Space Science
Earth’s spinning on its axis causes this daily event.
Day and night.
The force of gravity on an object. (mass x gravity)
Weight.
All living things on Earth.
The biosphere.
Movement of sediment by wind, water, or ice.
Erosion.
What is the name of the layer of gases surrounding Earth that helps protect life and contains the air we breathe?
Atmosphere. (Bonus- we live in the troposphere)
This causes the Earth's seasons.
What is Earth’s revolution (and axial tilt aka obliquity)?
What is velocity.
Speed with direction.
The theory that Earth’s plates move over time.
Plate Tectonics. (Shout-out Alfred Wegner and Continental Drift Theory).
When sediments are pressed and glued together.
Compaction and sedimentation. Makes sedimentary rock.
Why do objects with more mass require more force to change their motion?
Objects with more mass have greater inertia, which means they resist changes in motion more. Because of this, a larger force is needed to start, stop, or change the direction of a more massive object.
Summer Solstice. Winter Solstice.
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Newton's 3rd Law
The rigid outer layer of Earth (crust + upper mantle).
Lithosphere.
How do weathering, erosion, and deposition work together to change Earth’s surface over time?
Weathering breaks rocks into smaller pieces, erosion transports those pieces by wind, water, ice, or gravity, and deposition drops the sediments in new locations. Together, these processes gradually reshape Earth’s surface.
A student says, “If there is no air resistance, all objects fall at the same rate no matter their mass.” Explain why this is true using gravity and force ideas from physics.
Without air resistance, the only force acting on falling objects is gravity. Gravity accelerates all objects at the same rate (about 9.8 m/s² on Earth), regardless of mass. Even though heavier objects experience a greater gravitational force, they also have more inertia, so the acceleration is the same for all objects.
Two students are observing the Moon. Student A sees a waxing gibbous Moon, and Student B sees a full Moon the next night. Explain what is happening in the Moon’s orbit and why the appearance is changing.
The Moon is orbiting Earth, and as it moves, we see different portions of its sunlit side. A waxing gibbous means more than half of the Moon is lit and still increasing toward full. By the next night, the Moon has moved farther in its orbit so more of the lit side is visible, resulting in a full Moon.
A drawing that shows all forces on an object.
Movement caused by heat rising and cooling sinking. This process moves Earth's plates.
Convection currents.
A mountain forms where two tectonic plates collide. Explain what type of plate boundary this is and what is happening to the crust.
This is a convergent boundary. The plates move toward each other, causing the crust to crumple, fold, and sometimes uplift to form mountains. In some cases, one plate may also subduct under the other.
A puddle disappears after a sunny day, clouds form in the sky later, and rain eventually falls. Explain how energy from the Sun drives these changes in the water cycle.
The Sun provides energy that causes evaporation, turning liquid water into water vapor. As the vapor rises and cools, it undergoes condensation to form clouds. When the droplets become heavy enough, they fall as precipitation (rain). This cycle is continuous and powered by solar energy.
Why do eclipses not happen every month even though the Moon orbits Earth regularly? Include the terms orbit, tilt, and nodes in your explanation.
Eclipses do not happen every month because the Moon’s orbit is tilted relative to Earth’s orbit around the Sun. This means the Moon usually passes above or below the Sun–Earth line. Eclipses only occur when the Moon is near the nodes, the points where its orbit crosses Earth’s orbital plane, and all three objects are aligned.
A 10 kg object is pushed with a force of 40 N to the right. At the same time, friction pushes back with 15 N to the left.
Draw the carbon cycle on the white board.
Must include photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, and combustion.
Explain how the rock cycle shows that Earth’s materials are constantly recycled. Include all three rock types and at least two processes that change them.
The rock cycle shows that igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks can change into each other over time. Igneous rock can form from cooled magma or be broken down by weathering and erosion into sediments. Sediments can become sedimentary rock through compaction and cementation. Any rock type can be changed by heat and pressure into metamorphic rock, and rocks can melt back into magma, continuing the cycle.
Explain how gravity, Earth’s rotation, and the Moon’s orbit work together to cause tides on Earth.
The Moon’s gravity pulls on Earth’s oceans creating bulges of water. As Earth rotates, different areas move through these bulges, causing high and low tides. The Sun also affects tides when it aligns with Earth and the Moon.