AP ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
SUMMER ASSIGNMENT 2012-2013
YOU DO NOT NEED A TEXTBOOK
All the materials are also available on our school website
The assignments below will introduce you to AP
Environmental Science as well as give us a head start on
the course, so we can complete the requisite activities
prior to the AP test in May. Several of these assignments
should be review for you, others will help you understand
the many topics and controversies involved in the study of
environmental science, while others will help you
appreciate the world in which you live. None of the
assignments are particularly time-consuming. We will
review all of this work the first week of school, but if you
have questions as you progress through the activities, you
may contact me during the summer via e-mail at
hbhaskar@wcboe.org. ALL ASSIGNMENTS HAVE TO BE
HAND WRITTEN
The assignments may be done in any order, but the
following is recommended, and this is how they are
presented in this packet:
1.Scientific notation and Unit Conversion: Perform
operations using scientific notation . You will have a quiz
on this section the first week of school.
2. Outline and Answer chapters 3 questions: Read and
outline chapters 3. Use a note-taking strategy that works
best for you. You should have notes on the most
important information in the chapter. After outlining the
chapter, answer the Chapter questions. You will have a
test on this chapter the second week of school.
3. Environmental Laws and treaties : Summarize the
environmental laws and treaties
4. Silent Spring : Read the book and answer the questions
for each section.
5. Home movie: Watch the Home movie and answer the
questions
1. Operations in Scientific Notation
Addition & Subtraction
As with regular numbers, addition and subtraction with
exponents require that decimal places be aligned.
Compare the following two addition examples.
Example #1
19.45
4.30
23.75
Example #2
2
1.23 x 10
10.42 x 102
2
11.65 x 10
In Example #2 above, the number 1042 was converted
3
from 1.042 x 10 in scientific notation to align the decimal
places. Addition and subtraction are carried out just like
addition and subtraction of regular problems, but must be
done in the same power of 10. The final answer should be
3
converted to 1.165 x 10 as well.
One other note about addition and subtraction: units of
measure, if present, must be the same. For example, in the
numbers above, if both represented a distance
measurement such as meters, they could be added.
However, if one was centimeters and the other meters, a
common unit, say meters, must be chosen and the
centimeter measurement must be converted to meters
before the operation occurs.
Multiplication & Division
Multiplication in scientific notation is carried out in two
parts. First, multiply the numbers that occur before the
exponents. You need not align the decimal places. Second,
add the exponents. See the example that appears below.
Example #3
4
20.0 x 10
1.2 x 102
6
24.00 x 10
The final answer should appear in proper scientific
7
notation such as 2.4 x 10 .
Division is the same except that exponents are subtracted.
Example #4
5
20.0 x 10
1.2 x 102
3
16.7 x 10
The final answer should appear in proper scientific
4
notation such as 1.7 x 10 .
Complete the problems below. Do not use calculators.
Show the setup for the problem and the calculations on a
separate sheet of paper.(No calculators are allowed on
the AP exam). Be careful to display scientific notation as
required. Also, include units in your answer! You will
have quiz on scientific notations the first week of school.
3
3
1. (2.3 x 10 g) + (3.5 x 10 g)
=
3
2. (2.3 x 10 cm) + (3.5 x
2
2
9. (1.17 x 10 m) x (8.49 x
10 m) =
4
3. (7.88 x 10 mol) - (1.55 x
4
3
10. (4.5 x 10 m) x (1.5 x 10
2
10 mol) =
m) =
5
4. (5.6 x 10 kg) - (8.91 x
2
5
11. (5.2 x 10 kg) / (1.3 x
2
10 kg) =
10 kg) =
-5
5. (4.72 x 10 mg) + (4.66 x
-5
4
12. (3.21 x 10 mg) / (5.3 x
4
10 mg) =
10 mg) =
3
6. (6.79 x 10 L) + (6.79 x
2
6
13. (4.34 x 10 L) x (2.01 x
-3
10 L) =
10 min) =
3
7. (2.3 x 10 m) + (3.5 x
3
2
10 kg) =
3
10 cm) =
10 cm) =
4
8. (4.7 x 10 kg) x (1.1 x
4
14. (4.7 x 10 kg) x (1.1 x
2
2 2
10 m) / (2.1 x 10 s ) =
-
Unit Conversion
In these practice problems, I am going to ask you to
stick to ONLY the following conversions between the
English and metric system
For all problems, please show your dimensional
analysis setup and give your answer to the correct
significant figures. Remember you can use any of the
conversions shown above.
