Chapter 1

Question 1

Define science

Answer 1

the study of the matter and move- ment of God’s physical creation

Question 2

what is the study of soil ?

Answer 2

Pedology

Question 3

what is a scientific law ?

Answer 3

scientific law is if a theory has never been proven false.

Question 4

what does it mean to say that a hypothesis is falsifiable ?

Answer 4

There has to be some situation that, it it occurs, would prove the hypothesis to be false.

Question 5

what is a experimental group ?

Answer 5

a experimental group are groups on which a test is performed.

Question 6

what is a control group?

Answer 6

a group in which the independent variable is absent

Question 7

what is a prototype?

Answer 7

model of a design or some part of a design that is used for testing

Question 8

Define inference

Answer 8

conclusion based on reasoning from evidence

Question 9

What do logicians call an “if /then” statement?

Answer 9

hypothetical proposition

Question 10

Explain the difference between affirming the antecedent and denying the consequent.

Answer 10

• affirming the antecedent—If the antecedent is true, the consequent is true.
• denying the consequent—If the consequent is false, the antecedent is false.

Question 11

what is the method of difference.

Answer 11

any difference in the outcome must be due to the difference in the independent variable

Question 12

What is reproductibilty?

Answer 12

it’s the ability of others to confirm the results by testing the hypothesis under different conditions and using different experiments

Question 13

What is repeatability?

Answer 13

it’s the ability of an experimenter to repeat his own results by performing the experiment multiple times under conditions as similar to the original as possible

Question 14

What fallacy is assuming, without further evidence, that something caused what happened after it?

Answer 14

post hoc fallacy

Question 15

Why is a hypothesis considered a model?

Answer 15

a hypothesis, if true, is a partial representation in word of how some part of the universe works

Question 16

What two kinds of material make up soil?

Answer 16

organic material and mineral material

Question 17

Besides holding large amounts of water, what job does humus do in soil?

Answer 17

enriches the soil

Question 18

Name the top two layers of soil.

Answer 18

topsoil and subsoil

Question 19

Name the process by which rocks are broken down into soil.

Answer 19

weathering

Question 20

What determines the texture of soil?

Answer 20

the combination of different sizes of mineral particles

Question 21

Give the functions of sand in soil?

Answer 21

allowing air and water into the soil

Question 22

What is loam?

Answer 22

soil that contains a range of sand, silt, clay, and humus mixtures

Question 23

What can color tell us about soil?

Answer 23

the amount of organic matter and types of minerals present

Question 24

How do chemists express the degree of acidity or basicity of a substance?

Answer 24

PH-scale

Question 25

List the three primary plant food elements.

Answer 25

nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium

Question 26

What form of phosphorus does fertilizer usually contain?

Answer 26

phosphates

Question 27

What is the term for any bacteria that converts nitrogen into nitrogen compounds?

Answer 27

nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Question 28

Which bacteria convert ammonia into nitrates?

Answer 28

Nitrifying bacteria

Question 29

Which bacteria put nitrogen back into the air?

Answer 29

Denitrifying bacteria

Question 30

List two ways that phosphorus benefits plants.

Answer 30

Any two of following: - allowing cell division - promoting plant maturation - making fruits "firm up" properly - promoting energy transfer

Question 31

List three ways that potassium benefits plans.

Answer 31

Potassium benefits plants by improving drought tolerance, enhancing root growth, and activating enzymes involved in growth processes.

Question 32

What term means "nonporous"?

Answer 32

impermeable

Question 33

Define saturated.

Answer 33

completely filled with water

Question 34

Give the term that describes any water located below the water table.

Answer 34

groundwater

Question 35

What two factors determine the depth of the water table?

Answer 35

size and number of pores in soil; amount of recent rainfall

Question 36

Define aquifer

Answer 36

layer of porous rock or a gravel-soil mixture that holds groundwater

Question 37

What is the term for the upward movement of water through a tiny space in response to surface tension?

Answer 37

capillarity (or capillary action)