GEO TEST #1 (homework #2)

Which of the following does not accurately describe Earth's distance from the Sun?

Due to Earth's circular orbit, it is always equidistant from the sun throughout the year.

UTC refers to

Coordinated Universal Time.

The basis for our global time system is

Earth rotates 15° of longitude per hour.

Travelers flying west from Los Angeles (118° W) to Tokyo (139°) will cross the ________ and, as a result, they will ________ when crossing this meridian.

International Dateline; lose a day (Example: Saturday becomes Sunday.)

Which statement describes latitude?

Latitude lines are parallel to one another.

Select all of the following phrases that are examples of a system.

a functional desktop computer eating an apple a functional desktop computer eating an apple

Earth's equator is an example of

a great circle

If you wanted a map with a lot of detail of a small area, you would want

a large scale map

What is a nebula?

a large, diffuse cloud of dust and gas in space

A hypothesis is best describe as

a tentative explanation for an observed phenomenon.

Sustainable development seeks to

advance the condition of human society while maintaining functioning Earth systems.

A system is best described as

any set of ordered, interrelated components working as a unified whole.

UTC is based on

average time calculations from atomic clocks collected worldwide.

Part complete Systems encountered in nature at Earth's surface, such as a forest, are

both open systems in terms of energy and open systems in terms of matter.

The practice of setting time ahead or behind during the year, out of coordination with the Sun, is termed

daylight saving time

Human population growth rates are expected to

decrease with virtually all new population growth in LDCs.

Earth's magnetosphere is generated by

dynamo-like motions in earth's interior

If City A is located 35° west of City B, the time at City A is ________ that at City B.

earlier than

The actual distance on the ground spanned by a degree of longitude is greatest at the

equator

The diameter of Earth is largest when measured around the

equator

The science that specifically attempts to determine Earth's shape and size by surveys and mathematical means is called

geodesy

The three inorganic Earth "spheres" around which Geosystems is designed are the

hydrosphere, lithosphere, and atmosphere.

In the scientific method, what is a tentative explanation for a phenomena?

hypothesis

The majority of the world's human population lives primarily

in less-developed countries (LDCs).

The auroras in the upper atmosphere are caused by

interaction of the solar wind and upper layers of Earth's atmosphere.

Earth's orbit around the sun

is elliptical

Which of the following is not true about the Milky Way Galaxy in which we live?

it is the largest galaxy in the universe

An angular distance measured north or south of the equator from the center of Earth is termed

latitude

How far north you live from the equator is measured as your ________, whereas an imaginary line marking all those places at that same distance north of the equator is called a ________.

latitude; parallel

An angular distance measured east or west of a prime meridian from the center of Earth is termed

longitude

The transformation of a spherical globe to a 2D surface is a

map projection

What type of feedback maintains stability in a system; i.e., what type of feedback keeps a system functioning properly?

negative

Predator/prey relationships are an example of

negative feedback, because prey populations tend to achieve a balance with the number of predators.

Part complete If Earth warmed up, and more snow fell because of more water vapor in the atmosphere, and that snow then reduced Earth's temperature, which increased snow cover, then the initial increase in snow fall would be ________ feedback, while the continued increase in snow fall would be ________ feedback.

negative; positive

Our Solar System is embedded in the ________ of the Milky Way.

orion spur of the sagittarius arm

Which of the following comprise the fundamental duality in the field of geography? a) physical versus human b) environmental versus social c) political versus environmental d) economic versus political e) physical versus economic

physical versus human

If a system responds to a change in input by moving further away from its equilibrium condition, what type of feedback has occurred?

positive

Where did the energy of the Sun come from originally?

thermal energy that was converted from the gravitational energy of the original nebula collapse

Which of the following is not true of meridians?

they are lines that run in an east-west direction.

The term "geography" (geo graphein) literally means

to write about earth

Where does the greatest distortion in a Mercator projection occur?

towards the poles

The difference in Sun time between two places located 30° in longitude apart from one another is

two hours

The realization that Earth was a sphere

was first made by Pythagoras, 580-500 B.C

A scale of 1 inch = 8 miles is an example of a

written scale

If it is 10:00 A.M. in Miami, Florida (Eastern time zone), what time is it in Los Angeles, California, located 3 time zones to the west in the Pacific Time zone?

