Please answer this: I read this background article the other day: Saturated hydrocarbons are given the general name of alkanes . The name of specific alkanes always ends in - ane . The first part of the name indicates how many carbon atoms each molecule of the alkane has. The smallest alkane is methane. It has just one carbon atom. The next largest is ethane, with two carbon atoms. The chemical formulas and properties of methane, ethane, and several other alkanes are listed in Table below . The boiling and melting points of alkanes are determined mainly by the number of carbon atoms they have. Alkanes with more carbon atoms generally have higher boiling and melting points. I am facing a new situation today: Vic and Joe studied chemistry in school. Joe studied alkanes, while his friend Vic studied other acyclic hydrocarbons. Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Which friend studied less about the boiling points of alkanes?
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Answer: Joe

Please answer this: I read this background article the other day: Water stratification is when water masses with different properties - salinity (halocline), oxygenation (chemocline), density (pycnocline), temperature (thermocline) - form layers that act as barriers to water mixing which could lead to anoxia or euxinia.[1] These layers are normally arranged according to density, with the least dense water masses sitting above the more dense layers. Water stratification also creates barriers to nutrient mixing between layers. This can affect the primary production in an area by limiting photosynthetic processes. When nutrients from the benthos cannot travel up into the photic zone, phytoplankton may be limited by nutrient availability. Lower primary production also leads to lower net productivity in waters.[2] I am facing a new situation today: The marine biologists studied two areas of the Black Sea. Area A, situated at the mouth of the Danube River, which presented high levels of water stratification, because of the fresh water discharged by the river; and area B, situated 35 miles south, where the water was less stratified and more oxygenated. Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Which of the two areas had less dense water?
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Answer: Area A

Please answer this: I read this background article the other day: The dangers of global warming are being increasingly studied by a wide global consortium of scientists. These scientists are increasingly concerned about the potential long-term effects of global warming on our natural environment and on the planet. Of particular concern is how climate change and global warming caused by anthropogenic, or human-made releases of greenhouse gases, most notably carbon dioxide, can act interactively, and have adverse effects upon the planet, its natural environment and humans' existence. It is clear the planet is warming, and warming rapidly. This is due to the greenhouse effect, which is caused by greenhouse gases, which trap heat inside the Earth's atmosphere because of their more complex molecular structure which allows them to vibrate and in turn trap heat and release it back towards the Earth. This warming is also responsible for the extinction of natural habitats, which in turn leads to a reduction in wildlife population.The most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (the group of the leading climate scientists in the world) concluded that the earth will warm anywhere from 2.7 to almost 11 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 to 6 degrees Celsius) between 1990 and 2100. I am facing a new situation today: Two identical planets, Norlon and Bothar, have been discovered in a neighboring galaxy of ours. These two planets have the same type of atmosphere as Earth and are extremely similar to Earth in terms of topography and even species of animals that live on them. The main difference is that Norlon is inhabited by a species very similar to humans that emit a lot of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Bothar, however, has no such species on its planet. Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Does Norlon have a higher or lower average temperature than Bothar?
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Answer:
higher