[Continued from previous week]
Chapters 1, Flow of Energy
Chapter 2, Cycling of Matter
At its most fundamental level, life is made up of matter. Matter is any substance that occupies space and has mass. Elements are unique forms of matter with specific chemical and physical properties that cannot be broken down into smaller substances by ordinary chemical reactions. There are 118 elements, but only 92 occur naturally. The remaining elements are synthesized in laboratories and are unstable.
Environmental science is a field of study that focuses on the earth and its many complex systems. It is an interdisciplinary field that brings together elements of biology, geology, chemistry, and other natural sciences. It may even include elements of social sciences such as economics and political science. The discoveries of environmental science are made by a community of researchers who work individually and together using agreed-on methods. In this sense, environmental science, like all sciences, is a social enterprise like politics or the arts. The methods of science include careful observation, record keeping, logical and mathematical reasoning, experimentation, and submitting conclusions to the scrutiny of others. Science also requires considerable imagination and creativity; a well-designed experiment is commonly described as elegant, or beautiful. Like politics, science has considerable practical implications and some science is dedicated to practical applications, such as improvements to farming practices (Figure 1). Other science proceeds largely motivated by curiosity. Whatever its goal, there is no doubt that science has transformed human existence and will continue to do so.
George Washington Carver (image)
Source: Wikimedia Commons
License: Public Domain
Chapters 1, Flow of Energy; Chapter 2, Cycling of Matter
Source: AP Environmental Science by University of California, University of California College Prep
License: CC BY 2.0
Matter and Energy; Thinking Like a Scientist
Source: Environmental Science by Sean Whitcomb, Maricopa Community Colleges
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