1. Convert 3598 grams into pounds.
2. Convert 231 grams into ounces.
3. A beaker contains 578 mL of water. What is the
volume in quarts?
4. How many ng are there in 5.27x10-13 kg?
5. What is 7.86 x 10 -2 kL in dL?
6. What is 0.0032 gallons in cL?
2. Read Chapter 3 outline the chapter and answer the
following questions: Science, Systems, Matter, and
Energy Science and Critical Thinking. The same material is
also available on our school website.
1. Sketch the simplified outline of “what scientists do”.
2. Distinguish between a “scientific hypothesis” and a
“scientific theory”.
3. Non-scientists often criticize scientific theories for being
just “theories”. Explain how
this criticism illustrates a misunderstanding of the term.
4. What is a “controlled experiment”? How is singlevariable analysis done?
5. Contrast “inductive reasoning” with “deductive
reasoning”.
6. Contrast “frontier science” with “consensus science”.
Models and Behavior of Systems
7. Define the term “system” and the key components of
systems (inputs, flows, stores, and outputs).
8. What is a “feedback loop”? Describe the two types –
positive and negative feedback loops.
9. Explain how an increasing city population can lead to
both positive and negative feedback loops. (i.e. the
increase in population may lead to further increases or to
a stabilization of the population)
10. Describe the connection of a “time delay” with the
“threshold level” in complex systems.
11. What is “synergy”?
12. Explain Eric Davidson’s “Law of Conservation of
Problems” in the implementation of
technology to solve environmental problems.
Matter: Forms, Structure and Quality
13. What is a compound? What is a molecule?
14. Briefly describe the structure of the atom in terms of
nucleus, protons, neutrons and
electrons. What do the “atomic number” and “mass
number” refer to?
15. What are ions? What are isotopes?
16. Describe the pH scale for acids and bases (acidity and
alkalinity).
17. What are “organic compounds”? Briefly describe the
major types listed by Miller (hydrocarbons, chlorinated
hydrocarbons, chlorofluorocarbons, and simple
carbohydrates).
18. Distinguish between “genes” and “chromosomes”.
What is DNA?
Energy: Forms and Quality
19. How is energy defined? Distinguish between “kinetic
energy” and “potential energy”.
20. List the different types of “electromagnetic radiation”
21. What is meant by “ionizing radiation”? Which forms of
electromagnetic radiation are ionizing?
22. Define “convection”, “conduction” and “radiation”.
Physical and Chemical Changes & the Law of
Conservation of Matter
23. What is the difference between a physical change and
a chemical change?
24. State the “Law of Conservation of Matter”.
25. Explain what Miller means when he says there is no
“away” in “to throw away”.
26. What are the three factors that determine how
harmful a pollutant is?
27. Give two examples each for degradable, slowly
degradable and non degradable pollutants.
28. What is a “biodegradable” pollutant?
Nuclear Changes
29. What is a radioisotope?
30. How is “gamma radiation” different from “alpha
particles and beta particles”?
31. What is the definition of “half-life”?
32. What is the largest natural source of radiation
exposure to humans? What is the largest humangenerated source?
33. What are the two ways that ionization radiation harms
cells? Briefly describe each.
34. Contrast nuclear “fission” and nuclear “fusion”.
Two Laws Governing Energy Changes
35. State the first law of thermodynamics. What does it
mean?
36. State the second law of thermodynamics. Connections:
Mater and Energy Change Laws
37. Describe the three types of economies Miller lists here
(High throughput, Matter Recycling and Low throughput).
3. Environmental Laws and Treaties
Directions: Write a summary of each of the following
laws, acts or treaties. Include abbreviations for each act
and the year they were passed/amended.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Antarctic Treaty
Atomic Energy Act
Cairo Conference on Population and Development
Clean Air Act
5. Clean Water Acts
6. Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation Liability Act
7. Consumer Product Safety Act
8. Convention of Climate Change and the Kyoto
Protocol
9. Convention of Ozone Depletion and the Montreal
Protocol
10. Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species
11. Declaration of the Conference on the Human
Environment (Stockholm Declaration)
12. Endangered Species Act
13. Energy Planning and Community Right-to-Know
Act
14. Energy Policy Act
15. Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act
16. Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act
17. Food Quality Protection Act
18. Lacey Act
19. Law of the Sea Convention
20. Madrid Protocol
21. Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act
22. National Wildlife Refuge System Act
23. National Environmental Policy Act
24. Nuclear Waste Policy Act
25. Occupational Safety and Health Act
26. Ocean Dumping Ban Act
27. Oil Pollution Act
28. Pollution Prevention Act
29. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
30. Safe Drinking Water Act
31. Soil Conservation Act
32. Solid Waste Disposal Act
33. Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act
34. Taylor Grazing Act
35. Toxic Substance Control Act
36. Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
37. Wilderness Act
4. SILENT SPRING- BOOK REVIEW
Read Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson and answer the
questions that accompany the text. Have the answers
typed and prepared to hand in This assignment will be
graded on accuracy, completeness of answers and effort.
