GEOSC 10 Rockon 1
Humans (and our crops and pets and farm animals) now use:
Almost half of the things the planet makes available and that we like to use.
Chemists recognize many different elements, such as gold, or oxygen, or carbon. Suppose you got some carbon, and started splitting it into smaller pieces. The smallest piece that would still be called "carbon" would be:
An atom
You get some stuff, and start taking it apart. But, you are restricted to the use of "ordinary" means (fire, sunlight, your digestive system) and you cannot use atom smashers or atom bombs. What is the smallest piece that you are likely to be able to produce:
An atom
Which of the following is NOT a job that geology graduates commonly get hired for:
Cloning new biological organisms for use in international terrorism.
You find an atom, and you want to learn what element it is (its fundamental type). If you are efficient, you first should:
Count the number of protons contained in the nucleus of the atom.
Two neutral atoms have the same number of protons in the nucleus, but different numbers of neutrons. These are:
Different isotopes of the same element.
Your job depends on you finding the best available information on a particular technical topic. Where should you concentrate your search if you want to do it right and keep your job?
Find and study refereed scientific articles in learned journals.
The jobs of geologists include:
Finding valuable things in the Earth, warning about hazards, learning how the Earth works, and educating and entertaining people.
You find two neutral atoms. Each has 8 protons in its nucleus, but one has 7 neutrons, and the other has 8 neutrons. It is correct to state that:
The two atoms are from the same element, but are different isotopes of that element.
Scientists receive government funding primarily because:
They help humans do useful things
Science professors teach certain theories and not others (Newton's physics, and not Aristotle's, or Darwin's evolution and not Lamarck's). If you were to ask the professors why, a majority would tell you (more or less; not using exactly these words but with this meaning):
"Nature has repeatedly been asked (through experiment) which is better, and we are teaching the ones that made successful predictions, and not teaching the ones that failed."
You put some atoms together, and they share or trade some electrons. What just happened was:
A chemical reaction.
When scientists agree that a particular scientific theory is a good one, and the scientists use that theory to help make new things, cure diseases, etc., that "agreement" came about because:
A number of different experiments by different people all had outcomes that were well-predicted by the theory.
Scientists often speak of consensus: the scientific community agrees that a particular theory is better than the competitors. What is such scientific consensus based on?
A number of different experiments by different people that all had outcomes that were predicted accurately by the favored theory and not by the competitors.
Which is more likely to contain reliable information?
A refereed article in a learned journal.
The peer review process, in which scientists submit write-ups of their ideas and experiments to a set of colleagues who judge how good the ideas are before the ideas can be published, is:
A useful and important, even if imperfect, mechanism of quality-control for the scientific literature.
The law that established the National Parks gave them a hard job, because it required that they:
Help people enjoy the parks today, but also save the parks for the future.
The best description of a scientist's job is that she or he:
Invents new ideas, and shows that some ideas are false.
What is accurate about peer review of scientific papers?
It provides quality control by eliminating many mistakes.
The final arbitrator between two alternate theories (for example Aristotle's and Newton's ideas) is:
Nature, and experiments conducted to test each idea.
Newton's ideas on physics "won", and Aristotle's ideas were kicked out of science and over into history. Why?
Newton's ideas did a better job of predicting how nature would behave.
A scientist gains knowledge about how the world works and uses that information to successfully predict what will happen in an experiment. This proves that the scientist's knowledge is:
One or more of True, lucky, or close to being true (or cheating), but we can't tell which.
Human population continues to grow. Looking at many of the things we use on Earth (farmland and land for wood and other things, fish in the sea, etc.):
Our use is large but not everything; we are approaching use of half of all that is available.
Geology departments are seeing a lot of recruiters recently, because geology is an in-demand major. Which of the following is NOT a job that geologists commonly end up doing?
Packaging substandard mortgages into "securities" and trying to sell them to unsuspecting people.
