Chapter 1 Review Centers Answer Key

Center #1: Earth Systems and Areas of Study

1) What are Earth’s four systems?

Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Biosphere, and Geosphere
2) What are Earth’s five areas of study?
Geology, Meteorology, Oceanography, Astronomy, and Environmental Science
3) Explain how one Earth system is interdependent of the other three.
Each system depends on the other three in order to exist and function as it does. For instance, without the an
atmosphere Earth’s temperature would cause all water (hydrosphere) to evaporate, killing all life forms (biosphere), and
completely change the geosphere due to the lack of interaction with water and living things.
4) Compare and contrast Earth’s geology and geosphere.
Geology is the study of the materials that make up Earth, the processes that form these materials, and the history of the
planet and its life-forms. The geosphere is a system of focus in Geology, and includes Earth and everything in it.

Center #2: Scientific Method

1) List the six steps to the scientific method and create an original mnemonic device for remembering it.
Question, Research, Hypothesis, Experiment, Analysis, and Conclusion
2) Explain how are the first four steps are connected to one another.
Research is on the question/problem. The research is then used to make a hypothesis. The hypothesis should be
answering the question and be testable through an experiment. The experiment tests whether the hypothesis is valid or
not, and thus will seek an answer to the original question. So each step is interconnected!

Center #3: Variables

1) Explain the difference between an independent and dependent variable (pg. 13).
An independent variable is changed by the experimenter. The dependent variable is affected by changes in the
independent variable.
2) Explain the difference between a constant and a control (pg. 13).
A control is used in an experiment to show that the results of an experiment are a result of the condition being tested. A
constant is simply any factors in the experiment that do not change.
3) Explain the difference between an investigation and experiment (pg. 13).
An investigation is an experiment without control of all aspects.

Center #4: SI Units and Scientific Notation

1) What is the SI Unit for each type of measurement?

2 3
Length – meter (m), Mass – kilogram (kg), Area – square meter (m ), Volume – cubic meter (m ), Density – grams per cubic
3
centimeter (g/cm ), Time – seconds (s), and Temperature – Kelvin (K)
2) Write the following numbers in scientific notation.
3
7,498  7.498 X 10
-3
0.00256  2.56 X 10
0
4.06  4.06 X 10
1
25.9  2.59 X 10
-9
0.000000005  5.0 X 10
3) Change the following from scientific notation to standard form.
-5
7.1 X 10  0.000071
1
6.24 X 10  62.4
3
1.09 X 10  1,090
-2
9.908 X 10  0.09908

Center #5: Density

1) The formula for Density is Density = Mass / Volume (D = M / V)