General Reminders,

Math, Chem, and

Top 10 Review for
APES
 Digital Exam Overview
▧ As announced to the AP community, the AP
Program is accelerating the transition to
digital testing beginning in Spring 2025.

▧ Students will take digital exams in the

Bluebook app. AP coordinators and proctors
will administer digital exams using the Test
Day Toolkit web application.

▧ Paper exams in these subjects will only be

available to students approved by the College
Board to receive a paper exam for digital
assessments.
 Before Test Day….
▧ Ask your teacher or your school’s AP coordinator when
Bluebook will be installed on the school-managed device you’ll
use on test day. If you’re testing with a personal device,
download Bluebook now.
▧ Open Bluebook on your device and click Test Your Device at the
top right of the sign-in page to make sure your device meets
requirements.
▧ Sign in to the app with your College Board account.
▧ On the Bluebook homepage, locate your upcoming exam under
Your Tests.
▧ In April, go to the Practice and Prepare section and try a test
preview.
 General Reminders
▧ Answer the things you know first
▧ No blank answers - guess on everything
○ Go to FRQ answers:
■ Habitat destruction that leads to a decline in
biodiversity (relate this back to the prompt)
■ Respiratory illness such as asthma
■ Ecosystem services - relate to humans
■ Economic impact - jobs or money
■ Environmental impact causes the organism to
be outside their range of tolerance.

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 General Reminders
▧ How do you get people to do things?
○ Educate them on a topic
○ How do you get a population to decline - educate women
○ When in doubt - kill the people - choose the option that
causes human population to decline/not grow
○ Tax things we don’t like, subsidize things we do like.

▧ Always go with your first instinct - don’t change your answers

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 General Reminders

▧ Write your FRQ’s using the verbage your

teacher would use - you have to convince
the reader you know this at a college level.
BE SPECIFIC
▧ Don’t say something changes or is affected-
indicate increase/decrease/ and tell us why
 General Reminders
▧ Read prompts or questions TWICE
○ Eliminate wrong things on the MCQ and pick the
answer you think is best. Use the crossout feature in
7 Bluebook
○ Make a short outline on the FRQ then compose a
clear, concise, specific answer. You will have scratch
paper.
▧ Label the parts of an FRQ with in the box:
○ A i)
○ A ii)
 General Reminders

▧ FRQs will be done

electronically. There
will be several
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prompts per box.
Label the sections
within the box and
respond to ALL
prompts:
 Features of Bluebook
Line readers are
available to help
students track longer
passages or focus on
specific things. Access
by clicking “More” in
the top right hand
corner, then line reader

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 Features of Bluebook
Highlighting and
underlining features
are available by
selecting text and
choosing the highlight
and notes feature in
the top right

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 Features of Bluebook
Within the MCQ, Clicking the “A” or “B”
students can cross out etc on the right strikes
answers to help through the answer
eliminate distractors.

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 Features of Bluebook
Within the FRQ there is a
subscript or superscript
feature by selecting the
value to change, and then
selecting superscript or
subscript.

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 Features of Bluebook
Click on the 🔽 arrow next
to the word “Directions”
on the top left to review
the math symbols and
directions for typing
superscripts and
subscripts.

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On Test Day

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On Test Day

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 Math Formula Sheet
1. Calculators: Students may use calculators now. Refer to the AP® calculator policy on the
College Board® Website. (It includes 4 function, scientific, and graphing calculators).
Calculators are also provided within the BlueBook app for digital testing.
2. Pre-Algebraic Word Problems. The biggest hurdle is often setting up the problem. Achieving
success with dimensional analysis requires the ability to think about problems in a
step-by-step manner and to organize problem setups in a way that will lead to the correct
solution. Practice, Practice, Practice is the best way to become proficient in this skill.
3. 6-9 percent on the Multiple Choice Section. There are 80 MC questions total and 4-8 are
math. The Rule of 70 has been a favorite on the MC for many years. Students DO NOT need to
show work for MC questions.
4. There are 3 mandatory FRQs in 70 minutes. Question #3 (60% of it is math) will require math
work to earn half of the points on the question.
5. No Formula Sheet. Students must memorize some simple formulas.

