Name:_________________________________________________Period:__________________
APES Summer Assignment 2016-2017
Welcome future APES students! This is an advanced science course that combines the disciplines of
biology, chemistry, physics, geology, demography, government, engineering, and public policy to
investigate global environmental issues. We will discover how the Earth’s systems function together and
how humans have affected our planet. We will also examine our personal consumption habits and learn
ways to be responsible global citizens in the face of serious environmental issues.
Because this is a college level course, you will be responsible for learning a large amount of material on
your own. I will help you as we go, but it will be your responsibility to take notes, study and learn your
vocabulary! We also work on the assumption that you have a general science background that includes
biology, chemistry and algebra. The purpose of this project is to help you prepare for the APES content
by getting organized, reviewing some background information, and getting familiar with some of the
basic concepts of environmental science and your own consumption habits.
You should complete these 5 assignments by the first day of school:
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Assignment #1: Google Classroom
Assignment #2: Policies and Legislations
Assignment #3: Chemistry Review
Assignment #4: Math Review
Assignment #5: APES in the Media
See below for a detailed description of each assignment. Supplies required for my class include a
highlighter, red pen, blue or black pen, pencil, composition notebook and a place for your notes and
papers. I look forward to meeting you this fall!
~Mrs. Biel
[email protected]
Assignment #1: Google Classroom
Sign up for our Google Classroom – APES 2016-17. Access Code: wz4z8z. We will be as paperless as
possible this year, so you should use your SCHOOL GOOGLE DRIVE email address to enroll in my google
classroom (Ex: [email protected]). See/ email your counselor if you need help with your
school google drive account.
Assignment #2: Policies and Legislations
Complete the blank Environmental Laws and Policies Chart below. This chart is due on the first day of
school.
Environmental Legislation
Environmental Legislation/Agreements: Provide the year the legislation was first ratified, and give a brief
description of the important components
Name
Abbr.
Clean Air Act
CAA
Clean Water Act
CWA
Comprehensive
Environmental
Response,
Compensation
Liability Act
CERCLA
Superfund
Convention on
International
Trade in
Endangered
Species
CITIES
Emergency
Planning &
Community RightTo-Know Act
EPCRA
Endangered
Species Act
ESA
Kyoto Protocol
KP
Montreal
Protocol
MP
Safe Drinking
Water Act
SDWA
Soil and Water
Conservation Act
SWCA
Solid Waste
Disposal Act
SWDA
Surface Mining
Control and
Reclamation Act
SMCRA
Wilderness Act
WA
Description
Legislative Terms: Define these terms in your OWN WORDS as they relate to environmental legislation
Conservation
Preservation
Restoration
Remediation
Mitigation
Reclamation
Regulatory Agencies: Provide the year the agency was instituted, and a brief description of responsibilities
related to environmental quality
Agency
Abbr.
Dept of Health and Human
Services
DHHS
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA
Bureau of Land Management
National Park Service
Dept of Agriculture
National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Organization
US Fish and Wildlife Service
US Geological Survey
Dept of Energy
Council on Environmental
Quality
BLM
NPS
USDA
NOAA
USFWS
USGS
DOE
CEQ
Description
Assignment #3: Chemistry Review
Chemistry is a big part of environmental science and is a prerequisite for this course. In order to review
some of the basic chemistry concepts you will need complete the following assignment below. Be
prepared to show this to me on the first day of school.
1. For each of the following,
a. create a flashcard with the chemical name and corresponding atomic symbol/ chemical
formula, and, on the other side of the card
b. list at least one reason why this element/ compound is environmentally relevant.
CO2
CO
C6H12O6
CH4
H2
N2
NO2
NO3-
NH3
NH4+
O2
O3
P
PO43-
S
SO2
SO3
H2SO4
NaCl
Pb
U
Rn
Hg
Cl
H2O
2. On the back of this packet, write at least a paragraph that explains the following:
a. What is matter? What is it made of? How does matter differ from energy?
b. What is energy? What types of energy are there? How does energy differ from matter?
c. What is the pH scale? What does it measure? How do the numbers on the pH scale
compare? Example – is a pH of 4 twice as strong as a pH of 2? Hint- the pH scale is not
linear! What are the average pH ratings of the following common substances in the
environment?
i. Blood
ii. Rain
iii. Acid rain (acid precipitation)
iv. Freshwater (lake or river)
v. Ocean water
Assignment #4: Math Review
The AP Environmental Science exam will have some mathematical calculations in the multiple choice section, and
one of the free response questions always involves mathematical calculations. No calculators are allowed during
the exam. Therefore, a thorough knowledge of scientific notation, metric and English systems of measurement,
and basic computational skills to be performed without a calculator is necessary.
