Tag: science & technology

Galileo Galilei was one of the first astronomers to observe and document sunspots using his telescope in the early 1600s. Alessandro Volta is known for the electric battery, Edward Morley for the Michelson-Morley experiment, and Ernest Rutherford for nuclear physics.

Isaac Newton co-developed calculus (both differential and integral) with Leibniz and discovered the Law of Gravity. The Heliocentric Theory was proposed by Copernicus much earlier, in the 16th century, not by Newton.

The Michelson-Morley experiment showed that the speed of light is constant in all directions, which contradicted the existence of luminiferous ether. Albert Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity (1905) explained these results by proposing that the speed of light is constant for all observers. Tycho Brahe, Wolfgang Pauli, and James Clerk Maxwell were not directly involved in explaining these results.

The greenhouse effect is primarily caused by the absorption and emission of infrared radiation by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These gases trap heat that would otherwise escape to space.

Water vapor is actually the most abundant greenhouse gas and contributes the most to the natural greenhouse effect. While CO2 gets more attention, water vapor accounts for the majority of the effect.

Clouds are the major non-gas contributor to the greenhouse effect. While water vapor is a greenhouse gas, clouds themselves (liquid water droplets and ice crystals) trap outgoing longwave radiation. The sea, buildings, and other options are not major non-gas contributors.

CO2 (carbon dioxide) is the primary anthropogenic greenhouse gas, emitted mainly through burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes. CO (carbon monoxide) is not a significant greenhouse gas. Water vapour is a greenhouse gas but is primarily natural, not anthropogenic. Therefore CO2 is the correct answer.

Airborne fraction is defined as the proportion of emitted CO2 remaining in the atmosphere after a specified time period, typically expressed as a percentage. Atmospheric lifetime refers to how long an individual molecule persists, while GWP (Global Warming Potential) measures warming relative to CO2 over a specific timeframe.