Extra Credit (30 points)
Concepts discussed
in CHMY 104
Sustainability “Big
Ideas”
Questions
1
Chemical change,
physical change
Ecosphere inputs
and outputs
What changes of matter contribute the most to
various emissions from the landfills? Is there
anything that can be done to fix those landfill
problems?
2
Elements
3
Elements
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
The law of
conservation of
mass
The law of
conservation of
energy
The law of constant
composition
Renewable and nonrenewable resources
Intergenerational
thinking
Recycling
Global warming and
climate change
Food security
Conservation laws
Consumption and
consumerism
Dimensional analysis
Carbon footprint
(expressed in tons of
CO2 emitted PER
year)
SI units:
International
prototype kilogram
(IPK)
Combination
reactions
Why is helium supply a concern?
What is ozone, where does it come from, and how
bad could it be if it vanishes?
Is scrap metal processing (such as recycling of
steel) a necessity?
Why does increase in carbon dioxide (a
greenhouse gas) in the atmosphere elevate
Earth’s temperature?
Is high fructose corn syrup the same as table
sugar?
Was Easter Island civilization collapse initiated
from within?
What is the carbon footprint of your car? Assume
that gasoline is pure octane, C8H18, with density =
0.718 g/mL. You will also need an estimate of your
annual fuel usage (in gallons). You can obtain that
information from the car’s fuel tank capacity and
the frequency of your visits to a gas station.
Compare your results to the on-line calculator at
http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx;
use the ‘Car’ tab to perform the calculations.
Interconnectedness
and
interdependence
Should the IPK, which is an artifact, be replaced
with a more reproducible standard?
Water quality and
quantity
Why can’t we just make water from the elements?