earth science test 1

Hypothesis

a statement of prediction (tentative or untested explantation)

Observations

collecting facts

Theory

tested and confirmed hypothesis

Paradigm

A theory that explains a large number of interrelated aspects of the natural world

Geology

study of the earth

Meteorology

the study of the atmosphere and the processes that produce weather

Astronomy

the study of the universe

Oceanography

study of the ocean

Hydrosphere

the water part of the earth

Biosphere

the living part of the earth

Atmosphere

thin, tenuous blanket of air (78% nitrogen) that covers the earth

Geosphere

the solid portion of the earth

Crust

rigid outer layer, smallest volume

Continental crust

primarily potassium and silicon, light colored, lower density, primary rock is granite

Oceanic crust

primarily iron and magnesium, dark colored, lower density, primary rick is basalt

Mantle

molten rock, primarily iron and magnesium, largest volume

Core

high in nickel and other heavy metals, highest mass

Functional layers

divisions on the outer portion are based on how materials behave

Compositional layers

based on compositional differences, it consists of the crust, mantle and core

Lithosphere

rigid outer layer, includes crust and upper mantle

Asthenosphere

the lower mantle, primarily iron and magnesium rich magma

Geologic plate

pieces of lithosphere

System

any size group of interacting parts that form a complex whole

open system

both energy and matter flow into and out of the system

closed system

self-contained

Scientific method steps

1.     Observation

2.     Develop hypothesis

3.     Conduct experiments

4.     Draw conclusions

5.     Publish results

Difference between hypothesis and theory

a theory has been tested and confirmed, a hypothesis is just a guess

Earth science covers more of which of the four sciences?

geology

name the four spheres of the earth system and describe each

hydrosphere (water part), atmosphere (air part), biosphere (living part), geosphere (solid part)

What are the compositional layers of the earth? which is the smallest and largest by volume? which is densest?

crust, mantle, core.

mantle=largest volume

crust=smallest volume

core=densest

what are the functional/mechanical layers of the earth? how are they different from the compositional layers?

lithosphere and asthenosphere. compositional layers are distinguished by their composition, functional by their function

what is the predominant rock of the oceanic crust? Continental crust?

Basalt, granite

What is meant by “earth system”? is it open or closed?

it has many smaller but interacting parts. It’s a closed system

Gen 1:6-11 = Then God said, “Let there be something to divide the water in two.” So God made the air
and placed some of the water above the air and some below it. God named the air “sky”. Evening
passed, and morning came. This was the second day. Then God said, “Let the water under the sky be
gathered together so the dry land will appear.” And it happened. God named the dry land “earth” and
the water that was gathered together “seas”. God saw that this was good. Then God said, “Let the
earth produce plants – some to make grain for seeds and others to make fruits with seeds in them.
Every seed will produce more of its own kind of plant.” And it happened

I think this scripture was chosen for chapter 1 because it covers the different spheres on earth: the biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and geosphere.

geocentric

earth centered

heliocentric

sun centered

Aristarchus

the first greek to profess a Sun-centered, or heliocentric, universe

ptolemaic system

geocentric model

nicolaus copernicus

concluded earth was a planet

tycho brahe

tried to find stellar parallax

johannes kepler

planets revolve around sun, elliptical orbits

galileo galilei

first to use telescope

sir isaac newton

proved that gravity kept planets in line

rotation

turning or spinning of a body on its axis

mean solar day

the time interval from one noon to the next, about 24 hours

sidereal day

the time it takes for earth to make one complete rotation, 23 hours, 56 minutes, 4 seconds

revolution

the motion of a body along a path around some point in space

synodic month

cycle of moon through its phases

sidereal month

true period of moon’s revolution around earth

new moon

dark side faces earth, moon is between earth and sun

full moon

illuminated side faces earth, earth is between moon and sun

crescent moon

about ¼ of moon is illuminated

gibbous moon

about ¾ of moon is illuminated

waxing

getting bigger

waning

getting smaller

solar eclipse

moon moves in a line directly between earth and sun

lunar eclipse

moon moves within the shadow of the earth, only occurs during full moon

tides

changes in elevation of the ocean surface

spring tide

during new and full moons, especially high and low tides

neap tide

first and third quarters of the moon, range of tides is small

flood current

advances into coastal zone

ebb current

seaward moving water

rip current

a rush of water that flows rapidly back to sea through a narrow opening

describe ancient views of astronomy

most people had geocentric view, earth was a motionless sphere at center of the universe, stars were on celestial sphere

what are the 7 wanderers?

the planets they could see, sun, moon, mercury, venus, mars, jupiter, saturn

explain the two major contributions to ancient astronomy?

aristarchus professes heliocentric universe and Ptolemy professes geocentric model

Who were the five noted scientists that lead to modern day astronomy? What were the discoveries of each one? heliocentric or geocentric?

Nicolaus Copernicus (heliocentric), Tycho Brahe (geocentric), Johannes Kepler (heliocentric), Galileo Galilei (heliocentric) , Sir Isaac Newton (heliocentric)

what are constellations?

configuration of stars named in honor of mythological characters or great heroes

what are the two primary motions of earth? how are they different? what do we get from each one?

rotation and revolution

rotation=day

revolution=year

what are the two measurements for rotation and how are they different?

mean solar day and sidereal day

what are the two types of months and how are they different?

synodic month- cycle of moon through it’s phases

sidereal month- true period of moon’s revolution around earth

why is there is difference in the number of days between the two types of months?

The earth is revolving around the sun as the moon revolves around the earth

describe each phase of the moon

Waxing Crescent: Small curved sliver of the moon is visible. First Quarter: Half of the moon is visible. Waxing Gibbous: Majority of the moon is visible, but not fully. Full Moon: Entire face of the moon is visible. Waning Gibbous: Majority of the moon is visible, but not fully. Third Quarter: Half of the moon is visible. Waning Crescent: Small curved sliver of the moon is visible.

what is an eclipse? what are the two types? how are they different?

Eclipse: Celestial event where one celestial body blocks the light from reaching another. Two types: Solar and Lunar. Solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow on Earth. Lunar eclipse occurs when Earth is between the Sun and Moon, casting a shadow on the Moon.

how does the phase of the moon affect the tides? what are the types of tides and how do they occur?

The gravitational forces exerted upon the earth by the moon and to a lesser extent, the sun.

spring tide- gravitational forces added together

neap tide- gravitational forces are offset

describe main tidal patterns

Diurnal- single high and low in a day, gulf of mexico

Semidiurnal- Two high and low tides in a day, small difference in height, atlantic coast

mixed- two high and lows, large difference in height, pacific coast

describe tidal currents

flood and ebb, horizontal flow accompanying the rise and fall of tides

Gen 1:14-19 = Then God said, “Let there be lights in the sky to separate day from night. These lights will
be used for signs, seasons, days, and years. They will be in the sky to give light to the earth.” And it
happened. So God made the two large lights. He made the brighter light to rule the day and made the
smaller light to rule the night. He also made the stars. God put all these in the sky to shine on the earth,
to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw that all
these things were good. Evening passed, and morning came. This was the fourth day.

This scripture was chose for chapter 21 because it’s about the sun, moon and stars and how they govern our days and nights.

Universe

clusters of billions of galaxies; all of space

galaxy

a group of billions and billions of stars that form the basic unit of the universe

solar system

a system of bodies orbiting around a single star

orbital plane

where a planet’s orbit lies

terrestrial planets

earth like planets, small dense rocky

jovian planets

jupiter like planets, large low density, gaseous

maria

smooth dark regions

highlands

dusty, cratered regions

craters

impact from meteroid

ejecta

occasional rays

lunar regolith

rock and mineral fragments

olympus mons

biggest volcano and is on mars

valles marineras

biggest canyon and is on mars

phobos

moon of mars

deimos

moon of mars

callisto

outermost galilean moon

europa

smallest galiliean moon

ganymede

largest jovian moon

io

innermost moon jupiter

titan

largest saturn moon

titania

largest uranus moon

triton

largest neptune moon