Review the information below and complete the problems to be turned in the first day of class. Also, expect a quiz
on the metric system, percentages, units (conversion factors will be supplied to you if needed on the quiz) and
scientific notation during the first week of school to be done without a calculator.
Prerequisite Basic Mathematical Skills
Percentage
17% = 17/100 = .17
- Remember that “percent” literally means divided by 100.
- Percentage is a measure of the part of the whole, or part divided by whole.
- Ex. 15 million is what percentage of the US population?
15 million / 300 million = .05 = 5%
- The bill for dinner is $15… I’d like to leave a good tip, so what is 20% of $15?
$15 x .20 = $15 x 20/100 =$3
Rates
Rise
Y2 – Y1
Run
X2 – X1
slope = change
y = mx+b
time
dX
dt
- All of the above are ways to look at rates. The second equation is the easiest way to calculate a rate,
especially from looking at a graph. Rates will often be written using the word ‘per’ followed by a unit of
time, such as cases per year, grams per minute or miles per hour. The word ‘per’ means to divide, so
miles per gallon is actually the number of miles driven divided by one gallon.
- Rates are calculating how much an amount changes in a given amount of time.
Scientific Notation
Thousand = 103 = 1,000
Million = 106 = 1,000,000 (people in the US)
Billion = 109 = 1,000,000,000 (people on Earth)
Trillion = 1012 =1,000,000,000,000 (National debt)
- When using very large numbers, scientific notation is often easiest to manipulate. For example, the US
population is 300 million people or 300x106 or 3x108
- When adding or subtracting, exponents must be the same. Add the numbers in front of the ten and
keep the exponent the same.
- When multiplying or dividing, multiply or divide the number in front of the ten and add the exponents if
multiplying or subtract the exponents if dividing
- Online tutorial: http://www.chem.tamu.edu/class/fyp/mathrev/mr-scnot.html
Ex. 9x106 / 3x102 = (9/3) x 10(6-2) = 3 x 104
Dimensional Analysis
You should be able to convert any unit into any other unit accurately if given the conversion factor.
Online tutorials are available:
http://www.chem.illinois.edu/CLCtutorials/102/DimensionalAnalysis/SeeIt.html
http://www.chem.tamu.edu/class/fyp/mathrev/mr-da.html
Prefixes
m (milli)
=1/1000
=10-3
c (cent)
=1/100
=10-2
k (kilo)
=1000
=103
M (mega)
=1,000,000
=106
G (giga)
=1,000,000,000
=109
T (tera)
=1,000,000,000,000
=1012
Long Division and Multiplication
You should be able to do these calculations by hand, including values with decimals and scientific
notation. Many students struggle in this area because calculators are not allowed on the AP exam.
Online tutorials are available:
http://www.mathsisfun.com/dividing-decimals.html
http://www.tutors4you.com/tutorialondecimals.htm
MATH PROBLEMS TO BE TURNED IN THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS
On the back of this page, complete the calculation and show all work.
1) What is ten thousand times one hundred million? Show your work in scientific notation. Give the
answer in scientific notation and in words.
2) A population of deer had 325 individuals. If the population grows by 16% in one year, how many deer
will there be the next year? (HINT: Use the Rule of 70: population doubling time = 70/ growth rate)
3) One year I had 124 AP Environmental Science students and the next year I had 87 Environmental
Science students. What percentage did the population of APES students decrease by (round to the
nearest tenth)?
4) Electricity costs 7 cents per kilowatt hour. In one month one home uses 1.8 megawatt hours of
electricity. How much will the electric bill be?
5) The concentration of mercury in a water supply changes from 10ppm (parts per million) to 56ppm
over a ten-year period. What is the percentage change of the mercury concentration?
6) Show your work for the following multiplication and division problems. You can use a calculator to
check your work, but I want to see that you understand how to solve these problems by hand. Just like
on the AP exam, no credit is given if you don’t show your work.
a. 75.3 x 16.9
b. 1964 x 0.0718
c. 5.80x10-3 x 2.17
Assignment #5: APES in the Media
Pick a song (with lyrics), children’s book, movie, documentary, or book that has an environmental
theme. Analyze the media for the environmental message and then research the validity of the
environmental claims in the media’s lyrics, text, or script. Be prepared to discuss your choice on the first
day of school… you should make some talking points on the back of this page.
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What is the main idea?
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What issues are discussed?
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Are the claims scientifically correct? What empirical data supports these claims? Sources?
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Who is the target audience?
use the back of this page for the
chemistry paragraph, math work, and
talking points for APES in the Media.
Chemistry Paragraph:
Math Calculations (MUST SHOW WORK):
APES in the Media Talking Points: