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Science Olympiad Study Guide 2023-24

The test will cover 5 sections: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Inquiry, and Earth/Space Science. There will be 20 multiple choice questions from each section, followed by free response questions. Students will have 50 minutes to complete as much of the test as possible. The test aims to assess students' problem-solving and application of scientific concepts rather than raw trivia knowledge. Students may bring one double-sided sheet of notes.

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251 views6 pages

Science Olympiad Study Guide 2023-24

The test will cover 5 sections: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Inquiry, and Earth/Space Science. There will be 20 multiple choice questions from each section, followed by free response questions. Students will have 50 minutes to complete as much of the test as possible. The test aims to assess students' problem-solving and application of scientific concepts rather than raw trivia knowledge. Students may bring one double-sided sheet of notes.

Uploaded by

musunuru.nikhil
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Science Olympiad Study Guide

The test will be a mix of multiple-choice and free-response questions. It will cover five sections: Biology,
Chemistry, Physics, Inquiry, and Earth/Space Science. There will be 20 questions from each section.
Each section will begin with the multiple choice questions, followed by several free-response questions.
You are encouraged to bring a calculator - any type is acceptable, but if it is a programmable
calculator, you are not allowed to use any self-programmed functions. If you do not have one, we
will lend you one from the school.

Don’t worry if you can’t answer every question! We encourage you to prioritize sections that you are
more passionate about. Furthermore, there is no guessing penalty, so try and answer as many as
you can. You can make the team without finishing the test, and we want to be upfront about the
structure and time of the test so that students can use the test-taking strategy that benefits them the
most.

The test will be primarily made of multiple choice questions with an expectation of having baseline
scientific knowledge. We will not have obscure trivia questions, and we will give you all the tools, tables,
and constants you need to answer the questions. For instance, we will not ask you to identify the name
of a fossil. We are testing for your problem-solving ability and your application of scientific concepts, not
your raw trivia knowledge.

You may bring ONE double sided 8.5” x 11” sheet of paper with information to help you on the
test. You will have 50 minutes to complete as much of the test as possible.

Biology
1. Cell Structure and Function
a. Prokaryotic Cells
b. Eukaryotic Cells
c. Nucleus
d. Organelles

2. Cell Reproduction
a. The Cell Cycle
b. Mitosis
c. Cytokinesis
d. Meiosis

3. Genetics
a. Alleles
b. Punnett Squares
c. DNA / RNA

4. Body Systems

5. Evolution
a. Factors Bringing about Change
b. Examples of Natural Selection
c. Evolution of a species
d. Origin of Life

6. Population Ecology
a. Population Density and Distribution
b. Population Growth
c. Factors that Regulate Population Growth
d. Human Population Growth

7. Ecosystems
a. Organization of Ecosystems
b. Energy Flow through Ecosystems
c. Nutrient Cycling
d. Succession

8. The Biosphere
a. Global Patterns of Climate
i. Mediating Effects of the Atmosphere
ii. Air Currents
iii. Ocean Currents
iv. Seasonal Variations in Climate

9.Human Impact on the Biosphere


a. Solid Waste
b. Water Pollution
c. Air Pollution
d. Acid Deposition
e. Smog

Chemistry

1. The Components of Matter


a. Structure of the Atom
b. Atomic Number, Mass Number, and Atomic Symbol
c. Isotopes
d. Atomic Masses of the Elements

2. Compounds
a. The formation of Ionic compounds
b. The formation of covalent compounds

3. Formulas and Equations


a. Writing and Balancing Chemical Equations
b. Calculating Quantities of Reactants and Product
c. The Law of Conservation of Mass

4. Energy Flow and Chemical Change


a. Forms of Energy
i. Defining the System and Its Surroundings
ii. Energy Transfer
iii. Heat and Work: Two Forms of Energy Transfer
iv. The Law of Energy Conservation of Energy
v. Units of Energy
b. Measuring the Heat of a Chemical or Physical Change
i. Specific Heat

5. Electron Configuration and Chemical Periodicity


a. Trends in three Atomic Properties
i. Trends in Atomic Size
ii. Trends in Ionization Energy
iii. Trends in Electron Affinity
b. Atomic Properties and Chemical Reactivity

6. Models of Chemical Bonding


a. Atomic Properties and Chemical Bonds
i. Types of Bonding
ii. Lewis Symbols and Octet Rule
b. Ionic Bonding Model
c. Covalent Bonding Model

7. Periodic Patterns in the Main-Group Elements


a. Hydrogen
b. Trends across the Periodic Table
c. Groups 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A, 7A, and 8A

Physics

1. Newton’s Laws of Motion


a. Inertia
b. Force
c. Action-Reaction

2. Kinematics
a. Velocity
b. Speed
c. Acceleration
d. Position

3. Energy
a. Kinetic Energy
b. Potential Energy

4. Reflection and Refraction

5. Prisms
6. Convex, concave mirrors and lenses

7. Visible spectrum
a. Primary/secondary colors
b. Absorption/reflection

8. Waves

Inquiry

1. Types of Experiments
a. Descriptive
b. Investigative
c. Experimental

2. The Scienctific Method

3. Types of Variables in an Experiment


a. Controls
b. Constants
c. Independant
d. Dependant

3. Observations
a. Qualitative
b. Quantitative

4. Inferences

5. Metric Measurement and Conversion


a. Dimensional Anaysis

6. Science and Engineering Practices

7. Interpreting and Reading Data Tables and Graphs

Earth/Space Science

1. The Structure and Composition of the Earth


a. Mechanical layers
b. Compositional layers

2. The Rock Cycle


a. Igneous Rocks
b. Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks
c. Metamorphism and Metamorphic Rocks
3. Volcanoes
a. Cinder Cones
b. Composite (Stratovolcanoes)
c. Shield

4. Natural Resources
a. Oil
b. Coal
c. Natural Gas
d. Metals
e. Stone
f. Sand
g. Air
h. Sunlight
i. Soil
j. Water

5. Natural Hazards
a. Earthquakes
b. Volcanic Eruptions
c. Tsunami
d. Landslides
e. Floods
f. Subsidence
g. Impacts with space objects

6. Physical and Chemical Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition


a. Descriptions
b. Features

7. Surface Water, Groundwater, and Aquifers

8. Plate Tectonic Theory

9. Topographic Maps

10. Earth in Space


a. Galaxies and Gravity
b. The Solar System
c. Earth’s place in the Universe

11. Earth-Sun-Moon Systems


a. Seasons
b. Moon Cycles
c. Tides
d. Eclipses

12. Life Cycle of a Star


a. Evolution
b. Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram

13. Formation of the Universe

14. Electromagnetic Spectrum


a. Wavelengths
b. Frequency
c. Uses in Space
d. Uses on Earth

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