7 am

With respect to air, water, and material resources, which of the following is true?

A forest is an open system.

How did our Solar System begin to form?

A large cloud of dust and gas began to contract under the force of gravity.

Which of the following is the most strongly supported by extensive experimental and observational evidence?

theory

Based on what you learned about time calculations across the globe, including information on time zones and the International Date Line, which of the following statements are correct?

- A graduate student is flying from Detroit International Airport to Tokyo Narita Airport for a fieldwork trip. The flight leaves at 12 pm on a Thursday and it is 13 hours long. The graduate student arrives in Tokyo on Friday afternoon at 3 pm. - A man traveling to Argentina can go to any place in the country and the time will not change; yet if he travels just north to Bolivia or Paraguay, it becomes an hour earlier. - A woman flies from Oslo, Norway to Lagos, Nigeria—a distance of nearly 5000 miles, but does not change time zones. Yet if she flies from Oslo, Norway to London, England—approximately 700 miles away—she does change time zones.

Light travels at a speed of approximately

300,000 kilometers per second (186,333 miles per second).

Part complete When did our Solar System begin to form?

5 billion years ago

Which of the following is incorrect? - Earth represents a closed system in terms of matter. - Systems in nature are generally not self-contained. - Earth represents an open system in terms of energy. - Earth represents a vast integrated system. - New resources and matter are being added to Earth's systems all the time.

New resources and matter are being added to Earth's systems all the time.

The scientific method is described by which of the following?

Organized processes and procedures for analyzing phenomena and acquiring new knowledge.

Which of the following statements is correct?

Our Solar System formed from a large, slowly rotating, collapsing cloud of dust and gas.

Who made a significant, early contribution to cartography by dividing the circumference of Earth into 360° with each degree comprising 60 minutes, and each minute comprising 60 seconds?

Ptolemyin the second century A.D.

Which of the following is not true of sunspots?

Sunspots are brighter than the rest of the Sun's surface.

Which of the following is true?

The Milky Way Galaxy contains over 300 million stars.

Which of the following about the Sun is false?

The Sun is the largest star in the Milky Way Galaxy.

Which of the following statements about Earth's shape is correct? The polar diameter is 10 km (6 mi.) greater than the equatorial diameter. Earth is a prolate spheroid. The polar diameter is 42 km (26 mi.) greater than the equatorial diameter. Earth is perfectly spherical. The equatorial diameter is 42 km (26 mi.) greater than the polar diameter.

The equatorial diameter is 42 km (26 mi.) greater than the polar diameter.

Which of the following is true regarding the prime meridian?

The prime meridian passes through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England.

Which of the following is not true of scientific theories?

They are absolute truths and can never be proven wrong.

If increased levels of carbon dioxide lead to further increases in temperature by promoting the release of even more carbon dioxide from the oceans, this means a ________ feedback has occurred and that the planet is ________.

positive; out of equilibrium

Scale in the context of examining physical geographic patterns and processes is best described as the

relative spatial and/or temporal size or extent of some attribute.

Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)

replaced Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and became the legal reference for official time in all countries.

The basic idea behind the planetesimal hypothesis is that

small grains of cosmic dust and other solids gradual accrete to form planetesimals that may grow to become protoplanets and eventually planets.

The larger the scale of a map, the ________ the area covered by the map and the ________ detail it can provide.

smaller; more

A surface disturbance on the Sun's surface caused by magnetic storms is called a(n)

sunspot

If you began a trip at 60° west, 20° north and traveled 120° farther west and 50° south, your new position would be

the International Dateline at 30° south.

Which of the following is an example of a closed system?

the earth (in terms of matter)

The meridian opposite of Earth's prime meridian (0° longitude) is called

the international date line

on its way to earth, solar winds first encounter

the magnetosphere

The word "spatial" refers to

the nature and character of physical space and the distribution of things within it.

The key idea behind the scientific method is

the testing of ideas through controlled observations and experiments.