Galileo and Darwin as practitioners of science

/in /by

Compare and contrast Galileo and Darwin as practitioners of science. What question about the natural world did each man address in the readings covered in this course? Explain in detail the answer each man found to his question, including empirical data and hypotheses. What are “scientific facts” and to what extent did these two men discover scientific facts? What influence did Galileo and Darwin have on science, on a specific scientific theory, and on the modern way of thinking?

The mid-latitude cyclones and hurricanes

/in /by

Both mid-latitude cyclones and hurricanes (or typhoons) in the Northern Hemisphere experience winds that spiral outward from a center of low pressure. Discuss

The continental margins

/in /by

Why does most mountain building today, take place at continental margins? Was this the same in the past? Why then, do we have mountain ranges such as the Ural Mountains, that are in the centers of continents?

The sea surface temperature

/in /by

Explain why the sea surface temperature over central and eastern equatorial Pacific is usually colder than the sea surface temperature north and south of the region. ii. What happens to the sea surface temperature during a major El Nino event? Why? iii. What are the impacts of EI Nino on the weather and climate of North America?

The silicate mineral

/in /by

Explain how a mineral is different than a rock. Explain how you would identify a mineral. Include three properties you would look for and three tests you could perform. Contrast a silicate mineral to a non-silicate (carbonate or organic) mineral in terms of composition, structure, and how it forms.

Rotational tilt of the earth

/in /by

How does the shape, rotational tilt of the earth, and its annual revolution around the sun contribute to global climate and biome patterns and seasonality, through effects on temperature and precipitation?

The sound absorption and scattering

/in /by

Describe how air bubbles affect sound absorption and scattering. Explain a situation(s) where bubbles can be used to improve a sonars performance

The biennial bearing

/in /by

Describe what is biennial bearing is and the frequency and occurance of it and trees that display biniel and how to manage it. also describe biennial bearing in tropical fruit trees.

The theory of plate tectonics.

/in /by

Briefly review the history of the theory of plate tectonics. What was Alfred Wegener’s role? What evidence did he present? Why was his theory NOT widely accepted initially? What new evidence led to its later acceptance?

The abiotic factors

/in /by

Explain how major abiotic factors change from the surface to 6 km depth in the ocean. Name and define the physical feature that sharply separates the major water layers with depth for each of the abiotic factors.