Journal Questions - Earth & Space
Chapter 1
August 21, 2015
August 24, 2015
August 25, 2015
August 26-27, 2015
August 28, 2015
August 31, 2015
September 01, 2015
September 02-03
September 04, 2015
September 08, 2015
- What topics are included in the study of physical geology? (p. 2-3)
- Explain how physical geology differs from historical geology. (p 2-3)
August 24, 2015
- List and describe the four areas of Earth Science. (p. 2-3)
- Describe or illustrate the Nebular Hypothesis. (p. 4)
August 25, 2015
- Would meteorology be a useful science to apply to the study of planets such as Mercury or Mars? Explain. (p. 3)
- Which of Earth's spheres do each of these features belong: lake, meadow, canyon, cloud? (p. 7-9)
- What are the three main parts of the geosphere? (p. 8)
August 26-27, 2015
- Why is the solid Earth layered? (p. 8)
- The plate tectonic theory explains the existence and occurrence of what features? (p. 10)
- What is the source of energy that allows the tectonic plates to move? (p. 10)
August 28, 2015
- Why do scientists study Earth as a system? (p. 20)
- What are two sources of energy that power Earth's systems? (p. 19)
- What are three ways humans affect Earth's systems? (p. 20-21)
August 31, 2015
- What is the difference between a scientific theory and a hypothesis? (p. 23-24)
- According to the scientific community, how does the natural world behave? (p. 23-24)
- What happens if more than one hypothesis is put forward to explain the same observations? (p. 23-24)
September 01, 2015
- When is a model useful in scientific investigations? (p. 23-24)
- What are the basic steps of the scientific method? (p. 23-24)
September 02-03
- Why is it important to create a hypothesis for the questions or obstacles that you encounter?
- Why is it important to conduct an experiment after you create a hypothesis?
- List 3 ways that you observe/perform the scientific method in your everyday life.
September 04, 2015
- What are the 4 main areas of Earth Science?
- Why is a topographic map different than typical maps?
- How does a scientific hypothesis become a theory?
September 08, 2015
- The Nebular Hypothesis suggested that our solar system was originally made up of mostly what two elements?
- On a topographic map, explain what a contour line that forms a circle is, and what a contour line that forms a circle with lines pointing inward is.
- In your own words, explain why overpopulation is a problem, in terms of our planet's nonrenewable resources.
Chapter 22
September 10, 2015
September 11, 2015
September 14, 2015
September 15, 2015
September 16-17, 2015
September 18, 2015
September 21, 2015
September 23-24, 2015
- What is the difference between the geocentric and heliocentric models of the universe? (p. 615-616)
- Who was famous for being the first person to formulate and test the law of universal gravitation? (p. 620)
- What role did the telescope play in Galileo's contributions to science? (p. 619)
September 11, 2015
- What is the difference between mass and weight? How would your mass and weight change on the moon? (p. 620)
- Who was famous for being Kepler's teacher? What other achievements did he have? (p. 617)
- What is an astronomical unit (AU)? (p. 618)
September 14, 2015
- Summarize Kepler's three laws of planetary motion. (p. 618)
- What two forces combined keep a planet in orbit? (p. 621)
- Explain what would happen to a planet's motion if one of these forces didn't exist. (p. 621)
September 15, 2015
- What is it called when Mars appears to move backwards? Why does Mars sometimes look like it's moving backwards? (p. 616)
- What model of the universe is Copernicus famous for proposing? Was he the first to propose this model? (p. 617 & 618)
- What is an orbit? (p. 616)
September 16-17, 2015
- What are the two main motions of the Earth? (p. 622)
- What phenomena are a result from Earth's rotation and revolution? (p. 623 & 624)
- Describe the locations of the sun, moon, and Earth during a solar eclipse and during a lunar eclipse. (p. 628 & 629)
September 18, 2015
- What causes the phases of the moon? (p. 626)
- How does the crescent phase of the moon that precedes the new moon differ from the crescent phase that follows the new moon? (p. 626 & 627)
- Why don't eclipses occur during every full-moon or new-moon phase? (p. 628 & 629)
September 21, 2015
- How did lunar craters form? (p. 631)
- Why are craters more common on the moon than on Earth, even though the moon is a much smaller target? (p. 634)
- In the past, was a day on Earth longer or shorter? Does this mean Earth's rotation was faster or slower? (Think back to our moon documentary video)
September 23-24, 2015
- You are Neil Armstrong, the first astronaut to set foot on the moon in 1969. As the first explorer on the moon, it is your job to write detailed descriptions of what you see. Write a narrative, (diary entry) of your experience exploring the moon. It must be a full paragraph long (3-5 sentences) and include the following vocabulary words: Crater, Ray, Maria, and Lunar Regolith.