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 Changes to the Math
Following the 2023 reading there was a shift in the math requirements to reflect the following:

1. To earn setup points UNITS ARE NO LONGER REQUIRED.

a. Setups must have the correct numerators and denominators in the correct order

2. Answers ONLY require units if not provided in the stem of the question:
a. How many individuals can the windmill provide electricity to?
i. 78 - this is correct as the unit (individuals) is provided in the prompt
b. How much energy would be provided?
i. 4500 KWH - this requires a unit as none is provided in the prompt.

3. Due to allowing a calculator, answers no longer have to have work provided. The answer
point can be earned with no work, but no setup point would be earned.

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 Typing the math work

The following
represents
SOME of the
possible
keyboard
options.

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 Typing the math work

The following
represents
SOME of the
possible
keyboard
options.

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 Math Formulas - Population
Rule of 70 Crude Growth Rate (a.k.a. natural
# of years to double = 70/Annual % annual increase)
growth rate
Crude Growth Rate (r) = (CBR - CDR) / 10
Population Growth Rate
r = [(b + i) - (d + e)/ total population]
x 100 Per capita = population
● r = population growth rate measurement/population
● b = birth rate size
● i = immigration rate
● d = death rate
● e = emigration rate
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 Math Formulas - Change in Data
Percent Change Rate of change: (final
% increase = (New Value - value-initial value)/(final
Initial Value) /Initial Value X year-initial year)
100

Positive value - % increase

Negative value - % decrease

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 Math Formulas - Dimensional Analysis
On the free-response questions, keep in mind that the national average is often below a
5 out of 10 points possible, so you are not expected to earn every point, but do
everything in your power to earn every point you can by precisely writing what you do
know. Be familiar with the meaning of the Task Verbs (the key vocabulary terms in the
left sidebar). Show all of your setup on math questions and use labels for every step.
Clearly identify your final answer so there is no guessing on the part of the reader.

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 Math Formulas - Dimensional Analysis
▧ No naked numbers

▧ If you don’t know how to do Part A, but you know that you need to
carry the value from Part A into Part B - make up a number for A and
plug into B and solve

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 Math Formulas - Dimensional Analysis
▧ D - dependent variable
▧ R - responding variable
▧ Y - found on the Y axis

▧ M - manipulated variable
▧ I - independent variable
▧ X - found on the X axis

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 Math Formulas - Dimensional Analysis
While you don’t have
know conversion factors,
you do need to know the
metric conversions. As
well as things like 7 days a
week, 24 hours a day, 60
minutes in an hour, 365
days a year, and 12 months
in a year.

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 Math Formulas - Other Formulas

Half life: amount remaining=(original amount) x (0.5x),

where x = number of half lives
Total energy used: kW x hours = kWh
Energy Efficiency: efficiency of step 1 x efficiency of step 2,
etc., x 100
Primary Productivity: NPP= GPP-R
10% rule: 10% of all energy moves from one trophic level to
the next

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Math Formulas - Helpful Diagrams to know

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Math Formulas - Helpful Diagrams to know

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Math Formulas - Helpful Diagrams to know

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Math Formulas - Helpful Diagrams to know

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 Chemistry Review by Shapiro
pH is a measure of the amount of
H+ and OH- ions in a solution.

Acids have a higher concentration

of H+ and Bases have a higher
concentration of OH-

pH scale is LOGARITHMIC, so
each value is 10x greater than the
next higher value.
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 Chemistry Review by Shapiro

Formation of acids in the environment:

NOx (from cars) + H20 -> HNO3 (nitric acid)

SOx (from coal) + H20 -> H2SO4 (sulfuric
acid)
CO2 (from fossil fuels) + H20-> H2CO3
(carbonic acid)

Formation of an acid causes the pH to

decline

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 Chemistry Review by Shapiro

Environments that become acidic from acid rain or acid mine drainage may
be remedied by adding a base such as limestone. Acid rain results in loss of
nutrients from soil (clay is attracted to the acid and releases metals) and
metals such as Al3+ may be leached out of the soil and runoff into
groundwater. Acid rain leads to general forest decline.

The ocean becomes acidic due to carbonic acid from excess release of CO2
from burning of fossil fuels. Ceasing the use of fossil fuels will help prevent
the problem, but there is no remediation - you can not add enough limestone
to raise the pH of the ocean.

