Chapter 1-4: Earth and Its Characteristics

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing the characteristics, shape, atmospheric components, and key features of Earth based on the lecture text.

Earth

The third planet from the sun and fifth largest planet in the solar system, known as the only planet that supports life.

Urtha

An Old English word meaning ground or soil, from which the planet Earth got its name.

Active plate tectonics

A geological process that Earth is uniquely known to possess among all planets in our solar system.

Oxygen

A vital atmospheric gas that animals need to breathe to survive.

Carbon dioxide

A vital gas in Earth's atmosphere that is essential for plants and photosynthesis.

Oblate spheroid

The specific shape of the Earth, meaning spherical but slightly squished or flattened at the top and bottom with a bulge in the middle.

One Earth day

The 24-hour period defined by one full rotation of the Earth on its axis, causing day and night.

One Earth year

The time frame of approximately 365 days required for the Earth to complete one full orbit around the sun.

The Moon

Earth's single moon that serves as the brightest object in the night sky, affects tides, and stabilizes the planet's climate.