Observations, Models, and Science in Society
What is the difference between an Independent and a Dependent variable?
Law: describes what happens (a pattern/relationship in nature; often mathematical)
Theory: explains why/how something happens and is supported by lots of evidence
Define Aphelion and Perihelion.
Aphelion- Farthest point from the sun
Perihelion- Closest point from the sun.
Order of planets closest to farthest
a. Mercury
b. Venus
c. Earth
d. Mars
e. Jupiter
f. Saturn
g. Uranus
h. Neptune
What does Big Bang Theory explain?
The origin and early development of the universe and its expansion from an extremely hot, dense state.
Oscillations of radiatin/energy in magnetic fields in space.
What is the difference between Qualitative and Quantitative Observations?
Qualitative Observations use the 5 senses, while Quantitative Observations use numerical measurments.
What are Kepler's Laws?
Law of Ellipses- Planets orbit the Sun in ellipses, with the Sun at one focus
Law of Equal Areas- A planet sweeps out equal areas in equal times, meaning it moves faster when closer to the Sun and slower when farther away.
Law of Harmonies- The farther a planet is from the Sun, the longer its orbital period (longer year).
What is a galaxy + 3 types
a. Spiral
b. Elliptical
c. Irregular
What is a nebula?
A large cloud of gas and dust in space.
What is the relationship between wavelength and frequency?
They are inversely related: as wavelength increases, frequency decreases (and vice versa).
What are the 5 major branches of Earth Space Science?
Geology
Meteorology
Oceonography
Astronomy
Environmental Science
What is the difference between weight and mass?
Mass: amount of matter (kg), doesn’t change with location
Weight: gravitational force (N), changes depending on gravity
Planets smallest to largest (diameter)
a. Mercury
b. Mars
c. Venus
d. Earth
e. Neptune
f. Uranus
g. Saturn
h. Jupiter
CMB + why important?
The Cosmic Microwave Background is leftover heat/radiation from the early universe; it supports the Big Bang because it matches predictions of an early hot universe.
Draw and label frequency and wavelenght on an EM wave
See board
List the 6 steps of the Scientific Method
Observation → Question → Hypothesis → Experiment/Test → Results → Communicate Results
What two factors affects gravitational force?
Mass of the objects and the distance between them.
What is a black hole + how created
A region of space where gravity is so strong that not even light escapes. Often formed when a massive star collapses after a supernova.
What are the 5 main steps of the creation of a solar system?
a. A nebula (gas/dust cloud) exists
b. Gravity causes the cloud to collapse
c. Cloud spins faster and flattens into a rotating disk
d. A protostar forms at the center
e. Material in the disk accretes into planetesimals → planets
List the EM spectrum in ascending order from lowest frequency to highest frequency
a. Radio
b. Microwave
c. Infrared
d. Visible
e. Ultraviolet
f. X-ray
g. Gamma
List the 8 main SI Units and what they represent
a. Meter (m) — length/distance
b. Kilogram (kg) — mass
c. Second (s) — time
d. Kelvin (K) — temperature —
e. Liter (L) — volume —
f. Mole (mol) — amount of substance
g. Ampere (A) — electric current
h. Candela (c) - Luminous Intensity
Label planet of the sun according Kepler's model
see board
Two different life paths a star can take
Low/medium-mass star path: nebula → protostar → main sequence → red giant → planetary nebula → white dwarf
High-mass star path: nebula → protostar → main sequence → red supergiant → supernova → neutron star or black hole
What is the timeline of the Big bang?
Big Bang → rapid expansion → cooling → particles form → atoms form → stars form → galaxies form → solar systems/planets form later.
What are the everyday uses of/scientific uses of each type of EM radiation
a. Radio — communication; radio telescopes map hydrogen gas
b. Microwave — microwave ovens; cosmic background studies
c. Infrared — remote controls/heat cameras; see through dust clouds
d. Visible — human vision/optical telescopes
e. Ultraviolet — sterilization; study hot stars
f. X-ray — medical imaging; study black hole regions/supernova remnants
g. Gamma — cancer treatment; study gamma-ray bursts