Final Study Guide
1. Identify the independent variable, dependent variable, & control group in an experiment.
2. Proper units & instruments for:
Measurement
Mass
Volume
Length
Temperature
Units
g, mg, kg
L, ml, cm3
M, mm, cm, km
̊
C
Instrument
Triple beam balance
Graduated cylinder, ruler
Meter stick, ruler
thermometer
3. The atom:
Particles
Neutron
Proton
Electron
Location in the atom
Charge
Nucleus
Neutral
Nucleus
+ positive
Cloud outside nucleus - Negative
4. Families of the Periodic Table:
Family
Alkali Metals
Alkaline Earth
Metals
Halogens
Noble Gases
Column
#
1
2
17
18
5. Chemical Bonding:
Type of
Description
Bond
Ionic
Table salt- electrons become positively or negatively charged. Electrons are lost
or gained (given away) to fill valence shells (2, 8, 18 etc). This leaves the atom
charged do to gained or lost ions. Opposite attracts
Covalent
Shared electrons to fill valence shell.
6. Chemical & Physical Changes
Type of
Definition
Change
Physical
The properties you can observe
without changing a substance into a
new substance.
Chemical
Change that occurs when one
substance reacts with another
substance. Change from one
substance into a different one.
Examples
Cut up paper
Change of state (solid to liquid) Ice
to fluid water
-Water broken down into its base
forms of oxygen and hydrogen gas
-Iron reacting with water to produce
iron oxide
-burning wood
7. What are the 5 traits that define a mineral?
-naturally occurring
-inorganic
-definite chemical composition
-crystalline
-solid
8. Mineral Physical Properties:
Property
Definition
Luster
The way a mineral reflects light
Streak
Hardness
Cleavage
Fracture
Example
Shiny, metallic, dull, pearly, silky,
glassy, opaque, etc
Powder left behind
Gold= yellow, pyrite=greenish blue
Graphite=grey
How easily the mineral can be scratched Diamond=10
Talc=1
Minerals break along smooth flat
Mica
surfaces
Minerals break uneven
rough or jagged edges
quartz
9. How does the Law of Conservation of Mass apply to the Rock Cycle?
Rocks cannot be created or destroyed. They can just change into other types of rocks or become
magma-The rock cycle
10. Rock Types:
Type
Definition
Igneous
Formed from magma that cools and
hardens.
Metamorphic Rocks that have changed because of
temperature and pressure or the presence
of hot watery fluids
Sedimentary
When sediments are pressed together and
cemented or minerals form from solution.
11. Which layer of soil must be present for grass to grow?
Topsoil
Classification Groups
Intrusive
Extrusive
Foliated-mineral grain parallel
layers (slate)
NonfoliatedDetrital- made from broken
fragments (sandstone)
Chemical-dissolved minerals
from soln. (limestone rock salt)
Organic=chalk and coal
12. Weathering & Erosion:
Definition
Erosion
Process that wears away surface
materials and moves them to another
place
Mechanical
Physical process that breaks rocks
Weathering
apart
Chemical Weathering
Chemical rxn that dissolve minerals
in rocks and changes them into
another substance
Examples
Gravity, water, glaciers, wind
Ice wedging, plant roots,
animals
Carbonic acid-water reacts w/
CO2
Caves form when calcite
dissolves
13. What is an ice age?
Period of widespread glaciation
14. What factors will affect the amount of runoff in an area?
Amount of rain and length of time it falls, steepness or slope of the land, amount of vegetation
15. How is a cave formed?
Groundwater dissolves limestone
16. Volcanoes:
Volcano Type
Shield
Description
Quiet eruptions of basaltic lava spread in flat layers-Hawaii, Olympus Mons
(Mars)
Cinder cone
Explosive eruptions, tephra dropped, steep sided, loosely packed(Paricutin the Mexico cornfield volcano)
Composite
Varied between quiet (dormant) and violently explosive, alternating layers,
found mostly where plates converge- Pelée, Vesuvius, Pinatubo, Mt. St.
Helens
Super volcano
A kind of composite volcano with longer periods of dormancy and much
bigger explosions, world-wide consequences when an eruption occurs –
(Yellowstone, Toba)
17. What is metamorphism?
Change in a rock due primarily to heat and pressure.
18. What is the Theory of Plate Tectonics?
The Earth’s crust and part of the upper mantle are broken into sections. Plates move on plastic-like
layers of mantle.
19. What evidence is used to support the Theory of plate Tectonics?
Continental drift, seafloor spreading, fossil clues, rock clues, magnetic clues, puzzle-like fit of the
continents.
20. Plate Boundaries:
Boundary
Definition
Transform
Sliding past each other (North
American plate and the Pacific plate
around California)
Divergent
Plates moving apart. (seafloor
spreading)
Convergent
Plates moving together. Builds
mountains. (Himalayas) Subduction
zones. (Andes Mountains at the
Nazca and South American plate)
Diagram
21. What may have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs?
Comet or asteroid colliding with the Earth. This would create a massive, world-wide dust cloud that
would block sunlight leading to a breakdown in the food chain.
22. What conditions will increase the possibility of something becoming fossilized?
Buried quickly, have hard parts (shell, bones, teeth); make sure scavengers don’t eat the carcass.
23. What is the Principle of Superposition?
In undisturbed layers of rocks the oldest rocks are on the bottom, becoming progressively younger as
you go to the top.
24. What is half-life & how can it be calculated?
The time it takes for half of the atoms in the isotope to decay.
25. Where are the focus& epicenter located during an earthquake?
Focus-point of the earthquake where the energy is released
Epicenter- point directly above the focus on the Earth’s surface
26. During which era & period did the largest extinction in Earth’s history occur?
Paleozoic Era, Permian Period, Table p 393
27. Which type of seismic wave will reach a seismograph first? Second?
Primary waves arrive first, secondary waves arrive second, L waves last (most destructive)
28. Laws of Motion
Law
Definition
(1st) Law of
Every object in a state of uniform motion
Inertia
tends to remain in that state of motion
unless an external force is applied to it.
Example
In a car crash, you can fly
through the windshield if you
don’t use seatbelts
(2nd) Law of
Acceleration
The relationship between an object's
mass m, its acceleration a, and the
applied force F is F = ma. Acceleration
and force are vectors (as indicated by
their symbols being displayed in slant
bold font); in this law the direction of the
force vector is the same as the direction
of the acceleration vector.
i.e. the heavier on object is, the more
force required to move it
Pushing a car requires more
force to push it 10 meters than
an empty shopping cart
requires
(3rd) Law of
Action/Reaction
For every action there is an equal and
opposite reaction.
Rocket launch, when you push
on a table, it pushes you back
29. What causes the Earth to experience seasons?
Tilt of the Earth’s axis – hemispheres tilted towards sun=summer
30. What causes the phases of the Moon?
The relative position of the sun, Earth, and moon. New Moon-Moon is between the sun and the Earth
(up during the day) so it isn’t visible at night
31. What shape is the Earth’s orbit around the Sun & where is the Sun positioned?
Elliptical- Sun a little towards one end (ovoid shape)
32. What is the difference between the Terrestrial planets & the Jovian planets?
Terrestrial planets- closer to the sun, rocky in nature, solid
Jovian planets- Farther from the sun, gas giants
33. Hertzsrung – Russell Diagram:
 Where are the brightest & hottest stars found on the diagram?
Top right i.e. Betelgeuse
 Where are the dimmest & coolest stars found on the diagram?
Bottom right
 What are most of the stars in the Universe classified as?
Main sequence
34. At which point during stellar evolution does a star become stable?
When it enters the main sequence
35. What wavelength of light does the Ozone layer protect us from?
Ultraviolet (UV)
36. What two major gases make up the Earth’s atmosphere & what are their percentages?
O2=21%
N=78%
37. What gas is said to cause the greenhouse effect?
CO2
38. What causes low air pressure? High air pressure?
Warm air-low
Cold air-high
39. What causes air to move from one place to another?
Rotation of the Earth, uneven heating of the Earth, and differences in air pressure
40. Fronts:
Front
Description
Warm
Warm air rises up over cold dense air
Cold
Cold air goes below warm air and pushes it up
Stationary
Cold front next to warm front
Dry Line
boundary that separates a moist air mass from a
dry air mass
Type of Weather
Light rain
Thunderstorm
Rain
Wind and rain for several
days
Big differences in dew point
temperature
Big storms
41. How do you use a psychrometer?
Wet bulb/dry bulb- spin for 1 ½ minutes then record temperature. Find the relative humidity and dew
point on a table.