• Shuffle
    Toggle On
    Toggle Off
  • Alphabetize
    Toggle On
    Toggle Off
  • Front First
    Toggle On
    Toggle Off
  • Both Sides
    Toggle On
    Toggle Off
  • Read
    Toggle On
    Toggle Off
Reading...
Front

Card Range To Study

through

image

Play button

image

Play button

image

Progress

1/67

Click to flip

Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;

Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;

H to show hint;

A reads text to speech;

67 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
  • 3rd side (hint)
In general, should atmospheric pressure increase or decrease as altitude increases?
In general, atmospheric pressure decreases with increasing altitude.
Think of atmospheric pressure as the weight of air pressing down on what it touches. As you increase altitude, there is less air above you. As a result, there is less weight pressing down on you.
The atmospheric pressure is 1.1 atm. Which of the following values for atmospheric pressure would you see in the weather report: 29.9 inches, or 28?
The atmospheric pressure will be reported as 32.9 inches.
Remember, an atmospheric pressure of 1.a atm means that atmospheric pressure is at its average sea-level value, which is the same as 29.9 inches of mercury. Since the atmospheric pressure is 1.1 atm, we know that it must be higher than its average sea-level value. The only number given that is greater than 29.9 inches of mercury is 32.9 inches of mercury.
In chemistry, mixtures are classified as being either heterogeneous of homogeneous. Based on what you learned about the difference between the heterosphere and homosphere, classify milk as a heterogeneous mixture. What about Italian salad dressing?
Milk is a homogeneous mixture, while Italian salad dressing is a heterogeneous mixture.
Think about it. The homosphere gets its name from the fact that the air composition is the same throughout. Milk has the same composition no matter what part of the container it comes from. Thus, it must be a homogeneous mixture. Italian salad dressing, however, has all these herbs and spices that tend to sink to the bottom. Thus, Italian salad dressing taken from the top of the bottle will be less spicy than that taken from the bottom of the bottle. Thus, Italian salad dressing does not have the same composition throughout the bottle and is therefore a heterogeneous mixture.
If an airplane travels at altitudes of over 4 kilometers, it is required to have a special oxygen supply for the pilot. As you just learned, however, that altitude is well within the homosphere, where the air is 21% oxygen. Why, then, does the pilot need a special oxygen supply at this altitude?
Even though the air is 21% oxygen, there is a lot less air at that altitude.
Remember, there is less and less air the higher you go. Since there is less and less air, there is less and less oxygen as well. In other words, 21 % of a small amount of air is a small amount of oxygen, which means you might not get the oxygen you need at that altitude.
A supersonic jet travels in the stratosphere. If such a plane were flying over a region experiencing thunderstorms, how would the supersonic jet be affected?
The supersonic jet will not be significantly affected.
Remember, the earth’s weather occurs mostly in the troposphere. Since the stratosphere is above the troposphere, the supersonic jet will not be affected much by the weather.
Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Suppose you were able to watch a sealed vial of water travel up through the homosphere. It would freeze once it got 5 to 7 kilometers high. Would the frozen water ever melt as the vial travelled farther up? If so, where would this happen?
The water will melt near the stratopause.
Because of the change in the temperature gradient in the stratosphere, the vial will get warmer when it reaches the stratosphere. Near the top of the stratosphere, the temperature does creep above water’s freezing point. At that point, the ice will melt.
Two cold bricks are put in contact with one another. The first one has a temperature of -1.00 degrees Celsius, and the other has a temperature of -10 degrees Celcius. Is there any heat in this two-block system?
There will be heat in this system, because energy will be transferred from the warmer brick to the colder brick.
Despite the fact that both bricks are cold, one is warmer than the other. Thus, energy will flow from the warmer brick to the colder brick. Since heat is energy that is being transferred, heat is present.
A thermometer reads 25.00 degrees Celsius. Suppose you put that thermometer into a liquid, and the thermometer reading increases to 80.17 degrees Celsius the instant the thermometer was placed in it. Is the observer correct? Why or why not?
The observer is correct. When the thermometer was put into the substance, some energy got transferred from the substance to the thermometer. That’s what caused the liquid in the thermometer to rise. Since energy went into the thermometer’s liquid, it left the substance. This resulted in some small amount of cooling.
In other words, since the thermometer took a little energy from the substance it cooled the substance slightly. Thus, the substance was slightly warmer the instant the thermometer was placed in it, and then it cooled as a result of transferring energy to the thermometer.
Those who are against the CFC ban point out that CFCs are four to eight times heavier than the nitrogen and oxygen in the air. As a result, they say, there is no way that CFCs can float up to the ozone layer. Why are they wrong?
Under normal conditions, CFCs cannot rise to the ozone layer.

