Download APES Study Guide Unit 1 --Introduction to Environmental Science

APES Study Guide
Unit 1 --Introduction to Environmental Science
This first unit acquaints you with environmental science and introduces theory,
philosophy, history, and terminology that will be used the entire course.
Text: Ch. 1, 2 of Living in the Environment, 15th ed., Miller
Other resources that may be useful include Wickipedia and hippocampus.org
Questions Answer in your notebook. Use complete sentences.
1. What is exponential and linear growth? Draw example graphs of each.
2. What is the rule of 70? Calculate the doubling times for four countries whose population
growth rates are 3.5%, 5%, 1.5%, and 7%. Show your calculations.
3. Give a short description of the Tragedy of the Commons.
4. What is economic depletion of a resource?
5. What are the five reasonable choices left to us when a resource is economically depleted.
6. Describe and give examples of point source and nonpoint pollution.
7. Give the three factors that determine how severe a pollutantʼs effects may be. .
8. Describe and name the two basic approaches to dealing with pollution.
9. Describe Ehrlich and Holdrenʼs PAT = I equation. What does each symbol represent?
10. What was the tragedy on Easter Island and what was its cause?
11. Compare and contrast scientific hypothesis and scientific theory. What has a stronger
likelihood of being true and why?
12. Give an example of accuracy and precision that are not in the reading.
13. What is meant by saying that scientists are building a global climate model? For what
general purpose is the model being built?
14. What is homeostasis? Come up with an example that is not in the immediate reading.
Vocabulary -- Define in your vocabulary notebook in the technique shown in
class or on flash cards in your own handwriting. Use format shown in class.
exponential growth
environment
ecology
environmental science
solar capital
linear growth
exponential growth
doubling time
rule of 70
gross national product (GNP)
gross domestic product (GDP)
per capita GNP
developed (more developed) nation MDC
developing (less developed) nation LDC
ecological footprint
economic resource
perpetual resource
renewable resource
nonrenewable resource
Tragedy of the Commons
sustainable yield
environmental degradation
recycling
reuse
pollution
point source
nonpoint source
hunter-gatherers
agricultural revolution
slash-and-burn-cultivation
scientific hypothesis
model
scientific theory
accuracy
precision
scientific method
controlled experiment
inductive reasoning
deductive reasoning
frontier science
consensus
feedback loop
homeostasis
synergy