SCIENCE, MATTER, ENERGY, AND SYSTEMS

 Science is an endeavor to discover how nature works. It has

limitations and hypothesis are tentative and testable statements
that must be capable of being supported or not supported by
observational evidence.
 Data – information required to answer the scientists
questions

 Model – an approximate representation or simulation of a

system being studied.

 ScientificTheory – a well-tested and widely accepted scientific

hypothesis or a group of related hypothesis
Scientific Law – a well tested and widely accepted description of
what we find happening over and over again, the exact same way in
nature.

Peer Review – scientists sharing information with other scientists

working in the same field.

Inductive Reasoning – using specific observations and

measurements to arrive at a general conclusion or hypothesis.

Deductive Reasoning – using logic to arrive at a specific

conclusion based on generalization or premise.
Paradigm Shift – when the majority of scientists in a field
accept new ideas and discoveries and build a new framework
for laws and theories, overthrowing older laws and theories.

Tentative Science/Frontier Science – hypotheses that have not

been widely tested or studied and have not been accepted by
peer review; tend to capture news and headlines.

Reliable Science – consists of data, hypotheses, theories, and

laws that are widely accepted

Unreliable Science -
Essentially 100% of the energy that
fuels the earth comesENERGY
EARTH’S from the sun
BALANCE
Solar Energy Enters Ecosystems via
Photosynthesis
Terrestrial Ecosystems Aquatic Ecosystems

PHYTOPLANKTON
Elements important to the Study of
Environmental Science
Hydrogen- H Bromine
Carbon- C Sodium
Oxygen- O Calcium
Nitrogen- N Lead
Phosphorus- Mercury-Hg
Sulfur Arsenic
Chlorine Uranium
Flourine
Ions Important to the Study of
Environmental Science
Hydrogen - H+
Sodium – Na+
Calcium – Ca2+
Aluminum – Al3+
Ammonium – NH4+
Chlorine – Cl-
Hydroxide – OH-
Nitrate – NO3-
Sulfate – SO42-
Phosphate – PO43-
Compounds Important to the Study
of Environmental Science
Sodium Chloride – NaCl
Carbon Monoxide – CO
Carbon Dioxide – CO2
Nitric Oxide – NO
Nitrogen Dioxide – NO2
Nitrous Oxide – N2O
Nitric Acid – HNO3
Compounds Important to the Study
of Environmental Science Cont.
Methane – CH4
Glucose – C6H12O6
Water – H2O
Hydrogen Sulfide –H2S
Sulfur Dioxide – SO2
Sulfuric Acid – H2SO4
Ammonia – NH3
Law of Conservation of Matter
When a chemical or physical change occurs, no
atoms are created or destroyed.
Law of conservation of Energy
(also known as the 1st law of thermodynamics)
When energy is converted from one form to another
in a physical or chemical change, no energy is created
or destroyed.

Energy Input always = Energy Output

2nd Law of Thermodynamics
When energy changes from one form to another, we
always end up with lower-quality or less usable
energy than we started with.

Energy always goes from a more useful to a less

useful form when it is changed from one form to
another.
What are Systems and how do they
respond to change?
System – a set of components that function and interact in some
regular way.

Most systems have the following key components:

Inputs from the environment

Flows or throughputs of matter and energy within the system at

certain rates

Outputs to the environment

Feedback Loops
Feedback – any process that increases or decreases a change to a system.

Feedback Loop – when an output of matter, energy, or information is

feed back into the system as an input and leads to changes in that system.

Positive Feedback Loop – system changes further in the same direction.

(Decreasing Vegetaion in a valley)

Negative Feedback Loop – system changes in the opposite direction.

(Your thermostat at home)
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!