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson; Houghton Mifflin, Oct
2002. ISBN-13: 9780618249060 or ISBN-10: 0618249060.
Chapter One: “A Fable for Tomorrow”
1) Explain how the title of the book can be derived
from Chapter One.
Chapter Two: “The Obligation to Endure”
1) Explain the cycle of Strontium 90 when released
into the environment.
2) How long does it take for life to adjust to natural
environmental hostilities?
3) How do human produced pollutants differ from
natural environmental chemicals?
4) Why does Carson believe insecticides should be
called biocides?
Chapter Three: “Elixirs of Death”
1) How were chemical pesticides originally
discovered and used?
2) What are some of the dangers of the use of
arsenic?
3) Explain how DDT is passed on and concentrated
in a food chain.
4) Describe the dangers of the chemical known as
dieldrin.
5) What is “potentiation” and why is it a serious
hazard?
6) What is a systemic insecticide and how does it
work?
7) What does a mutagen do?
Chapter Four: “Surface Waters and Underground Seas”
1) Describe some ways that insecticides can
inadvertently enter human water supplies.
2) What happened in Clear Lake California?
3) How can city water supplies from reservoirs be
inadvertently poisoned by humans?
Chapter Five: “Realms of the Soil”
1) Give some specific examples of how some
pesticides can affect the beneficiary components of
the soil.
2) What kind of chemical problem affected baby
food and peanuts?
Chapter Six: “Earth’s Green Mantle”
1) How do humans judge the value of a plant?
2) What is happening to the sage plant community
out west and why?
3) Describe the fall of the Bridger National Forest.
4) Describe some methods of biological control that
are safer than chemicals.
Chapter Seven: “Needless Havoc”
1) Describe the effects of indiscriminate Japanese
Beetle control done in the Greater Detroit area.
2) Describe the impact of Sheldon, Illinois’ Program
of Pest control
3) What are the advantages of biological control of
the Japanese Beetle?
1) What is Carson referring to when she writes
that there is a human price for the use of
toxins?
2) Why is it so crucial that human beings begin to
see themselves as an essential part of the
natural world?
3) Why did she believe that people resisted
thinking about themselves in those terms?
Chapter 12: “The Human Price”
1) Carson invokes the term ecology (p189) to
describe the web of life – or death… What
role does this concept play in her analysis?
Chapter 13: “Through a Narrow Window”
1) Do you agree that the project of controlling
nature is arrogant, foolish, and dangerous, as
Carson argues? Why or why not?
Chapter 14: “One in Every Four”
Chapter Eight: “And No Birds Sing”
1) Explain the connection between the demise of
the elm tree and the disappearance of birds in
North America.
1) After reading Silent Spring, how would you
characterize its author? Is she a science writer? An
environmental activist? A philosopher?
Chapter 15: “Nature Fights Back”
2) Explain the research results of John Mehner on
robins at Michigan State University.
3) Discuss why spraying elm trees to “protect” them
actually ended up hurting them.
1) Explain how Carson thinks “Nature Fights Back.”
What examples does she offer to support this
idea?
Chapter 16: “The Rumblings of an Avalanche”
4) Make a comparison between the 1959 Parathion
assault in river bottomlands of Southern Indiana
and the current suburbia assault on residential
lawns.
1)How are Darwin’s ideas of survival of the fittest
so well illustrated by Carson’s observations on the
effects of pesticides?
Chapter Nine: “Rivers of Death”
1) What were the pros and cons of the Fire Ant
Eradication Program?
2) Summarize the findings of Dr. Herbert R. Mills in
Florida.
Chapter 10: “Indiscriminately from the Skies”
1) How did DDT affect the milk supply in the US?
2) How did Sales Bonanza use the fire ant issue to
increase their sales?
3) How did the agricultural department in Texas get
farmers to use chemicals?
Chapter 11: “Beyond the Dreams of the Borgias”
Chapter 17: “The Other Road”
1) Explain what alternatives are available to chemical
insecticides. Why are these alternatives more ecologically
sound?
Summary: Write a brief paragraph stating your
environmental views before and after reading this book.
