Exploring Creation with Physical Science-Module #3 Study Guide – Flashcards
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Atmosphere
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The mass of air surrounding a planet.
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Atmospheric Pressure
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The pressure exerted by the atmosphere on all objects within it.
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Barometer
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An instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure.
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Homosphere
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The lower layer of earth's atmosphere, which exist from ground-level to roughly 80 kilometers (50 miles) above sea level.
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Heterosphere
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The upper layer of earth's atmosphere, which exists higher than roughly 80 kilometers (50 miles) above sea level.
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Troposphere
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The region of the atmosphere that extends from ground-level to roughly 11 kilometers (50 miles) above sea level.
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Stratosphere
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The region of the atmosphere that spans altitudes of roughly 11 kilometers to 48 kilometers (30 miles).
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Mesosphere
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The region of the atmosphere that spans altitudes of roughly 48 kilometers to 80 kilometers (30 miles).
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Jet streams
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Narrow bands of high-speed winds that circulate the earth, blowing from west to east.
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Heat
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Energy that is transferred as a consequence of temperature differences.
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Temperature
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A measure of the energy of random motion in a substance's molecules.
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Thermosphere
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The region of the atmosphere between altitudes of roughly 80 kilometers and 460 kilometers.
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Exosphere
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The region of the atmosphere above an altitude of roughly 460 kilometers.
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Ionosphere
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The region of the atmosphere between the altitudes of roughly 65 kilometers & 330 kilometers, where the gases are ionized.
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Suppose the earth's atmosphere contained twice the number of molecules it does today. Would atmospheric pressure be greater than, equal to, or less than it is now?
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The pressure would be greater than it is now.
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Two students make 2 different barometers. Although they're placed side by side so that they both are exposed to exactly the same atmospheric pressure, the column of liquid in the first student's barometer significantly lower than the column of water in the second student's barometer. Assuming both students made their barometers correctly, what explains the difference?
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The students used different liquids.
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The average, sea-level value for atmospheric pressure is 14.7 pounds per square inch, which is the same thing as 29.9 inches of mercury. If the atmospheric pressure is 0.85 atms, which of the following values would correspond to atmospheric pressure as reported in a weather report? 31.1 inches of mercury, 29.9 inches of mercury, or 25.4 inches of mercury?
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25.4 inches of mercury.
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Two vials contain air samples taken at different altitudes. The first is composed of 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen, and 1% other. The second is 95% helium, 4% hydrogen, and 1% other. Which came from the Homosphere?
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The first vial came from the Homosphere.
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You are reading the data coming from a data-gathering balloon as it rises in the atmosphere. You have no idea what altitude it's at, but the balloon is sending a signal from its thermometer, telling you the temperature of its surroundings. How will you know when the ballon enters the stratosphere? How will you know when it enters the mesosphere?
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The balloon enters the stratosphere when its temperature readings cease to decrease and begin increasing. The ballon enters the mesosphere when the temperature readings cease to increase and begin decreasing again.
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Name the 3 regions of the Homosphere, from lowest to highest.
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Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere.
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Although the temperature gradient changes from region to region in the homosphere, there is one gradient that stays the same. It continues to decrease as you increase in the altitude, no matter where you are in the homosphere. What gradient?
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The amount gradient.
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A plane is experiencing a lot of problems because of a storm in the area. Is the plane flying in the troposphere or the stratosphere?
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The plane is flying in the troposphere.
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A scientist has 2 vials of ammonia gas. She tells you that in the 1st vial, the gas molecules are traveling with an average speed of 1,000 miles per hour. In the 2nd vial, they're traveling with am average speed of 1,300 miles per hours. Which vial contains the gas with the higher temperature?
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The second vial contains the gas with the higher temperature.
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As you are outside on a cold winter night, you begin to shiver from the cold. Your companion, says you are shivering because of the heat. Is your companion correct? Why or why not?
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Your companion is correct. Heat is energy that is being transferred. The reason you are cold is that energy is being transferred from your body to the surrounding air.
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Suppose there were a layer of carbon dioxide gas in the mesosphere. What would happen to the temperature gradient in that region?
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The temperature gradient would reverse, getting warmer near that region.
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Why will the ban on CFCs most likely not save or improve people's lives?
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A ban on CFCs will probably not save or improve lives because CFCs cause a depletion of ozone only during a few months out of the year and mostly over Antartica.
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Even though human civilization is responsible for less than 1% of all chlorine in the atmosphere, it is responsible for 80% of all ozone-destroying chlorine. Why?
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Some kinds of human-made molecules that contain chlorine can survive the trip up to the ozone layer, while most naturally produced chlorine-containing molecules cannot.
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What makes it possible for CFCs to travel up to the ozone layer and begin destroying ozone?
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The polar vortex lifts the CFCs into the ozone layer.
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Where is the ionosphere, and what makes it useful for us?
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The ionosphere is a stretch of the atmosphere ranging from the upper mesosphere to the lower parts of the thermosphere. It's useful to us in radio communication, as radio signals can bounce off of it to extend its range.
