ESS All Topics ACTUAL UPDATED QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
Environmental Value System Worldview that shapes the way an individual or group of people perceive and
evaluate environmental issues.
System A set of inter-related parts working together to make a complex whole
Open System Exchanges matter and energy with its surroundings
Closed System Exchanges energy but not matter with its surroundings
Isolated System Exchanges neither matter nor energy
Transfer Occurs when energy or matter flows and changes location
Transformation Occurs when energy of matter flows and changes its state
Model A simplified version of the real thing
, Strengths of Models Easier to work with than complex reality / helps us see patterns / used to visualize
really small or big things
Weaknesses of Models Accuracy is lost as it is simplified / predictions may be inaccurate / assumptions
are wrong means model is wrong
First Law of Thermodynamics States that energy in an isolated system can be transformed but cannot be
created or destroyed
Second Law of Thermodynamics The fact that energy is transformed through energy transfers
Entropy The measure of the amount of disorder in a system
Efficiency energy produced / energy consumed
Steady-State Equilibrium Where there are continuous inputs and outputs of energy and matter but the
system as a whole remains in a constant state
Static Equilibrium Where there is no change over time
Stable Equilibrium Returns to the same equilibrium after a disturbance
Unstable Equilibrium System returns to a new equilibrium after a disturbance
Negative Feedback Stabilizing and it counteracts deviation
Positive Feedback Destabilizing and tend to amplify changes and drive system towards the tipping
point
Resilience Ability of a system it return to its initial state after a disturbance
Factors Affecting Resilience Diversity / Biodiversity / Size of Ecosystem / Speed of Reproduction Process
Environmental Value System Worldview that shapes the way an individual or group of people perceive and
evaluate environmental issues.
System A set of inter-related parts working together to make a complex whole
Open System Exchanges matter and energy with its surroundings
Closed System Exchanges energy but not matter with its surroundings
Isolated System Exchanges neither matter nor energy
Transfer Occurs when energy or matter flows and changes location
Transformation Occurs when energy of matter flows and changes its state
Model A simplified version of the real thing
, Strengths of Models Easier to work with than complex reality / helps us see patterns / used to visualize
really small or big things
Weaknesses of Models Accuracy is lost as it is simplified / predictions may be inaccurate / assumptions
are wrong means model is wrong
First Law of Thermodynamics States that energy in an isolated system can be transformed but cannot be
created or destroyed
Second Law of Thermodynamics The fact that energy is transformed through energy transfers
Entropy The measure of the amount of disorder in a system
Efficiency energy produced / energy consumed
Steady-State Equilibrium Where there are continuous inputs and outputs of energy and matter but the
system as a whole remains in a constant state
Static Equilibrium Where there is no change over time
Stable Equilibrium Returns to the same equilibrium after a disturbance
Unstable Equilibrium System returns to a new equilibrium after a disturbance
Negative Feedback Stabilizing and it counteracts deviation
Positive Feedback Destabilizing and tend to amplify changes and drive system towards the tipping
point
Resilience Ability of a system it return to its initial state after a disturbance
Factors Affecting Resilience Diversity / Biodiversity / Size of Ecosystem / Speed of Reproduction Process
