Science, Systems, Matter, and Energy

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Chapter 2

• Science, Systems, Matter, and Energy

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Core Case Study Environmental Lesson from
Easter Island

• Thriving society
• 15,000 people by 1400.
• Used resources faster than could be renewed
• By 1600 only a few trees remained.
• Civilization collapsed
• By 1722 only several hundred people left.

Figure 2-1
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Feedback Loops How Systems Respond to Change

• Outputs of matter, energy, or information fed
  back into a system can cause the system to do
  more or less of what it was doing.
• Positive feedback loop causes a system to change
  further in the same direction (e.g. erosion)
• Negative (corrective) feedback loop causes a
  system to change in the opposite direction (e.g.
  seeking shade from sun to reduce stress).

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Feedback Loops

• Negative feedback can take so long that a system
  reaches a threshold and changes.
• Prolonged delays may prevent a negative feedback
  loop from occurring.
• Processes and feedbacks in a system can
  (synergistically) interact to amplify the
  results.
• E.g. smoking exacerbates the effect of asbestos
  exposure on lung cancer.

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Organic Compounds Carbon Rules

• Organic compounds contain carbon atoms combined
  with one another and with various other atoms
  such as H, N, or Cl-.
• Contain at least two carbon atoms combined with
  each other and with atoms.
• Methane (CH4) is the only exception.
• All other compounds are inorganic.

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Organic Compounds Carbon Rules

• Hydrocarbons compounds of carbon and hydrogen
  atoms (e.g. methane (CH4)).
• Chlorinated hydrocarbons compounds of carbon,
  hydrogen, and chlorine atoms (e.g. DDT
  (C14H9Cl5)).
• Simple carbohydrates certain types of compounds
  of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (e.g. glucose
  (C6H12O6)).

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States of Matter

• The atoms, ions, and molecules that make up
  matter are found in three physical states
• solid, liquid, gaseous.
• A fourth state, plasma, is a high energy mixture
  of positively charged ions and negatively charged
  electrons.
• The sun and stars consist mostly of plasma.
• Scientists have made artificial plasma (used in
  TV screens, gas discharge lasers, florescent
  light).

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Matter Quality

• Matter can be classified as having high or low
  quality depending on how useful it is to us as a
  resource.
• High quality matter is concentrated and easily
  extracted.
• low quality matter is more widely dispersed and
  more difficult to extract.

Figure 2-8
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CHANGES IN MATTER

• Matter can change from one physical form to
  another or change its chemical composition.
• When a physical or chemical change occurs, no
  atoms are created or destroyed.
• Law of conservation of matter.
• Physical change maintains original chemical
  composition.
• Chemical change involves a chemical reaction
  which changes the arrangement of the elements or
  compounds involved.
• Chemical equations are used to represent the
  reaction.

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Chemical Change

• Energy is given off during the reaction as a
  product.

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Types of Pollutants

• Factors that determine the severity of a
  pollutants effects chemical nature,
  concentration, and persistence.
• Pollutants are classified based on their
  persistence
• Degradable pollutants
• Biodegradable pollutants
• Slowly degradable pollutants
• Nondegradable pollutants

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Nuclear Changes Radioactive Decay

• Natural radioactive decay unstable isotopes
  spontaneously emit fast moving chunks of matter
  (alpha or beta particles), high-energy radiation
  (gamma rays), or both at a fixed rate.
• Radiation is commonly used in energy production
  and medical applications.
• The rate of decay is expressed as a half-life
  (the time needed for one-half of the nuclei to
  decay to form a different isotope).

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Nuclear Changes Fission

• Nuclear fission nuclei of certain isotopes with
  large mass numbers are split apart into lighter
  nuclei when struck by neutrons.

Figure 2-9
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Stepped Art
Fig. 2-6, p. 28
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Nuclear Changes Fusion

• Nuclear fusion two isotopes of light elements
  are forced together at extremely high
  temperatures until they fuse to form a heavier
  nucleus.

Figure 2-10
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ENERGY

• Energy is the ability to do work and transfer
  heat.
• Kinetic energy energy in motion
• heat, electromagnetic radiation
• Potential energy stored for possible use
• batteries, glucose molecules

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Electromagnetic Spectrum

• Many different forms of electromagnetic radiation
  exist, each having a different wavelength and
  energy content.

Figure 2-11
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Electromagnetic Spectrum

• Organisms vary in their ability to sense
  different parts of the spectrum.

Figure 2-12
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Relative Energy Quality (usefulness)
Source of Energy
Energy Tasks
Electricity Very high temperature heat (greater
than 2,500C) Nuclear fission (uranium) Nuclear
fusion (deuterium) Concentrated
sunlight High-velocity wind
Very high-temperature heat (greater than 2,500C)
for industrial processes and producing
electricity to run electrical devices (lights,
motors)
High-temperature heat (1,0002,500C) Hydroge
n gas Natural gas Gasoline Coal Food
Mechanical motion to move vehicles and other
things) High-temperature heat (1,0002,500C)
for industrial processes and producing
electricity
Normal sunlight Moderate-velocity
wind High-velocity water flow Concentrated
geothermal energy Moderate-temperature
heat (1001,000C) Wood and crop wastes
Moderate-temperature heat (1001,000C) for
industrial processes, cooking, producing steam,
electricity, and hot water
Dispersed geothermal energy Low-temperature heat
(100C or lower)
Low-temperature heat (100C or less) for
space heating
Fig. 2-13, p. 44
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ENERGY LAWS TWO RULES WE CANNOT BREAK

• The first law of thermodynamics we cannot create
  or destroy energy.
• We can change energy from one form to another.
• The second law of thermodynamics energy quality
  always decreases.
• When energy changes from one form to another, it
  is always degraded to a more dispersed form.
• Energy efficiency is a measure of how much useful
  work is accomplished before it changes to its
  next form.

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Mechanicalenergy(moving,thinking,living)
Chemical energy (photosynthesis)
Chemical energy (food)
Solar energy
Waste Heat
Waste Heat
Waste Heat
Waste Heat
Fig. 2-14, p. 45
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SUSTAINABILITY AND MATTER AND ENERGY LAWS

• Unsustainable High-Throughput Economies Working
  in Straight Lines
• Converts resources to goods in a manner that
  promotes waste and pollution.

Figure 2-15
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Sustainable Low-Throughput Economies Learning
from Nature

• Matter-Recycling-and-Reuse Economies Working in
  Circles
• Mimics nature by recycling and reusing, thus
  reducing pollutants and waste.
• It is not sustainable for growing populations.

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Inputs (from environment)
System Throughputs
Outputs (into environment)
Energy conservation
Low-quality Energy (heat)
Energy
Sustainable low-waste economy
Waste and pollution
Waste and pollution
Pollution control
Matter
Recycle and reuse
Matter Feedback
Energy Feedback
Fig. 2-16, p. 47