RELI 2732 Lecture : 5th Class.doc
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As entropy increases there will be more useful energy to doâworkâ. True or false?
False. As entropy increases, there will generally be less usefulenergy to do work. We can think of entropy as usually being presentin the form of heat energy. Imagine a car motor, which attempts toturn chemical potential energy into kinetic energy (movement). Lessefficient motors will get hotter for the same amount of fuelconsumed. When you drive a car you hope that most of the fuelenergy is converted into kinetic energy and not lost as heat(entropy). The hotter the car (and thus the more entropy) the lessefficient the ability to do âworkâ (the moving of the vehicle). |
| True. As entropy increases, there will generally be more usefulenergy to do work. We can think of entropy as usually being presentin the form of heat energy. In most biological and mechanicalsystems it is heat energy which is captured to do useful 'work'.Heat energy, the random movement of molecules, and increases inentropy are central to doing useful work. |
Biological systems sometimes appear on the surface to break theSecond Law of Thermodynamics â by seemingly increasing the order inthe overall system. They donât. Why?
| a. Earth (and living things on it) are not a closed system. Thesun's constant input of energy in the form of photons is harnessedby living things to create internal order within themselves. Butwithout such a constant input of energy, most biological systems onearth would break down. |
| b. The Second Law tells us that no natural process can occurunless it is also associated with an increase in the entropy of theuniverse. A living organism (such as an animal or plant) brings inmatter and energy from its environment and uses this to creategreater order within its body: the processes of life. But it isimportant to keep in mind that all animals and plants are also partof a larger system of the environment around them. While creating asmall âpocketâ of order, the processes of life (metabolism,movement, etc..) releases heat into the environment â thusincreasing the entropy of the universe and following the2nd law. |
| c. Living things, by harnessing energy to create order (withinand around themselves) actually create a paradox in questionssurrounding the first and second laws of thermodynamics andseemingly violate many previously held assumptions. |
| d. Both a and b above are correct. |
When plants capture energy in the photons of sunlight andconvert that energy into the chemical bonds of organic molecules,are they creating new energy?
| No, the energy is being transferred from one form into another.But no new energy is being created. |
| No, the overall total energy is decreasing over time. |
| Yes, by capturing photons, the plants are creating newenergy. |
| Yes, by capturing photons, the plants are creating new energy -of a different wavelength. |
Please answer all the questions
In what way did Harlanâs theory give rise to Diamondâs theory?
| It recognized agriculture might have developed by different mechanisms in different parts of the world. |
| Both make the assumption that hunter-gatherers were (and still are) superior to agriculturists. |
| It recognized the reason agriculture did not develop in certain parts of the world was because people lacked the intelligence or skill. |
| It is a basic case of scientific plagiarism - Diamonds theory is identical to Harlans theory. |
| It recognized that agricultural societies were healthier and better fed than hunter-gatherer societies. |
If a plant can grow well all by itself in the wild, yet still retains desirable agronomic traits, the plant is ____________________.
Choose the single best answer
The inability of plants to move makes it difficult for them to:
| Disperse seeds, defend themselves, and create oxygen. |
| Disperse seeds. |
| Disperse seeds and defend themselves. |
| Create oxygen. |
| Defend themselves. |
Vavilov hypothesized that in a crop plant's area of origin we should expect:
| Greater diversity for trans-domesticated species, but lower diversity for species domesticated in their area of origin. |
| Greater genetic diversity than in areas outside of the plant's area of origin. |
| Lower genetic diversity than in areas outside of the plant's area of origin. |
| Lower diversity for trans-domesticated species, but greater diversity for species domesticated in their area of origin. |
| Greater herbivore damage because of increased genetic diversity. |
Brussel sprouts, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower are all different varieties of the same species, Brassica oleracea. This group of plants demonstrates that crop breeding can lead to:
| Low within variety and high between variety diversity |
| High within variety and low between variety diversity |
| Low within variety diversity |
| High within variety and high between variety diversity |
| High between variety diversity |
______________________ compounds are produced by plants, but are not necessary for the plant's immediate survival. However, they often help protect plants from being eaten.
In discussing the origin of agriculture, the term demographic stress refers to:
| Lower productivity of un-cultivated plants due to late-Pleistocene cooling. |
| A higher incidence of religious practice in societies following the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture. |
| The situation where human populations are greater than the carrying capacity of the environment. |
| Hobbes's assertion that hunter-gatherer groups did not posses the knowledge or skills to develop agriculture. |
| That the stresses on pre-domesticated plant species led to the development of traits that result in the "domestication syndromeâ |