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 Chemistry Review by Shapiro
Dissolved Oxygen

Gases dissolve better in cooler temperature liquids. As temperature

increases, less gas dissolves. As temperatures decrease, more gas
dissolves. This relates to APES because as temperatures warm or cool due
to climate change, more or less oxygen can be dissolved in the waters.
Cooler temperature waters hold more dissolved oxygen (DO) while warmer
waters hold less. This can impact an organism’s range of tolerance. As our
oceans warm, they absorb and store less CO2 and less DO. If sediment
erodes and runs off into a waterway, the dark soil absorbs sunlight, warming
the waters and causing DO to decline.

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 Chemistry Review by Shapiro

Ozone Depletion

CFC’s are man-made substances found

in coolants and aerosols. In the
stratosphere under UV light one of the
three Cl- molecules is able to come off,
which reacts with Ozone (O3) to create
O2 + ClO. This depletes the ozone layer.
Other free O- molecules interact with the
ClO to create O2 and Cl-, which causes
the cycle to repeat itself.
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 Chemistry Review by Shapiro
Tropospheric Ozone Formation
In the troposphere, NO2 from cars reacts in sunlight
to form NO + O-.

The lone oxygen will react with O2 to form Ozone

(O3) in the troposphere, which is BAD.

Ozone is: “Good up high (in stratosphere), bad

nearby (troposphere)”

This NO will go on to react with VOC (Volatile

Organic Compounds) to form Photochemical
Oxidants.

Photochemical Oxidants combined with Ozone will

create Photochemical smog. 36
 Legislation to Know

Clean Air Act - regulates the emissions of pollutants into the air. CO2 is not
regulated under the CAA. Criteria Air Pollutants are:

N - NOx - Nitrogen Dioxide (released from fossil fuel combustion)

O - Ozone (O3) (formed due to NOx breakdown in sunlight)
S - SOx - Sulfur Dioxide (released from coal combustion)
C - CO - Carbon Monoxide (released from incomplete combustion)
L - Lead - formerly found in gasoline
P - Particulate Matter (released from construction and mining)

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 Legislation to Know

Clean Water Act - regulates how water looks and dumping of

pollutants into waterways as point pollution

Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of

Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES)- regulates the trade of endangered
species internationally

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and

Liability Act (CERCLA) - created superfund account in which
businesses contribute to cleanup costs of contaminated sites.
Regulates the closure and cleanup of contaminated sites.

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 Legislation to Know
Montreal Protocol - International agreement to phase out CFC’s for
use of HCFC’s then eventually banned their use to repair ozone layer

Kyoto Protocol - International agreement that aimed to lower

Greenhouse Gas emissions.

Endangered Species Act - USA law to protect at-risk species. Species

placed on the Endangered Species List are overwhelming protected
from extinction.

Safe Drinking Water Act - Regulates how water tastes and aims to
protect the drinking water of the USA
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 Legislation to Know
Delaney Clause - part of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act - that
banned cancer causing additives in food.

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) - regulates

hazardous waste and creates a “cradle to grave” monitoring system.
This legislation also regulates and monitors sanitary landfills.

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Top 10 things

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 Top 10 things to review: How electricity is produced

◻ The flow of electrons in a wire

◻ Can be generated from almost any
energy source
⬜ Energy source spins a turbine
⬜ Turbine turns a generator
■ Bundle of wires spin around
a magnet or vice versa
⬜ Spinning causes electrons to
move in a wire = electricity
 Top 10 things - Importance of Wetlands
▧ Threatened by drainage and
development.
▧ Ecosystem services provided
include:
○ Maintain drinking water
quality
○ Flood Control
○ Water filtration
○ Commercial fisheries
○ Recreation
○ Wildlife habitat (contributes
to food or ecotourism)
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Top 10 to review - air
pollution and solutions
Top 10 things to review - Air Pollution & Solutions

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Top 10 things to review
- Air Pollution & Solutions

Solutions:
▧ Decreased use
of fossil fuels
▧ Improved
efficiency
▧ Use of
electrostatic
precipitators
and scrubbers 46
 Top 10 things: Functions, impacts, and solutions of Dams

Advantages
Disadvantages
• Hydroelectric projects bring
renewable energy to large numbers • Creating the reservoir may flood
of rural residents worldwide. agricultural land or places of
• Hydroelectricity does not create air archeological significance, and force
pollution, waste products, or CO2 people to relocate.
emissions. • Impounding a river can interfere with
• Electricity generated from organisms that depend on a
hydroelectricity is less expensive. free-flowing river.
• Reservoirs create recreational • Downstream ecosystems are
opportunities. affected.
• Siltation The accumulation of
sediments, primarily silt, on the
bottom of a reservoir.
Top 10 things: Functions, impacts, and solutions of Dams

