Problem: Canada produced its electricity by using fossil fuels and nuclear fission. New Zealand used only alternative, renewable sources to produce their electricity. Which country causes less air pollution? Hint: In the U.S., the majority of electricity is produced by burning coal or other fossil fuels. This causes air pollution that harms the health of living things. The air pollution also causes acid rain and contributes to global warming. In addition, fossil fuels are nonrenewable resources, so if we keep using them, they will eventually run out. The main advantage of nuclear energy is that it doesn't release air pollution or cause the other environmental problems associated with the burning of fossil fuels. On the other other hand, radioactive elements are nonrenewable like fossil fuels and could eventually be used up.

A: New Zealand

Problem: Keith landed a job with the EPA. As part of his training he needed to learn how the Geiger counter works. To learn more about the counter he tested it in three different locations, location A, location B, and location C. Location A had very high radiation; location B had low radiation; and location C didn't have any radiation. Keith learned how the counter works in locations with varying degrees of radiation. Would location A have faster or slower clicks than location B? Hint: You generally can't see, smell, taste, hear, or feel radiation. Fortunately, there are devices such as Geiger counters that can detect radiation. A Geiger counter, like the one pictured in the Figure below , contains atoms of a gas that is ionized if it encounters radiation. When this happens, the gas atoms change to ions that can carry an electric current. The current causes the Geiger counter to click. The faster the clicks occur, the higher the level of radiation. You can see a video about the Geiger counter and how it was invented at the URL below.

A: faster

Problem: Two farmers had neighboring parcels of land. Bob had a nice parcel of old growth forest, while the other farmer, named Bill , had a similar sized parcel covered in grasslands. Which farmer observed a smaller buildup of fulvic acids in the upper soil profile? Hint: Precipitation in grasslands is equal to or less than evapotranspiration and causes soil development to operate in relative drought. Leaching and migration of weathering products is therefore decreased. Large amounts of evaporation causes buildup of calcium (Ca) and other large cations flocculate clay minerals and fulvic acids in the upper soil profile. Impermeable clay limits downward percolation of water and fulvic acids, reducing chemical weathering and podzolization. The depth to the maximum concentration of clay increases in areas of increased precipitation and leaching. When leaching is decreased, the Ca precipitates as calcite (CaCO3) in the lower soil levels, a layer known as caliche.

A: Bill

Problem: John is a nuclear scientist who works at the Fermi lab. Today, in front of him he has four samples, sample A, sample B, sample C, and sample D. Sample A is the naturally occurring uranium. Sample B is enriched uranium. Sample C is the U-238, and sample D is the U-235. He needs to figure out how to best use them. Would sample C and sample D have same atomic mass or different atomic mass? Hint: Naturally occurring uranium is composed almost entirely of two isotopes, uranium-238 (99%) and uranium-235 (1%). It is the uranium-235 that is fissionable (will undergo fission) and therefore, this is the uranium isotope than can be used for fuel in a nuclear reactor. For uranium to be used as fuel, the percent of uranium-235 must be increased to at least 3%. Uranium in which the U-235 content is more than 1% is called enriched uranium. Somehow, the two isotopes must be separated so that enriched uranium is available for use as fuel. Separating the isotope by chemical means (chemical reactions) is not successful because the isotopes have exactly the same chemistry. The only essential difference between U-238 and U-235 is their atomic masses; as a result, the two isotopes are separated by a physical means that takes advantage of the difference in mass.

A:
different atomic mass