Science Exam 1: Hypothesis and Theory

Exam 1 covers Modules 1-4 and consists of multiple-choice and short answer questions.
Lecture slides, readings/videos, and labs are the material sources.
You need to define the provided terms and use them correctly.

Science systematically organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Descriptive science involves observing, recording, describing, and classifying phenomena.
Hypothesis-based science uses testable explanations and predictions to understand the universe.

A hypothesis is a testable explanation for a phenomenon.
A prediction is a forecast of what will happen if the hypothesis is correct.
An experiment is a scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact.

A scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate facts, laws, inferences, and tested hypotheses.
A scientific law describes what nature does under certain conditions.
An independent variable is the variable that is manipulated in an experiment.
A dependent variable is the variable that is measured in an experiment.
Controlled experiment: Compares an experimental group with a control group.
The control group is a group in an experiment that does not receive the variable being tested.
Claim: A statement or conclusion that answers the original question/problem
Evidence: Scientific data that supports the claim.
Reasoning: Connects the claim and evidence. Shows why the data counts as evidence to support the claim, using scientific principles.

Ecology is the branch of biology that studies the interactions between organisms and their environment.
Environmentalism is a social movement dedicated to protecting the natural world.
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary field that integrates physical, biological and information sciences to study the environment, and find solutions to environmental problems.

Sustainability is the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Natural capital is the world’s stocks of natural assets which include geology, soil, air, water and all living things.
Natural resources are materials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, and fertile land that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain.
Ecosystem services are the many and varied benefits that humans freely gain from the natural environment and from properly-functioning ecosystems.

Perpetual resources are virtually inexhaustible on a human timescale.
Renewable resources can be replenished at a rate similar to their rate of consumption.
Nonrenewable resources exist in a fixed amount and cannot be easily replaced.

Affluence is a high level of material consumption.
Ecological footprint is the impact of a person or community on the environment, expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resources.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the total value of goods produced and services provided in a country during one year.
Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) is a metric used to measure the economic growth of a country. It is based on the principles of GDP, but it is adjusted to account for environmental and social factors.
Externality: A cost or benefit of a good or service that is not included in the purchase price of that good or service.
Trade-off: An exchange where one thing is given up in return for another.

Environmental ethics studies the moral relationship of humans to the environment and its non-human contents.
Tragedy of the Commons is a situation where individuals acting independently and rationally, deplete a shared resource even when doing so is not in their best interest.
Anthropocentric ethics places humans as the central focus.
Biocentric ethics places value on all living things.
Ecocentric ethics places value on entire ecosystems.
Greenwashing: The practice of making an unsubstantiated or misleading claim about the environmental benefits of a product, service, technology or company practice.
Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
Ethical dilemma: A situation in which there is no clear right or wrong choice.

Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space.
An element is a substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by chemical means.
An atom is the basic unit of a chemical element.
A molecule is a group of atoms bonded together.
An organic compound contains carbon.
An isotope is a variant of a chemical element which differs in neutron number.
A radioactive isotope is an isotope that has an unstable nucleus and emits radiation.
Radiometric dating is a technique used to date materials such as rocks or carbon, in which trace radioactive impurities were selectively incorporated when they were formed.
Law of Conservation of Matter: Matter cannot be created or destroyed.

Energy is the ability to do work.
First Law of Thermodynamics: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another.
Second Law of Thermodynamics: When energy is converted from one form to another, some energy is converted into a less usable form (usually heat).
Kinetic energy is the energy of motion.
Potential energy is stored energy.
Correlation describes the strength and direction of a linear relationship between two variables.