Do you think that Rachel Carson has a valid point? Do you
believe that her views are timeless? Do you believe that
there is hope for the human race and for our planet?
5. HOME : Video
This video should give you an idea about everything that
we will be studying in this course. Answer the questions
on your own paper
Visit this website http://www.youtube.com/homeproject
and watch the entire video.
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41.
42.
What does the following term mean, homo sapiens?
When did life originate on Earth?
When did homo sapiens originate?
What was our planet like originally?
What was a cloud of a good knitted dust particles similar
to so many similar clusters in the universe?
What was our Earth was like at its birth?
Why was it important for the Earth to be at the right
distance from the sun-not too far, not too near?
How is the water cycle described?
How did the ocean get salty?
What is shared by every life-form on our planet?
What originated as stardust?
What provides the Earth’s red, black, blue, and yellow?
Where did life first spark into being?
What fed off the Earth’s heat?
What organism were the first that had the capacity to turn
to the sun to capture its energy?
How did these organisms change the destiny of our
planet?
What happened to the carbon that poisoned the
atmosphere?
How much time can be read in the walls of Colorado’s
Grand Canyon?
How did the organisms grow their shells?
What happened to the shells of the microorganisms that
died?
What did plant life finally do?
What is the Earth’s water cycle?
Why water called one of the most unstable of all?
What happens when water freezes?
.What is the engine of life?
Why are water and air inseparable?
What are the green organisms that supply
% of the
oxygen?
Coral is the mutualistic relationship between what two
organisms?
Where is and how big is the Great Barrier Reef?
The Great Barrier Reef has
species of fish,
species of mollusks and
species of coral.
It took more than
years for it to make trees.
In a chain of species, why are trees a pinnacle species?
Trees have inherited from
the power to capture
light’s energy.
Why are trees so important for the formation of soils?
Soils are the factory of
.
How is soil a world of incessant activity?
Why is it said that the Earth is a miracle?
What is meant by the phrase that “Every species has a role
to play”?
Humans settled down after
nomadic years.
The
was, an invention that opened up new
horizons and turned humans into navigators.
The majority of mankind lives
.
The first
grew up less than 6000 years ago.
43. One in
people still use only the strength of their
bodies.
44.
billion human beings is more than the combined
population of all the wealthy nations.
45.
are a family’s only asset, as long as every extra
pair of hands is a necessary contribution to its subsistence.
46.
feeds people, clothes them and provides for their
daily needs. Everything comes from the Earth.
47. How did towns change humanity’s nature as well as its
destiny?
48. The physical energy and strength with which nature had
not endowed them was found in
49.
was humans’ first great revolution that was
developed barely
years ago.
50. The uncertainty of
resulted in the first surpluses
and gave birth to cities and civilizations.
51. Humans harnessed the energy of animal species and plant
life, from which they at last extracted the
.
52.
are the yeast of life.
53. The principal daily concern of all humans is to
.
54.
of humankind tills the soil over
of them
by hand.
55. What is the pure energy-the energy of the sun-captured
over millions of years by millions of plants more than a
hundred million years ago.
56. In the last
years, the Earth’s population has almost
, and over
people have moved to the cities.
57. Today, over
of the world’s
inhabitants live
in cities.
58.
resulted in the invention of
which in turn
permitted the invention of skyscrapers.
59. A
of oil generates as much energy as
in 24
hours, but worldwide only
percent of farmers have
use of a tractor.
60. In the United States, only
farmers are left. (Equal
to number of people in jails and prison in US)
61. They produce enough grain to feed
people. But
most of that grain is used to feed
or
.
62. Agriculture accounts for
% of humanity’s water
consumption.
63.
, another gift of the petrochemical revolution,
exterminated
.
64. Toxic pesticides seeped into the
.
65.
of the varieties developed by farmers over
of years have been wiped out.
66. How can a growing worldwide demand for meat be
satisfied without recourse to
farms?
67. The result is that it takes
of water to produce one
kilogram of potatoes,
for one kilo or rice and
for one kilo of beef.
68. We know that the end
is imminent, but we refuse
to believe it.
69. The automobile shapes
where every
,a
safe distance from the asphyxiated
, and where
neat rows of houses huddle round
.
70. If LA’s model were followed by all, the planet wouldn’t
have
vehicles, as it does today, but
.
71. Everywhere, machines dig, bore and rip from the Earth
the pieces of stars buried in its depths since its creation:
.
72. As a privilege of power,
% of this mineral wealth
is consumed by
% of the world’s population.
