Q: You are given a new situation: The two teams took different approaches in reinforcing the highway embankment slopes when building segments of the interstate. Team A led by Chuck relied almost entirely on inspiration and good building materials therefore decreasing slope stability, while team B lead by Mike used nature as an ally by planting tens of thousands of trees and shrubs to prevent slope failures and moderate soil transpiration and evaporation. and a hint : The major effect of transpiration is the reduction of soil pore water pressures which counteracts the loss of strength which occurs through wetting, this is most readily seen as a loss of moisture around trees. However it is not easy to rely on tree and shrub roots to remove water from slopes and consequently help ensure slope stability. The ability to transpire in wet conditions is severely reduced and therefore any increase in soil strength previously gained in evaporation and transpiration will be lost or significantly reduced, consequently the effects of transpiration cannot be taken into account at these times. However it can be assumed that the chance of slope failure following saturation by storm event or periods of extended rainfall will be lessened as a result of transpiration. Moreover, although changes in moisture content will affect the undrained shear strength, the effective shear stress parameters as commonly used in routine slope stability analysis are not directly influenced by changing moisture content, although the water pressures (suctions) used in the analysis will change.[2][3] Please answer this question : Which team contributed to loss of strength in the soil?
A: Team A

Q: You are given a new situation: Lucy and Sarah are two people who each own a lake that they enjoy spending time at. They have to take care of the lake though and make sure everything is healthy so that the lake can continue to thrive and people will want to visit it. Sarah says she heard a secret that if you dump fertilizer into your lake, the fish will grow twice as large. Sarah says she has just started doing it this past week and can't wait to see the results. Lucy is skeptical and waits to see what happens at Sarah's lake. and a hint : Huge amounts of chemicals, such as fertilizers and pesticides, are applied to farm fields (see Figure below ). Some of the chemicals are picked up by rainwater. Runoff then carries the chemicals to nearby rivers or lakes. Dissolved fertilizer causes too much growth of water plants and algae. This can lead to dead zones where nothing can live in lakes and at the mouths of rivers. Some of the chemicals can infiltrate into groundwater. The contaminated water comes up in water wells. If people drink the polluted water, they may get sick. Please answer this question : Is Sarah's lake more or less safe to drink than Lucy's?
A: less

Q: You are given a new situation: John is an amateur astronomer. Last week he was observing the sky with his telescope. First he pointed his telescope at planet Mars. He noted it as case A. Then he pointed his telescope to planet Jupiter, which is farther form the Sun than Mars is. He noted it as case C. Finally, he pointed the telescope to a faraway planet called WASP-17b. He noted that as case B. and a hint : According to current definitions, all planets must revolve around stars; thus, any potential "rogue planets" are excluded. In the Solar System, all the planets orbit the Sun in the same direction as the Sun rotates (counter-clockwise as seen from above the Sun's north pole). At least one extrasolar planet, WASP-17b, has been found to orbit in the opposite direction to its star's rotation. The period of one revolution of a planet's orbit is known as its sidereal period or year. A planet's year depends on its distance from its star; the farther a planet is from its star, not only the longer the distance it must travel, but also the slower its speed, because it is less affected by its star's gravity. No planet's orbit is perfectly circular, and hence the distance of each varies over the course of its year. The closest approach to its star is called its periastron (perihelion in the Solar System), whereas its farthest separation from the star is called its apastron (aphelion). As a planet approaches periastron, its speed increases as it trades gravitational potential energy for kinetic energy, just as a falling object on Earth accelerates as it falls; as the planet reaches apastron, its speed decreases, just as an object thrown upwards on Earth slows down as it reaches the apex of its trajectory.Each planet's orbit is delineated by a set of elements: Please answer this question : Would case C have longer or shorter year than case A?
A: longer

Q: You are given a new situation: The mycologist wanted to move to a rural area, to further his research, and found these two villages situated 10 miles from each other. The interesting fact about these villages was that while both villages had a forest nearby, one presented more signs of water saturation than the other, so that the rate of decay in wood was greater in Peak Forest. More fungi were present in Peak Forest. The Valley Forest was dryer, although the rain amounts were similar, partially because of a drainage system composed of ditches, that were dug by the locals. The rate of wood decay continued to increase in the Peak Forest, while being significantly reduced in the Valley Forest. and a hint : A wood-decay fungus is any species of fungus that digests moist wood, causing it to rot. Some species of wood-decay fungi attack dead wood, such as brown rot, and some, such as Armillaria (honey fungus), are parasitic and colonize living trees. Excessive moisture above the fibre saturation point in wood is required for fungal colonization and proliferation.[1] Fungi that not only grow on wood but permeate its fibrous structure and actually cause decay, are called lignicolous fungi. In nature, this process causes the breakdown of complex molecules and leads to the return of nutrients to the soil.[2] Various lignicolous fungi consume wood in various ways; for example, some attack the carbohydrates in wood and some others decay lignin. The rate of decay of wooden materials in various climates can be estimated by empirical models.[3] Please answer this question : Which forest will have more wood-decay fungi?
A:
Peak Forest