Chapter 1

Front 1

Earth Science

Back 1

based on the assumption that the causes of natural phenomena can be discovered through careful observation and experimentation

Front 2

Career Focus

Back 2

special feature; offers detailed information about career in earth science

Front 3

Geology

Back 3

study of origin,history, structure of solid earth and processes that shape;broad field;study-earth's crust, deposits of coal, oil, gas, other valuable resources, some study to understand earthquakes + volcanic eruptions

Front 4

Oceanography

Back 4

study of earth's oceans; water covers 3/4 or 75% of earth's surface; study waves, tides, ocean currents

Front 5

Meteorology

Back 5

study of earth's atmosphere; study conditions/weather; use satellites, radar

Front 6

astronomy

Back 6

study of universe beyond earth;oldest branch; 4,000 yrs ago

Front 7

Space Probes providing useful data

Back 7

Pioneer, Voyager, Galileo, Ulysses

Front 8

Geosphere

Back 8

solid earth

Front 9

atmosphere

Back 9

gases around earth

Front 10

hydrophere

Back 10

earth's water

Front 11

Ecology

Back 11

area of science in which biology and earth science are closely linked; study of complex relationships between living things and their environment; origin- Greek word 'oikos' meaning "house"

Front 12

Biologists

Back 12

study living world

Front 13

ecosystem

Back 13

community of organisms and the environment they inhabit; origin- Greek word 'oikos' meaning "house"

Front 14

Biosphere

Back 14

largest ecosystem; accompanies all life on earth and the physical environment that supports it

Front 15

photosynthesis

Back 15

process in which a rain forest plant uses sunlight to make food

Front 16

Ecology

Back 16

area of science in which biology and earth science are closely linked; study of complex relationships between living things and their environment; origin- Greek word 'oikos' meaning "house"

Front 17

Biologists

Back 17

study living world

Front 18

ecosystem

Back 18

community of organisms and the environment they inhabit; origin- Greek word 'oikos' meaning "house"

Front 19

Biosphere

Back 19

largest ecosystem; accompanies all life on earth and the physical environment that supports it

Front 20

photosynthesis

Back 20

process in which a rain forest plant uses sunlight to make food

Front 21

pollution

Back 21

contamination of the environment with waste products or impurities

Front 22

biodegradable

Back 22

being able to be broken down by microorganisms into harmless substances that can then be used by other organisms

Front 23

Ecology

Back 23

area of science in which biology and earth science are closely linked; study of complex relationships between living things and their environment; origin- Greek word 'oikos' meaning "house"

Front 24

Biologists

Back 24

study living world

Front 25

ecosystem

Back 25

community of organisms and the environment they inhabit; origin- Greek word 'oikos' meaning "house"

Front 26

Biosphere

Back 26

largest ecosystem; accompanies all life on earth and the physical environment that supports it

Front 27

photosynthesis

Back 27

process in which a rain forest plant uses sunlight to make food

Front 28

pollution

Back 28

contamination of the environment with waste products or impurities

Front 29

biodegradable

Back 29

being able to be broken down by microorganisms into harmless substances that can then be used by other organisms

Front 30

scientific methods

Back 30

logical approaches to scientific research; guides to scientific solving

Front 31

observation

Back 31

using senses of sight, touch, taste, hearing, and smell to gather info about world

Front 32

measurement

Back 32

comparison of some aspect of an object phenomenon with a standard unit

Front 33

hypothesis

Back 33

possible explanation or solution to the problem

Front 34

experimentation

Back 34

scientific procedure carried out according to certain guidelines

Front 35

controlled experiment

Back 35

an experiment set up to test a variable

Front 36

scientific method

Back 36

1. Problem
2. Information
3. Hypothesis
4. Experiment
5. Result
6. Conclusion
(P.I.H.E.R.C.)

Front 37

theory

Back 37

hypothesis or a set of hypothesis that is supported by the results of experimentation for scientific observation

Front 38

scientific law

Back 38

is a rule that correctly describes a natural phenomenon

Front 39

spectrum

Back 39

rainbow of colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet

Front 40

wavelength

Back 40

distance from crest of one wave to the crest of the next

Front 41

elements

Back 41

substance that cannot be broken down into a simpler form by ordinary chemical means

Front 42

bright-line spectrum

Back 42

indicates that the light source is sending out only certain wavelengths of light

Front 43

Doppler Effect

Back 43

the apparent shift in the wavelengths of energy emitted by an energy source moving away from or toward an observer

Front 44

spectroscope

Back 44

contains a prism which splits starlight into a spectrum of different colors and wavelengths

Front 45

Big Bang

Back 45

event causing all matter and energy hurtling outward in a giant cloud eventually developing into galaxies; continue to move apart

Front 46

background radiation

Back 46

levels of energy; evenly distributed evenly throughout the universe

Front 47

big bang theory

Back 47

explanation of the origin of the universe