In the polar vortex, however, the steady rush of wind pushes them up to the ozone layer with ease.
Those who are for the CFC ban claim that skin cancer rates have increased in Australia as a result of the “ozone hole.” Although skin cancer rates have increased in Australia (and around the world), why is it hard to believe that the increase is a result of the ozone hole?
The ozone “hole” is centered over Antarctica, and it exists for only a short time.
Although the edges of the ozone hole sometimes reach to Australia, it is hard to understand how the very edges of the hole can have a measurable effect on the population, especially since it exists for only a few months out of the year. In addition, since skin cancer rates are increasing around the world, there are obviously other reasons for skin cancer increases, because the ozone “hole” can only affect people who live near Antarctica .
11. Sometimes, disturbances in the sun’s magnetic field can cause disturbances in the ionosphere. Suppose you were listening to an AM radio at the time of such a disturbance. Would you notice? What if you were listening to a shortwave radio transmission form another continent?
You will not really notice the disturbance while listening to the AM radio, but you will notice it while listening to the shortwave radio.
Remember, short-wave radios bounce their signals off the ionosphere. A disturbance in the ionosphere will affect the shortwave radio’s signal.
Define the following term:

Atmosphere
The mass of air surrounding a planet.
Define the following term:

Atmospheric pressure
The pressure exerted by the atmosphere on all objects within it.
Define the following term:

Barometer
An instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure.
Define the following term:

Homosphere
The lower layer of earth’s atmosphere, which exists from ground level to roughly 80 km above sea level
Define the following term:

Heterosphere
The upper layer of earth’s atmosphere, which exists higher than roughly 80 kilometers above sea level
Define the following term:

Troposphere
The region of the atmosphere that extends from ground level to roughly 11 kilometers above sea level.
Define the following term:

Stratosphere
The region of the atmosphere that spans altitudes of roughly 11 kilometers to 48 kilometers.
Define the following term:

Mesosphere
The region of the atmosphere that spans altitudes of roughly 48 kilometers to 80 kilometers.
Define the following term:

Jet streams
Narrow bands of high-speed winds that circle the earth, blowing from west to east.
Define the following term:

Heat
Energy that is transferred as a consequence of temperature differences
Define the following term:

Temperature
A measure of the energy of random motion in a substance’s molecules.
Define the following term:

Thermosphere
The region of the atmosphere between altitudes of roughly 80 kilometers and 460 kilometers.
Define the following term:

Exosphere
The region of the atmosphere above an altitude of roughly 460 kilometers.
Define the following term:

Ionosphere
The region of the atmosphere between the altitudes of roughly 65 kilometers and 330 kilometers, where the gases are ionized.
Suppose the earth’s atmosphere contained twice the number of molecules it does today. Would atmospheric pressure be greater than, equal to, or less than it is now?
Atmospheric pressure would be greater than it is now.
After all, if there were twice as many molecules in the air, the mass of air pressing down on everything in the atmosphere would be twice as high.
Two students make two different barometers. Although they are placed side by side so that they are both exposed to exactly the same atmospheric pressure, the column of liquid in the first student’s barometer is significantly lower than the column of water in the second student’s barometer. Assuming both students made their barometers correctly, what explains the difference?
The students used different liquids.

A given volume of the liquid used by the first student weighs more than the same volume of the liquid used by the second student.
Remember how a barometer works. The height of the column of liquid is determined by the amount of liquid necessary to counteract the atmospheric pressure pushing on the liquid. The heavier the liquid, the less will be necessary to achieve this effect. Thus, if a given volume of liquid used by the first student weighs more than the same volume of liquid used by the second student, the liquid in the first student’s barometer will not have to rise as high to counteract the force provided by atmospheric pressure.

The average, sea-level value for atmospheric pressure is 14.7 pounds per square inch, which is the same as 29.9 inches of mercury. If the atmospheric pressure is 0.85 atms, which of the following values would correspond to atmospheric pressure as reported in a weather report?