Nuclei of atoms are made up of:
Protons, usually with neutrons added.
Ignoring good manners, you start rooting around in the nucleus of a poor, unsuspecting atom, to see what is in there. What are you most likely to find?
Protons, usually with some neutrons hanging around among the protons.
National Parks are:
Regions containing key biological, geological or cultural resources that have been set aside for the enjoyment of the present generation and future generations.
Most Americans support science because:
Science has helped make our lives easier, safer, etc.
Opinion polls show most residents of the US do not believe they understand science very well, but they do favor more government support of science. Why do most US residents favor government support of science?
Science has helped make our lives healthier, wealthier, easier, safer, etc., and people hope that more funding of more science will provide even more health, wealth, ease, safety, etc.
The US government, and most other governments of the world provide support for scientists but not for astrologers, palm readers, or telephone "psychics". Why do governments support scientists?
Scientists help humans do useful things, which makes the humans healthier, wealthier, etc., and governments often like to support health and wealth.
Before they can be published, scientific papers must be peer-reviewed. This means that:
Some other scientific experts read the papers and provide quality control by eliminating many mistakes.
The Earth has a fascinating history, which this class has just begun to explore. Which is more nearly correct, according to the scientific interpretation presented in the text?
The Earth formed about 4.6 billion years ago, well after the Big Bang, as materials made in stars fell together to form the planet.
The scientific study of the origin of the planet has taken a lot of effort, and still generates much discord outside the scientific community although almost no discord within the scientific community. The scientifically accepted history is:
The Earth formed from older materials that fell together under gravity about 4.6 billion years ago.
Geologists get to play with chemistry, physics, biology... and history! And what a history you will meet as you work your way through the course. Starting at the beginning, the textbook provides the scientifically accepted start of the story... and promises that you'll get to explore some of the evidence for that scientific view, later in the semester. Meanwhile, which is more nearly correct of the scientifically accepted view?
The Earth formed from the falling together of older materials, about 4.6 billion years ago.
What is more accurate about the Earth?
The Earth is formed of concentric layers (something like an onion--a central ball with a shell around it, and a shell around that...); when the planet melted, it separated into layers.
The Earth is layered. Most geologists believe that this layering originated primarily because:
The Earth is layered. Most geologists believe that this layering originated primarily because: The Earth partially or completely melted soon after it formed, and the denser materials fell to the center.
Your boss has assigned you to get the low-down on the latest wonder-drug, and to be darn sure to get it right.You would be wise to consult:
The article in the Journal of the American Medical Society, a peer-reviewed scientific journal, reporting on the discovery and testing of the drug.
In chemistry, the type of an atom (what element it is) is determined by:
The number of protons it contains in its nucleus.
A scientist successfully predicts the outcome of an experiment. You watch carefully and know he didn't cheat. The scientist's success shows that:
The scientist may know the truth, or at least know something that is close to the truth, or the scientist may have gotten lucky this time; you can't be absolutely sure
One of the big problems faced by National Parks is that:
They must allow people to enjoy things today, and preserve those things for the future, but achieving both of these is not easy.
A nighttime picture of Earth shows human-controlled lights spread across most of the land surface, and a few out in the ocean on ships. In round numbers, humans (and the things we grow, or the pets we live with):
Use almost 50% of everything the world makes available and that we find useful.
The law that established Yellowstone as the first national park:
Was written to help people today and in the future, by requiring that the parks provide enjoyment today while preserving the parks for the future.
The great scientist Alfred Wegener proposed that continents have moved, while other scientists such as T.C.Chamberlin argued against Wegener. Wegener's ideas eventually won, and are now widely accepted, because:
Wegener's ideas did a better job of predicting the results of new observations and experiments.
If you could drill a hole straight to the center of the Earth, and keep track of what the hole is going through, you would find:
You would go through one sort of material, and then a different, denser material, and then a still-different, still-denser material, because the planet is made of concentric layers, sort of like an onion.
