eventually
E)converted to higher-quality energy

Question 30

What percentage of the energy used to produce food for living organisms, and to heat the earth, comes from the sun?

A)10
B)29
C)49
D)79
E)99

Question 31

Which of the following best illustrates potential energy?

A)the wind blowing
B)water in a stream
C)steam
D)a car at the top of a hill
E)electricity

Question 32

Heat is best characterized as a kind of ____ energy.

A)light
B)potential
C)kinetic
D)nuclear
E)low

Question 33

The matter and energy laws tell us that we can recycle ____.

A)both matter and energy
B)neither matter nor energy
C)matter but not energy
D)energy but not matter
E)nothing and everything

Question 34

Energy efficiency refers to ____.

A)how much energy we use
B)how much energy is wasted
C)how much heat is produced
D)getting more work out of the energy we use
E)getting more energy out of our work

Question 35

The mass number of an atom is equal to the sum of the ____.

A)neutrons and isotopes
B)neutrons and electrons
C)neutrons and protons
D)protons and electrons
E)ions and isotopes

Question 36

Which of the following represents kinetic energy?

A)water in a reservoir behind a dam
B)a rock held in your hand
C)chemical energy stored in food
D)water in a stream
E)light from the sun

Question 37

What does the first law of thermodynamics tell us?

A)Doing work always creates heat.
B)Altering matter is the best source of energy.
C)Energy cannot be recycled.
D)Energy is neither created nor destroyed.
E)Energy cannot be converted.

Question 38

Scientists estimate that about _____ of the energy used in the United States is unavoidably wasted.

A)5%
B)18%
C)55%
D)84%
E)96%

Question 39

An ion has a net positive or negative ______.

A)proton
B)isotope
C)charge
D)acid
E)electron

Question 40

What is an example of low-quality energy?

A)electricity
B)heat in the ocean
C)nuclear fission
D)gasoline
E)food

Question 41

Time delays in feedback systems allow changes in the environment to build slowly until the changes reach a(n)____.

A)synergy point
B)input stage
C)throughput
D)tipping point
E)bioaccumulation point

Question 42

Human events that affect the environment are generally characterized by ____.

A)predictability as a result of population size
B)many experiences leading to accurate generalizations
C)long delays between events and responses
D)obvious and immediate feedback
E)negative feedback

Question 43

What term describes the lack of system response system during a period of time?

A)threshold level
B)time delay
C)tipping point
D)negative feedback
E)positive feedback

Question 44

A community knows the effects of chemical X when it is used alone. They also know the same for chemical Z, so they set safe limits for use for both chemicals. When the chemicals are released at safe levels on the same day, there is a massive fish kill. What is the most likely explanation?

A)homeostasis
B)synergistic interaction
C)negative feedback
D)positive feedback
E)entropy

Question 45

Feedback causes ____ in a system.

A)change
B)equilibrium
C)chaos
D)error
E)noise

Question 46

Atoms have a net positive electrical charge.

Question 47

A chemical formula is a shorthand way of writing the symbols for atoms or ions in a compound.

Question 48

When someone says that evolution is not important, "after all, it's just a theory," it is probable that they do not understand how scientists use the term "theory."

Question 49

In a nuclear fission reaction, atoms are destroyed.

Question 50

Which of the following illustrates a negative feedback loop?

A)melting polar ice
B)exponential population growth
C)a thermostat maintaining a certain temperature in your house
D)the greenhouse effect
E)vegetation removed from a stream valley

Question 51

How useful matter is to humans as a resource is determined by its concentration, availability for use, and its potential.

Question 52

Scientists can disprove things but they cannot prove anything absolutely, which means there is always some uncertainty in science.

Question 53

What are two or more processes interacting such that the combined effect is greater than the sum of the individual effects?

A)homeostasis
B)synergistic interaction
C)negative feedback
D)entropy
E)time delay

Question 54

Methane, a hydrocarbon, is considered an organic molecule even though it contains only one carbon atom.

Question 55

According to the law of conservation of matter, once trash decomposes in a landfill, we have completely gotten rid of the matter that made up the trash.

Question 56

Tentative or frontier science is performed by amateur scientists whose work will never be accepted by their peers.

Question 57

Scientists tend to be highly skeptical of new data, hypotheses, and models until they can be tested and verified.

Question 58

One property of a system is that it ____.

A)functions in a regular and predictable manner
B)is highly randomized in its processes
C)cannot be accurately modeled
D)consists solely of inputs and outputs
E)exists only in models

Question 59

What is the point of a fundamental shift in the behavior of a system?

A)negative feedback
B)positive feedback
C)tipping point
D)time delay
E)synergistic point

Question 60

What is considered to be the most essential component of a system?

A)throughputs
B)DNA
C)energy
D)matter
E)light

Question 61

A(n)____________________ occurs when an output of matter, energy, or information is fed back into the system as an input and leads to changes in the system.

Question 62

According to the ____________________, when a physical or chemical change occurs, no atoms are created or destroyed.

Question 63

Most of the energy from burning a gallon of gasoline is lost as ____________________ energy called heat.

Question 64

A molecule is a combination of two or more atoms held together by forces called _______________.

Question 65

Thousands of genes make up a single _______________, a double helix DNA molecule wrapped around proteins.

Question 66

An organic compound is one that contains one or more _______________ atoms combined with atoms of one or more other elements.

Question 67

If a macromolecule was a brick wall it would be called a(n)____________________ made up of repeating units called ____________________.

Question 68

Science is based on the assumption that events in the natural world follow ____________________ patterns that can be understood.

Question 69

There are many types of electromagnetic radiation, each with a different ____________________ and energy content.

Question 70

The scientific principles of sustainability show that everything we do affects someone or something in the environment in some way.

Question 71

A(n)____________________ has more hydrogen ions than hydroxide ions and has a pH ____________________ 7.

Question 72

A(n)_______________ is a set of components that function and interact in some regular way.

Question 73

Energy consumption does not mean the disappearance of energy; rather, it is the conversion of energy from one form to another with no net loss.

Question 74

Any process that increases or decreases a change to a system is called a(n)_______________.

Question 75

Compounds are combinations of two or more different elements held together in ____________________ proportions.

Question 76

Burning coal demonstrates the conversion of energy from kinetic to potential.

Question 77

Energy cannot be recycled.

Question 78

Body fat of a human or other animal is a type of ____________________ energy.

Question 79

A negative feedback loop causes a system to further change in the same direction.

Question 80

____________________ happens when scientists report details of their research and other scientists evaluate it.