31.1 inches of mercury, 29.9 inches of mercury, 25.4 inches of mercury
An atmospheric pressure of 25.4 inches of mercury would be reported.
Since 1.0 atm corresponds to the average sea-level value of atmospheric pressure, 0.85 atms means that the atmospheric pressure is lower than average.
Two vials contain air samples taken at different altitudes. The first is composed of 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen, and 1 % other. The second is 95% helium, 4 % hydrogen, and 1 % other. Which came from the homosphere?

The first came from the homosphere.

In the homosphere, the mixture of gases in the air is the same throughout. It is the mixture we learned in the previous module. The heterosphere has many different compositions, depending on altitude.
The first came from the homosphere.
In the homosphere, the mixture of gases in the air is the same throughout. It is the mixture we learned in the previous module. The heterosphere has many different compositions, depending on altitude.
You are reading the data coming from a data-gathering balloon as it rises in the atmosphere. You have no idea what altitude it is at, but the balloon is sending a signal from its thermometer, telling you the temperature of its surroundings. How will you know when the balloon enters the stratosphere? How will you know when it enters the mesosphere?
The balloon enters the stratosphere when its temperature readings cease to decrease and begin increasing. The balloon enters the mesosphere when the temperature readings cease increasing and begin decreasing again.
Since the temperature gradient changes at the stratosphere and then again at the mesosphere, this can be used to determine when the balloon has reached those parts of the atmosphere.
Name the three regions of the homosphere, from lowest to highest.
Troposphere
Stratosphere
Mesosphere
Although the temperature gradient changes from region to region in the homosphere, there is one gradient that stays the same. It continues to decrease as you increase in altitude, no matter where you are in the homosphere. To what gradient am I referring?
To the “amount gradient.”
You could also answer with “pressure gradient.” Both the amount of air and the pressure decrease with increasing altitude. Remember, “gradient” just means steady change, so I can use that term with any quantity.
A plane is experiencing a lot of problems because of a storm in the area. Is the plane flying in the troposphere or the stratosphere?
The plane is flying in the troposphere.
That’s where the majority of weather phenomena exist.
A scientist has two vials of ammonia gas. She tells you that in the first vial, the gas molecules are travelling with an average speed of 1,000 miles per hour. In the second vial, they are travelling with an average speed of 1,300 miles per hour. Which vial contains the gas with the higher temperature?
The second vial contains the gas with the highest temperature.
Remember, temperature is a measure of the energy of random motion in a substance. Since the molecules in the second vial have a higher speed, they have more energy and thus a higher temperature.
As you are outside on a cold winter night, you begin to shiver from the cold. Your companion says that you are shivering from the heat. Is your companion correct? Why or why not?
Your companion is correct. Heat is energy that is being transferred. The reason you are cold is that energy is being transferred from your body to the surrounding air.
Even though it sounds weird to say it, you get cold because of transferred energy; thus, you get cold because of heat
Suppose there were a layer of carbon dioxide gas in the mesosphere. What would happen to the temperature gradient in that region?
The temperature gradient would reverse, getting warmer near that region.
Remember, the temperature increases with increasing altitude in the stratosphere because of a layer of the greenhouse gas ozone. Carbon dioxide is also a greenhouse gas, and thus would produce roughly the same effect.
Why will the ban on CFCs most likely not save or improve people’s lives?
A ban on CFCs will probably not save or improve lives because CFCs cause a depletion of ozone only during a few months out of the year and mostly over Antarctica.
Since there is no significant population there, and since the depletion is temporary, the “ozone hole” is not a big threat to human survival.
Why will the ban on CFCs most likely result in a tragic loss of human life?
A ban on CFCs will most likely cost many lives because refrigeration, surgical sterilization, and firefighting will all be less efficient, causing death by starvation, death by eating food-borne illness, death by surgical infection,and death by fire.
A ban on CFCs will most likely cost many lives because refrigeration, surgical sterilization, and firefighting will all be less efficient, causing death by :

starvation,
death by eating food-borne illness, death by surgical infection,and
death by fire.
Even though human civilization is responsible for less than 1% of all chlorine in the atmosphere, it is responsible for 80% of all ozone-destroying chlorine. Why?
Some kinds of human-made molecules that contain chlorine can survive the trip up to the ozone layer, while most naturally produced chlorine-containing molecules cannot.
Thus, although we produce few chlorine-containing molecules, many of them can reach the ozone layer, where ozone depletion can occur. As a result, most of the ozone-destroying molecules in the ozone layer are from human resources.
What makes it possible for CFCs to travel up to the ozone layer and begin destroying ozone?
The polar vortex lifts the CFCs into the ozone layer.
Since the polar vortex is seasonal and limited mostly to the South Pole, so is ozone depletion.

