GED Science Notes

Crude oil is found trapped in sedimentary rock layers.

Over millions of years, organic matter undergoes high pressures and
temperatures and is compressed under layers of permeable and impermeable
sediment. The organic matter changes into oil and is trapped between
permeable and impermeable layers below Earth's crust.

A hammer acts as a third-class lever when it is used to

drive in a nail. The fulcrum is the wrist at one end of the hammer. The effort is
applied through the hand, and the load is the resistance of the surface the nail
is piercing at the other end of the hammer.

Valleys are shaped by weathering. A V-shaped valley is shaped by the

movement of running water. A U-shaped valley is shaped by the movement
of a glacier.

A tropical storm that develops over the Atlantic. Ocean can cause a hurricane in the eastern
United States, whereas a storm that develops over the Pacific Ocean can cause a typhoon in
the Philippines and Hong Kong.”

Planes fly in the stratosphere because there are no weather hindrances

and the air is thinner.

Meiosis is a special type of cell division that takes place only in the sex cells, that is, in the eggs
and sperm for humans. This results in four haploid cells, containing half the number of
chromosomes of body cells.

Dependent Variable- The things that you are studying are called the dependent.
Independent- can be manipulated by man. The factors you think may have an impact on the
thing you are studying are called independent. It may cause a change in the experiment.

Independent variables are the ones you start with in an experiment. These are independent of
what happens in the experiment. Scientists may apply or change variables to see what effect
they have.
Dependent variables are what you want to learn about by performing your experiment. They are
changes that depend on the independent variables.

Independent variable: The variable that is manipulated.

Dependent variable; The variable that depends on the independent variable.

Conduction is the transfer of heat or thermal energy resulting from differences in temperature
between adjacent bodies or adjacent parts of a body. By this process, heat is transferred from
one substance to another when the substances are in direct contact. Because the particles in
solids are closer together than those in liquids or gases, solids generally conduct heat better
than liquids or gases. An example of conduction is the transfer of heat to the handle of a pot
sitting on a hot burner.

Convection is the transfer of heat from one place to another by the movement of fluids. As a
fluid heats, the particles move farther apart and become less dense. The more dense fluid sinks
and the warmer, less dense fluid rises.

Radiation is the transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves. It is a method of heat transfer that
does not rely on any contact between the heat source and the heated object as is the case with
conduction and convection. An example of radiation is the heat from the sun.
Freezing–A substance changes from a liquid to a solid.
Melting–A substance changes from a solid to a liquid.
Condensation–A substance changes from a gas to a liquid.
Evaporation or vaporization–A substance changes from a liquid to a gas.
Sublimation–A substance changes directly from a solid to a gas without going through the liquid
state.
Deposition–A substance changes directly from a gas to a solid without going through the liquid
state.”

An endothermic reaction is a reaction that absorbs heat from its environment. Examples include
the melting of ice under sunlight, or chemical reactions such as:
N2(g) + O2(g) + energy → 2NO(g)

An exothermic reaction is a reaction that releases heat. Examples include natural processes
such as respiration and chemical reactions such as:
“C(s) + O2(g) → CO2(g) + energy.

An atom’s mass number is the total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of that atom.

Protein - RNA - DNA

Nuclear fusion is the process that causes the sun to radiate energy in
the form of light and heat commonly known as solar energy.

A shift toward the blue end of the spectrum indicates shorter wavelength.
The star is moving closer to the observer.

The proper order of the steps of the scientific method is:

Formulate a question, Hypothesize, Predict, Test, and Analyze

Earth consists of 3 main layers; Crust, Mantle, and Core.

Crust is made from different types of rock. It stretches beneath the oceans anywhere from 3 to
6.8 miles thick.
On continents, it stretches beneath 12 to 40 miles thick.
Beneath the crust is the mantle, consisting of silica and mental rich materials. The core has two
layers, the outer core which is liquid iron, and inner core, solid iron. The core is characterised by
extreme heat and pressure.

We use the term “Plate Tectonics” to describe a phenomenon of movement that occurs in the
earth's crust.

Plate Tectonic
The earth’s crust is made up of plates. These plates fit together like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle.
As the seafloor spreads, these tectonic plates shift about 6 inches each year. As the plates
become closer to one another, distinctive boundaries begin to form, like mountain ranges,
volcanoes, trenches, and mid ocean ridges. At these shifting margin lines, earthquakes often
occur. Through plate tectonics our earth is constantly evolving and shifting. The theory of plate
tectonics explains why continents on the earth’s crust shift over time.

Tectonic plates have three main types of boundaries (edges) that reflect the different ways they
move. The three types are:
Divergent boundaries: where plates are moving away from each other
Convergent boundaries: where plates move towards each other and meet
Transform boundaries: where plates slide along beside each other.

The complex pattern that energy passes through in an ecosystem is called a Food web. It
shows who is producing what and who is consuming what.

Prokaryotic cells
Bacteria are the smallest and most numerous organisms on the planet. Bacteria have one cell,
and that cell has no nucleus. This simple cell is called a prokaryotic cell. They multiply
constantly by dividing the cell in a process called binary fission (which means splitting in two).
Eukaryotic cells
Eukaryotic cells make plants, animals, and a few other types of living things. Eukaryotic cells
have many different jobs to do. A brain cell in your body, for example, has an entirely different
job than the cell in a leaf that makes food for the plant.

First step of mitosis = One cell divides into two cells, each with identical DNA
Second step of mitosis = Produces two whole new cells with complete DNA
Third step of mitosis = Creates cells that form new parts of organisms, such as skin, blood etc
First step of meiosis = One cell divides into four cells, each with only half the chromosomes of
the dividing cell
Second step of meiosis = New cell must combine with another cell to reproduce.

Hypothesis
A research hypothesis is a specific, clear, and testable proposition or predictive statement about
the possible outcome of a scientific research study based on a particular property of a
population.