- Explain why Earth has seasons. Why does Australia have summer in December and January? (p. 624)
- What is the estimated age of the moon? (p. 633)
- Describe the giant-impact hypothesis. (p. 633)
- Describe the difference between a geocentric and a heliocentric model of the universe. (Use your vocabulary packet).
- Describe what we see planets doing during retrograde motion. (Use your vocabulary packet)
- Describe the difference between a lunar and solar eclipse. (What's happening during each?). (Use your vocabulary packet).
- Describe the three motions of the Earth. (Use your vocabulary packet).
- What are the dark smooth surfaces on the moon called, and what did early astronomers think they were? (Use your vocabulary packet or notes).
- Explain why we have leap year. Think back to how many hours are actually in one rotation of the Earth. (Use your notes).
- List the 8 phases of the moon in order, starting with the full moon.
- What two things cause the phases of the moon?
- Explain why we never see the dark side of the moon from Earth.
- Describe Kepler's 3 laws of planetary motion.
- What are two principles stated in the law of universal gravitation?
- What do craters and maria have in common, and what is different about them?
Chapter 23
October 5, 2015
- Which planets are classified as Terrestrial? Which planets are Jovian? (p. 645)
- List the planets in order, beginning with the planet closest to the sun. (p. 646)
- What are three ways that Terrestrial and Jovian planets differ? (p. 645)
- Compare and contrast the atmospheres on Mars and Jupiter. What makes them alike and what makes them different? (p. 646)
- How does distance from the sun affect size and composition of the planets? (p. 646)
- Summarize the nebular theory. (p. 647)
- Why isn't Pluto a planet? (p. 659)
- What does it mean for a planet to "clear it's orbit?" (p. 659)
- Which planet has the most extreme temperatures? Explain why. (p. 649)
- Compare and contrast Earth and Venus. How are they alike and different? (p. 650)
- What is Olympus Mons? Where can it be found? (p. 652)
- What surface features does Mars have in common with Earth? (p. 652)
- What is Jupiter's big red spot? (p. 654)
- How are Saturn's moon Titan and Neptune's Moon Triton similar? (p. 657-658)
- In what way is Io similar to Earth? (p. 655)
- How fast are the winds on Neptune? (p. 658)
- How many moons does Neptune have? What is its largest moon, and what is unique about it? (p. 658)
- What is the oldest dwarf planet that was discovered, and when was it discovered? Also, what are dwarf planets made of? (p. 659)
- Who discovered Jupiter's moons? Who discovered Saturn's rings? (p. 655, p. 656)
- What is Miranda and what makes it special? (p. 658)
- Summarize the 4 discoveries about Saturn made by Voyagers 1 and 2. (p. 656)
- Compare and contrast a meteoroid, meteor, and meteorite. (p. 663-664)
- What is the Oort Cloud and what can be found there? (p. 663)
- What evidence indicates that our solar system is about 4.6 billion years old? (p. 664)
- Where are most asteroids located? (p. 661)
- Describe the structure of a comet. (p. 661-662)
- Where do short period and long period comets come from? (p. 662-663)
- Meteoroids originate from what three sources? (p. 663)
- What do you think would happen if the Earth passed through the tail of a comet? (p. 661-663)
Chapter 24 & 25
November 9, 2015
- What different types of radiation make up the electromagnetic spectrum? (p. 674)
- How do scientists determine the elements present in a star? (p. 676)
- How can scientists determine whether a star is moving toward or away from Earth? (p. 677)
- What are the three different types of spectra? (p. 676)
- What is the Doppler effect? (p. 677)
- How do scientists use the Doppler effect to determine the speed of a moving object in space? (p. 677)
