Regents Earth Science

What is a model in scientific terms?

A way of representing the properties of an object or system.

Example of an enlarged model

Cell or atom.

Definition of a physical/mechanical model?

A model that is the same size as the object it represents.

Example of a reduced model

Globe.

What are graphic models?

Pictures, photos, graphs, tables, charts, maps, blueprints, etc.

What are mathematical models?

Formulas, equations, relationships.

What is a mental model?

Ideas or virtual models created by computers.

What does scale mean in modeling?

When all parts of a model are made to the same proportions as the original.

What is the shape of Earth?

Spherical.

What evidence supports the spherical shape of the Earth?

Ships appear to sink as they travel past the horizon.

Another evidence of Earth's shape?

Curved shadow of Earth during a lunar eclipse.

What did Magellan's ships demonstrate?

They sailed around the Earth confirming its round shape.

How does space photography support Earth's shape?

Photos from space show the Earth as a sphere.

What is Polaris also known as?

North Star.

What latitude indicates the North Pole?

90⁰.

What latitude is the Equator located at?

0⁰.

What is the latitude of Schenevus?

42⁰.

What is the relationship between latitude and altitude of Polaris?

Latitude equals altitude of Polaris.

What is Earth's true shape?

Oblate spheroid.

What is one precise measurement of Earth's shape?

Flattened at the poles and bulging at the equator.

What is the equatorial circumference of Earth?

40,076 km.

What is the polar circumference of Earth?

40,008 km.

How much difference exists between the equatorial and polar circumferences?

68 km.

What is the atmosphere?

The layer of gases that surrounds the Earth, 700-1000 km thick.

What is the average depth of the hydrosphere?

3.8 km.

What does the lithosphere consist of?

A layer of solid rock that forms a shell around the Earth.

What is the coordinate system used to locate points on Earth's surface?

Latitude and Longitude.

What units are used in the latitude and longitude coordinate system?

Degrees (⁰) and direction (N, S, E, W).

What is latitude?

The angular distance North or South of the equator.

What are lines of latitude also called?

Parallels.

What is the latitude of the equator?

0⁰.

What is the maximum value of latitude?

90⁰.

How can latitude be determined in the Northern Hemisphere?

Latitude = altitude of Polaris.

What instruments measure altitude?

Astrolabe and Sextant.

What is longitude?

The angular distance East or West of the Prime Meridian.

What is the Prime Meridian?

The line of longitude that runs through Greenwich, England.

What are lines of longitude also called?

Meridians.

What is the longitude of any point on the Prime Meridian?

0⁰.

What is the maximum value of longitude?

180⁰.

How can longitude be determined?

By finding the time difference from GMT and multiplying by 15⁰.

What does the Doppler Effect show about galaxies?

Most galaxies are moving away from Earth, indicating an expanding universe.

What is a field?

A region of space that has measurable values at every point.

Example of fields in science?

Temperature, elevation, air pressure, relative humidity.

What are isolines?

Lines that connect points of equal field value.

What are examples of isolines?

Isotherms (temperature), Isobars (air pressure), contour lines (elevation).

What is field gradient?

The rate of change from place to place within a field.

What is the formula for field gradient?

Gradient = Change in Field Value (ΔFV) / Change in Distance (Δd).

What indicates a greater gradient on a field map?

Closer isolines.

What indicates a gentler slope on a field map?

Farther apart isolines.

How to calculate temperature gradient between two points?

Using the formula for gradient: G = ΔFV / Δd.

What does a topographic map show?

Elevation and landforms.

What features are found on topographic maps?

Mountains, valleys, lakes, rivers, roads, cities.

What colors represent water features on a topo map?

Blue.

What color represents contour/elevation lines?

Brown.

What does black represent on topographic maps?

Human features.

What does red represent on topographic maps?

Important roads or urban areas.

What does green signify on topographic maps?

Native vegetation or forests.

What is a relief map?

A map showing the difference between the lowest and highest elevations.

What is map scale?

Ratio between map distance and actual ground distance.

Example of a verbal scale?

1 in = 1 mi.

What are contour lines?

Imaginary lines following ground surface at a constant elevation.

What is a contour interval?

Regular elevation difference separating adjacent contour lines.

When to use small contour intervals?

Flat topography.

When to use large contour intervals?

Mountainous or rugged topography.

What is the definition of the universe?

Everything - all matter and energy.

How old is the universe?

Approximately 14 billion years old.

What is a celestial object?

Any object in space outside of Earth's atmosphere.

What is the Big Bang Theory?

All matter and energy started as a small dense object that exploded, organizing into celestial bodies.

What is background radiation?

Longwave radiation found throughout the universe from the Big Bang.

What does the Doppler Effect indicate?

Most galaxies are receding from Earth, indicating an expanding universe.

What is a galaxy?

A collection of billions of stars and various amounts of gas and dust held by gravity.

Which galaxy do we belong to?

The Milky Way Galaxy.

What is the position of Sun/Earth within our galaxy?

On the edge of a spiral arm about ⅔ of the way out.

How do stars produce energy?

Nuclear fusion of smaller elements into larger elements.

What is an example of a solar type star?

The Sun.

What is a black dwarf?

A white dwarf that has cooled and is no longer luminous.

What defines red dwarfs?

Small stars on the main sequence with low temperatures and luminosity.

What is a supergiant star?

A later stage of massive stars that can be 100-1000x the size of the Sun.

What happens at the end of a supergiant star's life?

It ends with an explosion (Nova/Super Nova) and may become a nebula, neutron star, or black hole.