Assignment Geography Concepts

Questions: Introduction to Geography 1. What is Science? What makes it distinctive as a discipline. Empirical studies are the foundation of science. This research is carried out by a scientist in order to address a query they have about the natural world. It can be viewed as a discipline that requires some proof in order to understand phenomena, but it also combines logic and imagination. Scientists frequently differ regarding experimental designs, result analyses, and interpretations because of this, making science dynamic and creative. 2. What is Geography? Geography is a branch of science that focuses on the study of the regions, terrain, inhabitants, and natural occurrences on Earth and in other planetary systems. The link between natural systems, geographic regions, society, cultural activity, and their interaction over space is also studied in geography. Discuss the Geographic method of inquiry? The Geographic method of inquiry, which is based on applying a geographic perspective, provides a special lens through which to examine space, location, and the links between the natural and human worlds. 3. What is the scientific method? A series of procedures known as the scientific method are used to address research questions. In order to find the answers to their questions and essentially generate more hypotheses, scientists employ data and evidence acquired from observations, experience, or experiments. The steps to the scientific method are 1. Make an observation. 2. Ask a question. 3. Form a hypothesis, or testable explanation. 4. Make a prediction based on the hypothesis. 5. Test the prediction. 6. Iterate: use the results to make new hypotheses or predictions. 4. What is the geographic grid system? Locations on the world are identified using the Geographic Grid. Global Positioning System (GPS) is a word used to describe a contemporary tool for locating objects. 5. Define latitude and longitude. Latitude is the angular distance north or south of the equator, measured from the center of Earth. A line connecting all the points along the same latitude line is called a parallel. On the other hand, Longitude is an angular distance east or west of a point on Earth's surface, measured from the center of Earth. 6. Discuss Earth's time zones, how are the determined? What is the "true" earth time zone? Earths time zones can be observed in two different ways: 1. Using the Sun or 2. Utilizing standard time. Solar time uses the noon sun angles to calculate the apparent solar time (like a sundial). Standard time is the time you are most accustomed to, as it is the local agreed-upon time in a region when Daylight Savings is not in use. Standard time prevents cities and towns from being divided by solar time zones. Standard time is best observed as time zones. 7. What is Remote Sensing? The ability to analyze items without coming into contact with them directly is known as remote sensing. There are a variety of remote sensing platforms and devices. Some of them are known as, satellite imagery, aerial photography, radar light detection and ranging (LIDAR), etc... Questions: Mapping Earth's Surface 8. What is cartography? The study or practice of creating maps is known as cartography. It is the science and art of graphically depicting a place, typically on a flat surface like a map or chart. 9. What is map scale? Map scale measures how much the features of the world are reduced to fit on a map; or more precisely, map scale shows the proportion of a given distance on a map to the corresponding distance on the ground in the real world. 10. Define the following map scales: representative fraction, graphic scale, verbal descriptions, and contour lines. (The most commonly used measure of map scale is the representative fraction (RF), where a map scale is shown as a ratio.) (Scale bars are graphical representations of distance on a map. One important advantage of graphic scales is that they remain true when maps are shrunk or magnified.) (Contour lines are continuous lines on a map that join points of equal elevation, meaning that the elevation is constant along the line.) (Some maps, especially older ones, use a verbal description of scale.) 11. What are map projections? A map projection is a way to flatten a globe's surface into a plane to make a map. 12. Define the following map projections: conformal, equal area, and equidistant. A conformal projection will have distortion ellipses that vary substantially in size but are all the same circular shape, Conformal projections should be used if the main purpose of the map involves measuring angles or representing the shapes of features. For equal-area projections, the size of any area on the map is in true proportion to its size on the earth. Equidistant projections, as the name suggests, preserve distance. This is a bit misleading because no projection can maintain relative distance between all places on the map. Equidistant maps are able, however, to preserve distances along a few specified lines. 13. What is a public land survey? Define "township"? The Public Land Survey System is the surveying method developed and used in the United States to plat, or divide, real property for sale and settling. Townships are areas of 6 miles on a side (36 sq. mi), bordered on the east and west by range lines and the north and south by township lines. Each township is subdivided into 36 sections of 1 mile on each side. (Sources: https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/intro-to-biology/science-ofbiology/a/the-science-of-biology) (https://www.britannica.com/science/cartography) (https://scwrl.ubc.ca/stem-writing-resources/communicating-in-stem-disciplines/howdoes-this-differ-from-otherdisciplines/#:~:text=Science%20can%20be%20thought%20of,designs%2C%20results %20analyses%20and%20interpretations.) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Land_Survey_Syste) Physical geography is the study of our planet and all of its elements, including the atmosphere, interior, water, lands, and living things (biosphere).