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Geog. Test #1 (Multiple Choice)

Terms in this set (36)

Pythagoras
the first to realize the Earth was a sphere; actually a geoid
Earth
bulges at the equator
Arctic and Antarctic Circles
66.5degrees North & 66.5degrees South; poles= 24hours of darkness/ 24 hours of sunlight
Tropic of Cancer & Capricorn
are the most extreme northern and southern parallels that experience perpendicular rays of sun at noon; it varies between 23.5degrees North (Tropic of Cancer) and 23.5degrees South (Tropic of Capricorn)
20degrees South latitude?
the tropics; latitude= angular distance N/S of the equator
60degrees North latitude?
the subarctic
Tropic of Cancer & the Arctic Circle?
90degrees North; 66.5+23.5=90
What do you get when you cut the Earth by the Prime meridian (0degrees) and 180degrees?
Great circles= circles drawn on globe that coincide with the center
AM vs. PM?
AM= ante meridiem; PM= post meridiem
Cartography
the art of map making
What are the three types of map scales?
fractional (represented by a ration with a : or /); graphic scale (bar scale, line marked with distance); written scale (states the ration in words (1in:10ft.)
What are the three map scale sizes?
small (1in:50mi); medium (1in:2mi); large (1in:2,000ft)
What type of scale is 1-20,000?
large scale
What type of scale is 1cm-1km?
written scale
What will you use when looking for area, shape, proximity distance?
Must use a Globe
What are the classes of projections?
CYLINDRICAL, ELLIPTICAL or Oval (equator and prime meridian cross at right angles in the middle which is the point of no distortion and represents shapes well, PLANAR (placed at a single point), and CONICAL (used to depict smaller parts of the Earth)
What is a cylindrical projection?
projects on a paper cylinder; distortion increases progressively away from the circle of tangency; country sizes were distorted
Is the Milky Way part of the Solar System?
Actually the opposite; the Earth is part of the Solar System which is part of the Milky way galaxy which is part of the Universe
Sun's energy
Formed through nuclear FUSION
Earth's orbit around the sun can be described as?
Elliptical (closed oval path); the earth does revolutions are the sun
Auroras
the Earth's magnetic field deflects the solar wind toward the poles; aurora borealis refers to the northern lights
UV & IR
Earth intakes UV and releases IR
Insolation
the intercepted radiation; amount of solar radiation which reaches the Earth and it's atmosphere
What is the top of the atmosphere called based on temperature?
thermopause is at the top of the thermosphere (heat sphere); there is still the exosphere but it's outside the atmosphere
Insolation hitting the Earth
Is unevenly distributed; because the Earth is a sphere and curves away from the sun, the energy emitted has more distance to warm away from the equator; tropics=2.5x the energy at the poles
Rotation of Earth
has the highest rotational velocity of 1675 kph (1041 mph) at the equator and 0kph at the poles
Based on composition, the atmosphere is made up of how many parts?
2; Homosphere (uniform gases); Heterosphere (layered gases)
Based on temperature, the atmosphere is made up of how many parts?
4; Troposphere (temp. decreases with height at the (normal lapse rate)); Stratosphere (layered); Mesosphere (temp. drops from 0dCelsius to -90dCelsius); Thermosphere (top of atmosphere 'thermopause,' the heat sphere)
Ionosphere
is important to life because it absorbs cosmic rays; extends from the mesosphere to the to the thermosphere; Thermosphere correlates with the ionosphere and heterosphere
What is the number one variable gas?
H20- Water vapor
What are the top 3 uniform gases?
1) Nitrogen 2)Oxygen 3)Argon
Troposphere
Temperature decreases with a height at an average of 6.4degrees C/km or 3.5degrees F/1,000ft (normal lapse rate); as layers get higher they decrease in temp. because the layers are sorted by weight and so the lightest matter has the lowest energy.
Unnatural Gases
carbon monoxide is the #1 pollutant, caused by transportation and industrial processes
Kinetic Energy
the energy of motion; the faster the molecules move the higher the temperature
Latitude
Controls Temperature
Absolute Zero
nothing is colder than absolute zero; freezing point (237k), boiling point (373k)
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