Where is the ionosphere, and what makes it useful to us?
The ionosphere is a stretch of the atmosphere ranging from the upper mesosphere to the lower parts of the thermosphere. It is useful to us in radio communication, as radio signals can bounce off of it to extend their range.
An altitude range of roughly 65 km to 330 km is also a valid answer to where the ionosphere is.
The mass of air surrounding a planet is called its___________ . Everything that comes into contact with the mass of air surrounding the earth is subjected to_________, which is, on average 14.7 pounds per square inch at sea level. Even though this is a lot of pressure, we don’t feel it, because _________pushes on you from all sides, even from within.
Atmosphere
atmospheric pressure
equal pressure
In Experiment 3.1, the cans were filled with steam that turned into ___________when the cans were put in ice water. The upright can did not crumple, however, because the steam was replaced with _________that continued to exert _________on the inside of the can. The can placed __________in the water did crumple, however, because _________could not replace the steam, so very little __________was being exerted inside the can.
liquid water
air
pressure
upside down
air
pressure
A ______measures atmospheric pressure. It is composed of a tube with no air inside that is inverted over a pool of_________, which is usually mercury. Since the _________is pressing down on the pool, and since there is no air exerting _________inside the tube, a ________is forced up the tube. The _______of the liquid in the tube is a measure of the____________.
Barometer
Liquid
Atmosphere
Pressure
Liquid
Height
atmospheric pressure
When measuring atmospheric pressure, several units can be used. ___________ _________tells you how many pounds are exerted on an 1-inch by 1-inch square. When reported in_______, it tells you the height of a column of mercury in a barometer, in English units. When reported in__________, it tells you the height of the column of mercury in metric units. Finally, pressure can also be reported in______, which tells you the pressure relative to earth’s average atmospheric pressure at sea level.
Pounds per square
Inch
Inches
mmHg
atm
The atmosphere can be divided into two general layers. The ___________is the lower layer, and it contains air that has the same _____________as the air at sea level. The upper layer is called the______________, and the mixture of gases in this layer is not__________. Throughout both layers, however, the total amount of air _________with increasing altitude.
Homosphere
composition
heterosphere
uniform
decreases
The homosphere is generally divided into three regions. From lowest to highest, they are the_____________, the___________, and the____________. The first two layers are separated by the____________; the second two are separated by the_________, and the last layer is separated from the heterosphere by the________. Throughout all of these regions, as well as the heterosphere, the atmospheric pressure continually ___________with increasing altitude.
Troposphere
Stratosphere
Mesosphere
Tropopause
Stratopause
Mesopause
Decreases
In the troposphere, the temperature steadily ___________with increasing altitude. This is called the temperature ____________of the troposphere. The troposphere is often called earth’s ___________layer, because it contains almost all of earth’s clouds, rain, snow, storms, etc.
decreases
gradient
weather
Narrow bands of high-speed winds that circle the earth, blowing from west to east are called____________. They are found in the ___________portions of the stratosphere and the __________portions of the troposphere. They tend to ________storms and affect which parts of the earth experience high _______ ________or low _____ _____
jet streams
lower
upper
steer
atmospheric pressure
atmospheric pressure.
In the stratosphere,the temperature __________with increasing altitude. This is mostly due to the ___________, which is found there. In the mesosphere, the temperature _________with increasing altitude. When rocks from outer space fall into the mesosphere and burn up, they are called_________.
I
ncreases
ozone layer
decreases
meteors
When energy is transferred as a consequence of temperature differences, we call it_______. When an object gains energy, the _____________________that make it up move faster. A ___________really measures the average speed at which the ___________________of a substance are moving. As a result, temperature is a measure of the energy of __________ __________in a substance’s __________.
heat
molecules (or atoms)
thermometer
molecules (or atoms)
random motion
molecules (or atoms)
The “hole” in the ozone layer is actually a seasonal _________in the concentration of ozone in the ozone layer. It is centered over_____________. Human-made substances called _________are at least partially to blame. Unlike many chemicals, they are so _________that they can survive the trip to the ozone layer, where they can destroy ozone. Interestingly enough, this same property makes them ________to human beings. They are very efficient chemicals that can be used for_______, _______, and_________ ________. Despite their usefulness, their elimination has been called for by the____________ __________. This will, most likely, cause an ________in the number of people who die each year.
