AP Environmental Science Math Prep

This year in APES there are a few basic math skills you must master. That’s right, MATH! Since the regular tests you
will take are meant to help prepare you for the APES exam, you will able to use calculators on regular tests all year (not
phones, only calculators). The challenge will be setting up the problems correctly and knowing enough basic math to
solve the problems. With practice, you will be a math expert by the time the exam rolls around! So, let’s start sharpening
your math skills….

Reminders
 Write out all your work, even if it’s something simple. This is required on the APES exam so it will be required
on all your assignments, labs, quizzes, and tests as well.
 Include units in each step. Your answers always need units and it’s easier to keep track of them if you write them
in every step.
 Check your work. Go back through each step to make sure you didn’t make any mistakes in your set-up or
calculations. Also check to see if your answer makes sense. For example, a person probably will not eat 13
million pounds of meat in a year. If you get an answer that seems unlikely, it probably is. Go back and check
your work.

I. PERCENTAGES
Introduction:
Percents show fractions or decimals with a denominator of 100. Always move the decimal TWO places to the right go
from a decimal to a percentage or TWO places to the left to go from a percent to a decimal.

Examples: .85 = 85%. .008 = .8%

Part I: Finding the Percent of a Given Number

To find the percent of a given number, change the percent to a decimal and MULTIPLY.

Example: 30% of 400

Step 1: 30% = .30
Step 2: 400
x .30
12000
Step 3: Count the digits behind the decimal in the problem and add decimal to the answer.
12000  120.00  120

Part II: Finding the Percentage one Number is of another Number

To find what percentage one number is of another, divide the first number by the second, then convert the decimal answer
to a percentage.

Example: What percentage is 12 of 25?

Step 1: 12/25 = .48
Step 2: .48 = 48% (12 is 48% of 25)

Part III: Finding Percentage Increase or Decrease

To find a percentage increase or decrease, first find the percent change (final-initial/initial OR multiply by given %), then
add or subtract the change to the original number.
Example: Kindles have dropped in price 18% from $139. What is the new price of a Kindle?
Step 1: $139 x .18 = $25
Step 2: $139 - $25 = $114
Part IV: Finding a Total Value
To find a total value, given a percentage of the value, DIVIDE the given number by the given percentage.
Example: If taxes on a new car are 8% and the taxes add up to $1600, how much is the new car?
Step 1: 8% = .08
Step 2: $1600 / .08 = $160,000 / 8 = $20,000 (Remember when the divisor has a decimal,
move it to the end to make it a whole number and move the decimal in the dividend the same
number of places. .08 becomes 8, 1600 becomes 160000.)
OR…
Remember-Is/Of=%/100
Step 1: Reword-$1600 is 8% of what total?
Step 2: $1600/x=8/100
Step 3: Cross multiply-1600x100=8 x 160000/8=x x=20,000

Practice (SHOW WORK AND SOLUTION IN YOUR LAB NOTEBOOK):

1. What is 45% of 900?
2. Thirteen percent of a 12,000-acre forest is being logged. How many acres will be logged?
3. The Greenland Ice Sheet contains 2,850,000 cubic kilometers of ice. It is melting at a rate of .006% per year.
How many cubic kilometers are lost each year?
4. In a small oak tree, the biomass of insects makes up 3000 kilograms. This is 4% of the total biomass of the tree.
What is the total biomass of the tree?

II. METRIC UNITS

Kilo-, centi-, and milli- are the most frequently used prefixes of the metric system. You need to be able to go from one to
another without a calculator. You can remember the order of the prefixes by using the following sentence: King Henry
Died By Drinking Chocolate Milk. Since the multiples and divisions of the base units are all factors of ten, you just need
to move the decimal to convert from one to another.

Example: 55 centimeters = ? kilometers

Step 1: Figure out how many places to move the decimal. King Henry Died By Drinking… – that’s six
places. (Count the one you are going to, but not the one you are on.)
Step 2: Move the decimal five places to the left since you are going from smaller to larger.
55 centimeters = .00055 kilometers

Example: 19.5 kilograms = ? milligrams

Step 1: Figure out how many places to move the decimal. … Henry Died By Drinking Chocolate Milk –
that’s six places. (Remember to count the one you are going to, but not the one you are on.)
Step 2: Move the decimal six places to the right since you are going from larger to smaller. In this case
you need to add zeros.
 19.5 kilograms = 19,500,000 milligrams
Practice (SHOW WORK AND SOLUTION IN YOUR LAB NOTEBOOK):

5. 1200 kilograms = ? milligrams

6. 14000 millimeters = ? meters
7. 6544 liters = ? milliliters
8. 17 grams = ? kilograms

III. SCIENTIFIC NOTATION

Introduction:
Scientific notation is a shorthand way to express large or tiny numbers. Since you will need to do calculations throughout
the year WITHOUT A CALCULATOR, we will consider anything over 1000 to be a large number. Writing these
numbers in scientific notation will help you do your calculations much quicker and easier and will help prevent mistakes
in conversions from one unit to another. Like the metric system, scientific notation is based on factors of 10. A large
number written in scientific notation looks like this:
1.23 x 1011
The number before the x (1.23) is called the coefficient. The coefficient must be greater than 1 and less than 10. The
number after the x is the base number and is always 10. The number in superscript (11) is the exponent.

Part I: Writing Numbers in Scientific Notation

To write a large number in scientific notation, put a decimal after the first digit. Count the number of digits after the
decimal you just wrote in. This will be the exponent. Drop any zeros so that the coefficient contains as few digits as
possible.
Example: 123,000,000,000
Step 1: Place a decimal after the first digit. 1.23000000000
Step 2: Count the digits after the decimal…there are 11.
Step 3: Drop the zeros and write in the exponent. 1.23 x 1011

Writing tiny numbers in scientific notation is similar. The only difference is the decimal is moved to the left and the
exponent is a negative. A tiny number written in scientific notation looks like this:
4.26 x 10-8
To write a tiny number in scientific notation, move the decimal after the first digit that is not a zero. Count the number of
digits before the decimal you just wrote in. This will be the exponent as a negative. Drop any zeros before or after the
decimal.
Example: .0000000426
Step 1: 00000004.26
Step 2: Count the digits before the decimal…there are 8.
Step 3: Drop the zeros and write in the exponent as a negative. 4.26 x 10-8

Part II: Adding and Subtracting Numbers in Scientific Notation

To add or subtract two numbers with exponents, the exponents must be the same. You can do this by moving the decimal
one way or another to get the exponents the same. Once the exponents are the same, add (if it’s an addition problem) or
subtract (if it’s a subtraction problem) the coefficients just as you would any regular addition problem (review the
previous section about decimals if you need to). The exponent will stay the same. Make sure your answer has only one
digit before the decimal – you may need to change the exponent of the answer.

Example: 1.35 x 106 + 3.72 x 105 = ?

Step 1: Make sure both exponents are the same. It’s usually easier to go with the larger exponent so
you don’t have to change the exponent in your answer, so let’s make both exponents 6 for this
problem.
3.72 x 105  .372 x 106
Step 2: Add the coefficients just as you would regular decimals. Remember to line up the decimals.
1.35
+ .372
 1.722
Step 3: Write your answer including the exponent, which is the same as what you started with.
1.722 x 106

Part III: Multiplying and Dividing Numbers in Scientific Notation

To multiply exponents, multiply the coefficients just as you would regular decimals. Then add the exponents to each
other. The exponents DO NOT have to be the same.

Example: 1.35 x 106 X 3.72 x 105 = ?

Step 1: Multiply the coefficients.
1.35
x 3.72
270
9450
40500
50220  5.022
Step 2: Add the exponents.
5 + 6 = 11
Step 3: Write your final answer.
5.022 x 1011

To divide exponents, divide the coefficients just as you would regular decimals, then subtract the exponents. In some
cases, you may end up with a negative exponent.

Example: 5.635 x 103 / 2.45 x 106 = ?

Step 1: Divide the coefficients.
5.635 / 3.45 = 2.3

Step 2: Subtract the exponents.

3 – 6 = -3
Step 3: Write your final answer.
2.3 x 10-3

Practice (SHOW WORK AND SOLUTION IN YOUR LAB NOTEBOOK):

Write the following numbers in scientific notation:

9. 145,000,000,000
10. 13 million
11. .000348

Complete the following calculations:

12. 4.67 x 104 + 323 x 103
13. 7.89 x 10-6 + 2.35 x 10-8
14. 9.85 x 104 – 6.35 x 104
15. 2.9 x 1011 – 3.7 x 1013
16. 1.32 x 108 X 2.34 x 104
17. 3.78 x 103 X 2.9 x 102
18. 3.45 x 109 / 2.6 x 103
19. 1.98 x 10-4 / 1.72 x 10-6
IV. DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS
Introduction
Dimensional analysis is a way to convert a quantity given in one unit to an equal quantity of another unit by lining up all
the known values and multiplying. It is sometimes called factor-labeling. The best way to start a factor-labeling problem
is by using what you already know. In some cases you may use more steps than a classmate to find the same answer, but
it doesn’t matter. Use what you know, even if the problem goes all the way across the page!
In a dimensional analysis problem, start with your given value and unit and then work toward your desired unit by writing
equal values side by side. Remember you want to cancel each of the intermediate units. To cancel a unit on the top part
of the problem, you have to get the unit on the bottom. Likewise, to cancel a unit that appears on the bottom part of the
problem, you have to write it in on the top.
Once you have the problem written out, multiply across the top and bottom and then divide the top by the bottom.

Example: 3 years = ? seconds

Step 1: Start with the value and unit you are given. There may or may not be a number on the bottom.

3 years

Step 2: Start writing in all the values you know, making sure you can cancel top and bottom. Since you
have years on top right now, you need to put years on the bottom in the next segment. Keep
going, canceling units as you go, until you end up with the unit you want (in this case seconds)
on the top.

3 years 365 days 24 hours 60 minutes 60 seconds

1 year 1 day 1 hour 1 minute

Step 3: Multiply all the values across the top. Write in scientific notation if it’s a large number. Write
units on your answer.
3 x 365 x 24 x 60 x 60 = 9.46 x 107 seconds

Step 4: Multiply all the values across the bottom. Write in scientific notation if it’s a large number.
Write units on your answer if there are any. In this case everything was cancelled so there are
no units.
1x1x1x1=1

Step 5: Divide the top number by the bottom number. Remember to include units.

9.46 x 107 seconds / 1 = 9.46 x 107 seconds

Step 6: Review your answer to see if it makes sense. 9.46 x 107 is a really big number. Does it make
sense for there to be a lot of seconds in three years? YES! If you had gotten a tiny number, then
you would need to go back and check for mistakes.

In lots of APES problems, you will need to convert both the top and bottom unit. Don’t panic! Just convert the top one
first and then the bottom.
Example: 50 miles per hour = ? feet per second

Step 1: Start with the value and units you are given. In this case there is a unit on top and on bottom.

50 miles
1 hour
 Step 2: Convert miles to feet first.

50 miles 5280 feet

1 hour 1 mile

Step 3: Continue the problem by converting hours to seconds.

50 miles 5280 feet 1 hour 1 minute

1 hour 1 mile 60 minutes 60 seconds

Step 4: Multiply across the top and bottom. Divide the top by the bottom. Be sure to include units on
each step. Use scientific notation for large numbers.

50 x 5280 feet x 1 x 1 = 264000 feet

1 x 1 x 60 x 60 seconds = 3600 seconds
264000 feet / 3600 seconds = 73.33 feet/second

Practice: Remember to show all your work, include units if given, and NO CALCULATORS! All work and answers go
on your answer sheet. Use scientific notation when appropriate.

Conversions:
1 square mile = 640 acres
1 hectare (Ha) = 2.47 acres
1 kw-hr = 3,413 BTUs
1 barrel of oil = 159 liters
1 metric ton = 1000 kg

Practice (SHOW WORK AND SOLUTION IN YOUR LAB NOTEBOOK):

20. 134 miles = ? inches

21. 8.9 x 105 tons = ? ounces
22. 1.35 kilometers per second = ? miles per hour
23. A city that uses ten billion BTUs of energy each month is using how many kilowatt-hours of energy?
24. A 340 million square mile forest is how many hectares?
25. If one barrel of crude oil provides six million BTUs of energy, how many BTUs of energy will one liter of crude
oil provide?
26. Fifty-eight thousand kilograms of solid waste is equivalent to how many metric tons?
Data for plotting graphs

Graphing Practice Problem #1: Ethylene is a plant hormone that causes fruit to mature. The data above concerns
the amount of time it takes for fruit to mature from the time of the first application of ethylene by spraying a field
of trees.

Wine sap Apples: Golden Apples: Gala Apples:

Amount of ethylene in ml/m2
Days to Maturity Days to Maturity Days to Maturity
10 14 14 15
15 12 12 13
20 11 9 10
25 10 7 9
30 8 7 8
35 8 7 7
A. Make a line graph of the data.
B. What is the dependent variable?

C. What is the independent variable?

Graphing Practice Problem #2: A clam farmer has been keeping records concerning the water temperature and
the number of clams developing from fertilized eggs. The data is recorded below.

Water Temperature in oC Number of developing clams

15 75
20 90
25 120
30 140
35 75
40 40
45 15
50 0
A. Make a line graph of the data.
B. What is the dependent variable?

C. What is the independent variable?

D. What is the optimum (best) temperature for clam development?

 Graphing Practice Problem #3: The thickness of the annual rings indicate what type of environmental situation
was occurring at the time of its development. A thin ring, usually indicates a rough period of development.
Lack of water, forest fires, or a major insect infestation. On the other hand, a thick ring indicates just the
opposite.

Average thickness of the annual Average thickness of the annual

Age of the tree in
rings in cm. rings in cm.
years
Forest A Forest B
10 2.0 2.2
20 2.2 2.5
30 3.5 3.6
35 3.0 3.8
50 4.5 4.0
60 4.3 4.5
A. Make a line graph of the data.
B. What is the dependent variable?

C. What is the independent variable?

D. What was the average thickness of the annual rings of 40 year old trees in Forest A?

E. Based on this data, what can you conclude about Forest A and Forest B?

Graphing Practice Problem #4:

pH of water Number of tadpoles
8.0 45
7.5 69
7.0 78
6.5 88
6.0 43
5.5 23
A. Make a line graph of the data.
B. What is the dependent variable?

C. What is the independent variable?

D. What is the average pH in this experiment?

E. What is the average number of tadpoles per sample?

F. What is the optimum water pH for tadpole development?

G. Between what two pH readings is there the greatest change in tadpole number?

H. How many tadpoles would we expect to find in water with a pH reading of 5.0?