Transformer
Sluice gate

Powerhouse

Generator

ck Reservoir
e nsto
P

Afterbay Turbine Dam

Top 10 things: Nitrogen Cycle
Top 10 things: Eutrophication
 Impacts of Eutrophication

• Level of nitrates discharged from Mississippi River into

Gulf of Mexico tripled since 1950s
– Causes severe depletion of dissolved oxygen
• Food web disruption
– Many species cannot migrate away from area and die
▪ Causes deaths of seabird and marine mammal species that depend
on dying fish and shellfish
• Human factors
– Dredging and straightening increases flow of nutrients
– Removal of wetlands that act as filters for pollutants
 Top 10 things: Eutrophication

Can only be repaired with:

- Time
- Small areas can be aerated.
Prevented by:
- Education
- Riparian zones
- Plant ground cover or crops to absorb
fertilizer
- Sustainable agriculture practices
Top 10 things: Soil Components and Triangle
•Horizon = each layer of soil
•Soil profile = the cross-section of
soil as a whole
•Up to six major horizons may occur
in a soil profile
-Topsoil = inorganic and organic
material most nutritive for plants
-Leaching = dissolved particles move
down through horizons
 Soil Texture
Silty soils with
medium-size
pores, or loamy
soils with mixtures
of pore sizes are
best for plant
growth and crop
agriculture
 Top 10 things: Importance of women in Human Population Growth

Changing role and status

of women is key in driving
changes to human
population growth.
 Top 10 things to know:
Environmental Impacts of
Industrial Ag
Top 10 things to know: Environmental Impacts of Industrial Ag
 Top 10 things to know: Climate Change
Some greenhouse gasses are produced by human
activity:
•Burning of fossil fuels
•Agricultural practices
•Deforestation
•Landfills
•Industrial production
 Carbon dioxide is a concern…

•Not the most potent greenhouse gas, but

it is extremely abundant
-The major contributor to global warming
•Human activities have boosted
atmospheric concentrations from 280 parts
per million (ppm) to 383 ppm
-To their highest levels in more than
650,000 years
So what are some of the impacts of the increase in
greenhouse gases
•Melting of polar ice caps, Greenland and Antarctica
•Melting of many glaciers around the world
•Melting of permafrost
•Rising of sea levels due to the melting of glaciers and ice
sheets and as water warms it expands
•Heat waves
•Cold spells
•Change in precipitation patterns
•Increase in storm intensity
•Shift in ocean currents
Ocean Acidification
◻ Coral reefs can be bleached (right) due to
increase in water temperature
⬜ Affects coral symbiotes and makes them more
susceptible to diseases
Ocean Acidification: The other
CO2 problem
•Surface waters have increased acidity by 30% since
1800
–Could reach dangerous levels before 2050
•CO2 combines with water to become carbonic acid
(H2CO3)
–Threatens corals, snails, and other organisms with shells
–Threatens phytoplankton
§Primary producer species of ocean food webs
 What about the organisms?
•Organisms are adapted to their environments, so they are affected when those
environments change
•Global warming modifies temperature-dependent phenomena
-Timing of migration, breeding
•Spatial shifts in the range of organisms
-Animals and plants will move towards the poles or upward in elevation
-20-30% of all species will be threatened with extinction
•Plants act as carbon sinks; fewer plants means more CO2 in the atmosphere
 Solutions?
•Mitigation = pursue actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
in order to lessen severity of future climate change
-Renewable energy sources, farm practices to protect soil integrity,
preventing deforestation
•Adaptation = accept climate change is happening and pursue
strategies to minimize its impacts on us
-Criticized as sidestepping
•Both are necessary
•Carbon offset = a voluntary payment to another entity intended to
enable that entity to reduce the greenhouse emissions that one is
unable or unwilling to reduce oneself
-Becoming popular among utilities, businesses, universities,
governments, and individuals trying to achieve carbon-neutrality,
where no net carbon is emitted
•Carbon offsets fall short
-A lack of oversight to make sure that the offset money
accomplishes what it is intended for
Science practices are the anchor for the entire test

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