- How does a refracting telescope work? (p. 678)
- How does a reflecting telescope work? (p. 680)
- How do radio telescopes gather data? (p. 681)
- How does the sun produce energy? (p. 689)
- How much longer will the sun likely exist in its present state? (p. 690)
- Why isn't Jupiter a star? (p. 690)
- Describe prominences on the sun. (p. 688)
- Describe solar flares on the sun. (p. 688)
- Describe the process of nuclear fusion that takes place on the sun. (p. 689)
- What can you learn by studying a star's color? (p. 701)
- What is a binary star? (p. 701)
- What property can be calculated using binary stars? (p. 701)
- How does distance affect Parallax? (p. 702)
- What 3 factors determine a star's apparent magnitude? (p. 703)
- The H-R Diagram shows the relationship between what two factors? (p. 704)
- What is a protostar? (p. 708)
- At what point is a star born? (p. 707)
- What causes a star to die? (p. 710)
- Why are less massive stars thought to age more slowly than more massive stars? (p. 711)
- Why is interstellar matter important to stellar evolution? (p. 706)
- What is a black hole? (p. 714)
- What is a galaxy? (p. 715)
- Describe the size and structure of the Milky Way Galaxy. (p. 716)
- What evidence indicates that the universe is expanding? (p. 718)
Chapter 2
January 5, 2016
- What is the Mohs scale? (p. 52)
- Explain how the Mohs scale can be used to determine the hardness of an unknown mineral. (p. 52)
- A mineral scratches a piece of fluorite byt cannot be scratched by a piece of glass. What is this mineral's hardness? (p. 52)
- What are the 5 criteria for a substance to be considered a mineral? (p. 45)
- List at least 3 processes that cause minerals to form? (p. 46)
- How are minerals grouped? (p. 47)
- List at least 5 of the 8 properties used to identify minerals. (p. 50-53)
- What is Mohs scale, and how is it used? (p. 52)
- What are some of the unique properties that can be used to identify minerals? (p. 54)
- Compare and contrast iconic, covalent, and metallic bonds. (p. 40-43)
- List the seven major groups of minerals. (p. 47-49)
- How many electrons are required for an atom to have a stable outer energy level? (Notes/Discussion)
- Describe carbonates. (p. 48)
- Describe oxides. (p. 48)
- Describe sulfates and sulfides. (p. 49)
- Describe halides. (p. 49)
- Why is color not a good property for identifying a mineral's identity? (p. 50)
- What is streak, and what differences does it help us see in minerals? (p. 51)
- Describe the difference between cleavage and fracture. (p. 52-53)
- Describe an isotope, and how they affect an element's mass number. (p. 38)
- We have talked about 3 types of bonds. What are they, and what makes an atom "want" to bond to another atom? (p. 39-43)
- Describe what is meant by "atoms share electrons" in a covalent bond. (p. 42)
Chapter 3
January 25, 2016
- What is the rock cycle? (p. 67)
- What powers Earth's rock cycle? (p. 67)
- How might a sedimentary rock become an igneous rock? (p. 67)
- What is the difference between intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks? (p. 71)
- How do coarse-grained igneous rocks form? (p. 72)
- How do fine-grained igneous rocks form? (p. 72)
- Compare weathering, erosion, and deposition. (p. 76)
- What is the major difference between igneous and metamorphic rocks? (3.2 & 3.3)
- A rock has a porphyritic texture. What can you conclude about that rock? (p. 72)
- What is compaction? (p. 76)
- Where does most metamorphism take place? (p. 80)
- What's the difference between contact metamorphism and regional metamorphism? (p. 81)
- How are metamorphic rocks classified? (p. 83)
- What are foliated rocks and how do they form? (p. 83)
- What type of metamorphism would result in schist? (p. 84)