73. Before the end of this century excessive
will
have exhausted nearly all the planet’s
.
74. Since
, the volume of international trade has
increased
times over.
75.
percent of trade goes by sea.
million
containers are transported every year headed for the
world’s major hubs of consumption.
76.
is one of the biggest construction sites in the
world, a country where the impossible becomes possible.
77. The ocean covers
of the planet.
78. The
remain a secret. They contain
of
species whose existence remains a mystery to us.
79. Since
, fishing catches have increased
,
from
to
million metric tons a year.
80.
of fishing grounds are exhausted, depleted or in
danger of being so. Most large fish have been fished out
of existence since they have no time to
. Fish is
the staple diet of one in five humans.
81.
humans live in the world’s desert lands, more than
the combined population of
.
82. What is fossil water?
83. Across the planet, one major river in
no longer
flows into the sea for several months of the year.
84. Lake Powell took
to reach high-peak mark. Its
level is now
of that.
85. Water shortages could affect nearly
people before
.
86. These wetlands are crucial to all life on Earth. They
represent
percent of the planet. What are
wetlands?
87. Trees provide a habitat for
of the planet’s
biodiversity-that is to say, of all life on Earth. Every year,
Why is this biodiversity important?
88. What are mangrove forests and why are they important?
89. Every year,
hectares of tropical forests disappear
in smoke and as lumber.
90. What happens when the rain forest burn?
91. How long did it take Borneo’s vast primary forest to
totally disappear?
92. Over
people-almost a
of the world’s
population-still depend on charcoal for cooking and
heating.
93. On the hills of Haiti, only
percent of the forests
are left.
94. What is the story of the Rapa Nui, the inhabitants of the
Easter Island?
95. In
years, the gap between rich and poor has
grown wider than ever. Today,
of the world’s
wealth is in the hands of the richest
percent of the
population.
96. One human being in
now lives in a precarious,
unhealthy, overpopulated environment, without access to
daily necessities, such as water, sanitation or electricity.
Hunger is spreading once more. It affects nearly
people.
97. It’s all about carbon. Under the effect of global warming,
the ice cap has lost
% of its thickness in
years. Its surface area in the summer shrinks year by year.
It could disappear before
.
98. By
,a
of the Earth’s species could be
threatened with extinction.
99. Around the North Pole, the ice cap has lost
% of
its surface area in
years.
100.
Greenland’s ice contains
% of the freshwater
of the whole planet. When it melts, sea levels will rise by
nearly
meters.
101.
Sea levels are rising. Water expanding as it gets
warmer caused, in the 20th century alone, a rise of
centimeters.
102.
Coral reefs, for example, are extremely sensitive to
the slightest change in water temperature.
percent
have disappeared.
103.
of the
biggest cities stand on a
coastline or river estuary. As the seas rise, salt will invade
the water table, depriving inhabitants of drinking water.
104.
What will happen when the glaciers in the
Himalayas recede?
105.
Droughts are occurring all over the planet. In
Australia,
of farmland is already affected.
106.
The permafrost is the ground that is constantly
frozen.What will happen when it melts?
107.
The world spends
times more on military
expenditures than on aid to developing countries.
108.
people a day die because of dirty drinking
water
109.
people have no access to safe drinking water
110.
Nearly
people are going hungry
111.
Over
% of grain traded around the world is
used for animal feed or bio fuels
112.
% of arable land has suffered long-term
damage
113.
Every year,
hectares of forest disappear
114.
One mammal in
, one bird in
, one
amphibian in
are threatened with extinction
115.
Species are dying out at a rhythm
times
faster than the natural rate
116.
of fishing grounds are exhausted, depleted or
in dangerous decline
117.
The average temperature of the last
years
have been the highest ever recorded
118.
The ice cap is
% thinner than
years
ago
119.
There may be at least
climate refugees
by 2050
120.
In Bangladesh, a man thought the unthinkable and
founded a bank that lends only to the poor. In barely
years, it has changed the lives of
people
around the world.
121.
Gabon is one of the world’s leading producers of
wood. What is selective logging?
122.
I have seen houses producing their own energy.
people live in the world’s first ever eco-friendly district in
.
123.
% of the energy we consume comes from
fossil energy sources. Every week,
new coal-fired
generating plants are built in
alone.
124.
,
,
and
are the
biggest investors in renewable energy. They have already
created over
jobs.
125.
In
hour, the sun gives the Earth the same
amount of energy as that consumed by all humanity in
year. As long as the Earth exists, the sun’s energy will be
inexhaustible.