Environmental Science Study Guide – Flashcards
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What is environmental science?
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the study of how nature works, how things in nature are interconnected and how humans interact with the earth
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Physical sciences
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(natutal) sciences like chemistry and biology
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Social sciences
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like economics and politics
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What is exponential growth?
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The larger the number is the faster it grows
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What is exponential growth halted by?
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Carrying capacity
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What is sustainability?
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The ability of earths various systems including human culture and economy, to survive and adapt to changing environmental conditions.
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What is an environmentally sustainably environment?
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one that satisfys the basic needs of people without depleting or degrading its natural resources, thereby preventing current and future generations from meeting there basic needs.
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What is sustainable living?
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taking no more potentially renewable resources from the natural world that can be replenished naturally and not overloading the capacity of the enivironment to cleanse and renew itself by natural processes
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What is degrading natural capital?
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Using renewable resources faster than nature can renew them
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What are solutions to Environmental problems?
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Trade offs-ex. no mining in wilderness areas Individuals can make a difference- buying flourescent light bulbs
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GDP
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Gross domestinc product, annual market value for the goods and services
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Per capita
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per person
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2 catagories of economic development?
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Developed and Developing countries
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Developed countries
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higher degree of industrialization and per capita GDP
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Developing countries
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lower degree of industrialization and per capita GDP
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What are perpetual resources?
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Solar and energy and its derivatives, such as wind and flowing water. They will not exeed supply in a scale of human existance
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Renewable resources
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fresh water, forests, topsoil
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Nonrenewable resources
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coal, oil, copper
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What is sustainable yeild?
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HIghest rate of use of renewable resource without reducing supply
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What is environmental degradation?
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Use exeeds natural replacement rate, and supply shrinks
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What is tragedy of the commons?
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What happens when too many people exploit a free access renewable resource. Extinction like overfishing
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The three types of nonrenewable resources
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energy, metallic minerals and non-metallic minerals
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What is economic depletion?
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Cost of extracton exeeds value
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What are ecological footprints?
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The amount of land and water needed to supply renewable resources and absorb/recycle wastes pollution indefinitely. Greater than 1 earth is unsutainable and the earth is now 1.3 earths.
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Point-Source air pollution
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Are single, identifiable sources. ex. smokestack of a coal burning power or industrial plant
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Nonpoint-Source pollution
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are dispersed and oftern difficult to identify. ex pestides blown from the land into the air and runoff of fertilizers and pesticides form farmlands, lawns, gardens, and golf courses into streams and lakes.
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What are the types of pollution we DO NOT want?
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Poin and Nonpoint
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What are the solutions to pollutions?
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Pollution clean up and pollution prevention.
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What are the disadvantages to pollution clean up?
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How much is enough and, it just transfers the problem to another medium.
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What are the 3 big ideas on sustainable living?
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1. Rely more on the renewable energy from the sun 2. Protect biodiversity by preventing the degredation of earths resources. 3. Do not distrupt the earths natural and chemical process.
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CHAPTER 2
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...
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What is a control group?
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The group that remains unexposed or tried
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What is matter?
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It has mass and takes up space
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H
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Hydrogen-Element
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C
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Carbon-Element
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O
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Oxygen-Element
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N
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NItrogen-Element
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P
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Phosphorus-Element
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S
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Sulfer-Element
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CI
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Chlorine-Element
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F
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Flourine-Element
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Br
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Bromine-Element
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Na
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Sodium-Element
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Ca
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Calcium-Element
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Pb
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Lead-Element
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Hg
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Mercury-Element
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Ion
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Gain or lose an electron
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H+
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Hydrogen Ion
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Na+
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Sodium Ion
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Ca2+
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Calcium Ion
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AI3+
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Aluminum Ion
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NH4+
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Ammonium Ion
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CI-
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Chloride ion
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OH-
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Hydroxide ion
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NO3-
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Nitrate ion
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CO32-
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Carbonate ion
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SO42-
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Sulfate ion
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PO43-
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Phosphate ion
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Compounds
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more than one atom/element
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H2
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Hydrogen
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H2O
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water
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CO2
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Carbon Dioxide
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NO2
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Nitrogen oxide
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NO+
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Nitrate
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H2S
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Hydrogen sulfide
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CO
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Carbon monoxide
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SO2
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Sulfur oxide
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NH3
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ammonia
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H2SO4
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sulfuric acid
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HNO3
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nitric acid
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CaCo3
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calcium carbonate
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CH4
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methane
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C6H12O6
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glucose
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What are subatomic particles?
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Protons, Neutrons and Electrons
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What is atomic number?
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# of protons
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What is mass number?
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# of protons and neutrons
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What is an isotope?
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Same atomic number, but different number of neutrons
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What is covalent bonding?
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When atoms share a pair or pairs of electrons to fill the outer most shell
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What is a polar covalent molecule?
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A molecule that has no net charge
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What do acids donate when dissolved in water?
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H2
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What is the Ph level of acidic solutions?
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>7
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What does the pH scale measure?
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H+ concentration of fluid
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What is pure waters Ph level?
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7
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Water+Carbon dioxide=
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Carbonic acids, which form caves
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Acid rains pH level is
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<5.6
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What do organic compounds contain?
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Carbon
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What is the law of conservation of matter?
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When a physical or chemical change occurs, no atoms are created or destroyed. Matter only changes form
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What is biodegradable?
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Living organisms can break down
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What is nondegradable?
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Living organisms cannot break down
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What are the 3 nuclear changes?
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1. Natural radioactive decay 2. Natural Fission 3. Natural Fusion
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What is natural radioactive decay?
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Unstable radioactive isotopes. It spontaneously emits matter (alpha and beta particles)
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What is a Half LIfe?
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5730
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What process does C-14 go through?
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Beta decay, a neutron changes to a proton, and an electron emitted C-14 becomes Nitrogen -14
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What is nuclear fission?
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A nuclear change in which nuclei with certain isotopes with large mass number are split into lighter nuclei when struct by nuetrons
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What is nuclear fusion?
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a nuclear chain when 2 isotopes of light elements are forced together at extremely high temperatures, where they fuse to form a heavier nucleus. Energy is realeased! EX. THE SUN!
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What is energy?
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The ablilty to do work and transfer heat
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What are the forms of energy?
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Kinetic and Potential
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What is electromagnetic energy?
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KInetic energy that travels in a wave as a result of the changes in electric and magnetic feilds. TRAVELS AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT
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What is the 1st law of thermodynamics?
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Law of conservation of energy. Energy is neither created nor destroyed in chemical and physical changes
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What is the 2nd law of thermodynamics?
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When energy changes form energy quality decreases.
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What is energy effieciency?
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How much useful work is accomplished by the energy input.