decrease
Antarctica
CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons)
unreactive
non-toxic
firefighting
refrigeration
surgical sterilizers
Montreal Protocol
increase
The “hole” in the ozone layer was discovered ___________CFCs were widely used. However, since the production of CFCs, the “hole” has gotten “_________”. Although CFCs are heavy, they are lifted up to the ozone layer by the_________. This is why the ozone “hole” is a _____________ and why it is centred over________. While the elimination of CFCs will _______the dept of the ozone “hole”, it will most likely _______more lives than it will save. The ozone “hole” does not contribute to________ ________. In fact, a reduction in the amount of ozone in the ozone layer will ________the average temperature of the earth.
long before
deeper
polar vortex
seasonal phenomenon
Antarctica
reduce
cost
global warming
reduce
The heterosphere is generally divided into two layers: the _________and the________. While the _________is lower than the_________, they can both be considered a part of outer space. The number of molecules in the ________is so small that a thermometer would read incredibly low temperatures, However, the average ________of the few molecules that are there is very______. The _______is composed of those atoms and molecules actually in orbit around the______. It is difficult to say where the _______ends and interplanetary space begins.
Thermosphere
Exosphere
Thermosphere
exosphere
thermosphere
energy
high
exosphere
earth
exosphere
Between the upper portions of the _______and the lower portions of the________, there is a region where the atmosphere’s gases are ionized. It is called the __________. Atoms are composed of ________(which have positive electrical charge), ________(which have negative electrical chare), and ________(which have no electrical charge). Atoms always have the same number of _________and________. This means that overall, atoms have no net__________________. When an atom loses (or gains) electrons, there is an ________of positive and negative charges, and the atom becomes_____________. When this happens, it is no longer an atom, but is instead an __________.
Mesosphere
Thermosphere
Ionosphere
Protons
electrons
neutrons
electrons
protons
electrical charge
imbalance
electrically charged
ion
The Northern Lights and Southern Lights are examples of ___________. They appear in the night sky as glowing regions of brilliant _______that tend to move over the sky in interesting ways. They are the result of high-energy __________between ionized particles in the_________.
Auroras
Colors
Collisions
Ionosphere
Name the regions of the atmosphere.
Exosphere
Mesosphere
Stratosphere
Thermosphere
Troposphere
If you want to study weather, which region of the atmosphere would you study?
You would study the TROPOSPHERE
because that’s where the majority of weather phenomena are.
If you want to study the ozone layer, which region of the atmosphere would you study?
You would study the STRATOSPHERE
Because that is where the ozone layer is
If a sample of air is predominately oxygen, did it most likely come from the homosphere or the heterosphere?
It must have come from the HETEROSPHERE.
Air in the homosphere is all 78% nitrogen, 21 % oxygen, and 1 % other.
Which regions of the atmosphere are in the homosphere?
Troposphere
Stratosphere
Mesosphere
Which regions of the atmosphere are in the heterosphere?
Thermosphere
Exosphere
A barometer develops a leak in the column which is supposed to be free of air. As air seeps into the column, what will happen to the height of the liquid in that column?
The height of the column will decrease.
Remember, there is a column of liquid there in the first place because of an imbalance between air pressure inside and outside the column. As air seeps in, that imbalance will decrease, resulting in a smaller column. If the leak is big enough to allow as much air in as possible, the level of liquid inside and outside the column will be the same.

In what region(s) of the homosphere does temperature increase with increasing altitude?
Temperature increases with increasing altitude in the STRATOSPHERE
Because of the ozone layer
Why is the “ozone hole” a seasonal phenomenon that exists mostly at the South Pole?
The “ozone hole” is a seasonal phenomenon located only at the South Pole because ozone cannot be depleted by CFCs without the aid of the Polar Vortex.
Since the Polar Vortex is seasonal and only exists at the South Pole, the same can be said for the “ozone hole.”

We all know that ice melts because of heat. Why is it correct to say that ice also freezes because of heat?
Heat is energy that is being transferred. To freeze water, energy must be transferred from the water to the surroundings.
Thus, water freezes because of heat!
If you were able to measure the speed of the molecules in the air while you were travelling up through the troposphere, would the speed of the molecules increase, decrease, or stay the same as you altitude increased?
The average speed of the molecules would DECREASE.
Remember, temperature measures the average energy of molecules, which is directly related to their speed. Since temperature decreases with increasing altitude in the troposphere, the average energy of the molecules in the troposphere decreases, which means their speeds decrease as well.