Physical Science OYO Questions
Module 3
3.1 Question: In general, should atmospheric pressure increase or decrease as altitude increases?
3.2 Question: The atmospheric pressure is 1.1 atms. Which of the following values for atmospheric pressure would you see in the weather report: 29.9 inches, 32.9 inches, or 28.1 inches?
3.3 Question: In chemistry, mixtures are classified as being either heterogeneous or homogeneous. Based on what you learned about the difference between the heterosphere and homosphere, classify Coca-Cola® as a heterogeneous or homogeneous mixture. What about Italian salad dressing?
3.4 Question: If an airplane travels altitudes of over 4 kilometers, it is required to have a special oxygen supply for the pilot. As you just learned, however, that altitude is well within the homosphere, where the air is 21% oxygen. Why, then, does the pilot need a special oxygen supply at this altitude?
3.5 Question: A supersonic jet travels in the stratosphere. If such a plane were flying over a region that is experiencing thunderstorms, how would the supersonic jet be affected?
3.6 Question: Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Suppose you were able to watch a sealed vial of water travel up through the homosphere. It would freeze once it got 5-7 kilometers high. Would the frozen water ever melt as the vial traveled farther up? If so, where would this happen?
3.7 Question: Two cold bricks are put in contact with one another. The first one has a temperature of - 1.00 degrees Celsius and the other has a temperature of -10.00 degrees Celsius. Is there any heat in this two-block system?
3.8 Question: A thermometer reads 25.00 degrees Celsius. Suppose you put that thermometer into a liquid and the thermometer reading increases to 80.17 degrees Celsius. A bright observer notes that the temperature of the substance was actually a tad higher than 80.17 degrees Celsius the instant the thermometer was placed in it. Is the observer correct? Why or why not?
3.9 Question: Those who are against the CFC ban point out that CFCs are 4-8 times heavier than the nitrogen and oxygen in the air. As a result, they say, there is no way that CFCs can float up to the ozone layer. Why are they wrong?
3.10 Question: Those who are for the CFC ban claim that skin cancer rates have increased in Australia as a result of the “ozone hole.” Although skin cancer rates have increased in Australia (and around the world), why is it hard to believe that the increase is a result of the ozone hole?
3.11 Question: Sometimes, disturbances in the sun's magnetic field can cause disturbances in the ionosphere. Suppose you were listening to an AM radio at the time of such a disturbance. Would you notice? What about if you were listening to a short-wave radio transmission from another continent?