Sun-Moon-Earth Systems
The Sun is a star!
Why does the sun look bigger and brighter than the other stars?
The Sun is much closer to Earth than all the other stars. The other stars are super far away.
We can describe and compare different substances using their properties.
List at least 3 properties we can use to describe and compare substances.
Color
Hardness (how easy it is to scratch)
Shininess (reflectivity)
If they attract magnets (magnetism)
If they carry heat or electricity (conductivity)
If they dissolve in water (solubility)
What are the different different steps of the water cycle
Precipitation
Absorption
Runoff
Evaporation
Condensation
How can we tell if something is a mixture or a chemical reaction?
It is a mixture if you can separate the parts after mixing.
(Ex. If you mix sand and water together you can separate them again)
It is a chemical reaction if a new substance forms and you can’t separate the parts easily.
(Ex. If you mix baking soda and vinegar it bubbles up and you can’t separate the baking soda out).
How does the Earth’s gravity affect everything on it?
Earth’s gravity pulls everything toward its center. This is why we do not float into space.
What are the three states of matter on Earth and how do their particles behave?
Solid: particles are packed closely and only vibrate.
Liquid: particles move around more and are a little spread out.
3. Gas: particles move quickly and are very far apart
Where can we find salt water on Earth?
Where can we find freshwater on Earth?
We can find saltwater in oceans, seas, gulfs, and bays.
We can find freshwater in rivers, lakes, streams, underground, glaciers, and polar ice caps.
Why are shadows shorter in the summer than in the winter?
In the summer, the Sun is higher in the sky, so it makes shorter shadows. That’s also why days are longer in the summer.
(In the winter it is the opposite. The Sun is lower in the sky and so the shadows are longer and the days are shorter.)
What causes day and night on Earth?
Day and night happen because the Earth spins (rotates). The part of Earth that is facing the Sun has day, and the part that is facing away has night.
What is special about gases compared to the other states of matter?
Gas particles always take up the amount of space available. So they will expand as you blow up a balloon or they will come close together when you compress them in a small space.
Most of the Earth is covered with water but we cannot drink most of it. What are the two reasons that this is true?
Most of the water on Earth is saltwater that we cannot drink.
Most of the freshwater on earth is frozen in glaciers and the polar ice caps.
What happens to the mass of matter when it changes form or mixes with something else?
The mass stays the same as long as it's in a closed system (like a container with a lid).
Matter can change form, but it doesn’t disappear.
How does the Sun’s gravity affect the Earth?
The Sun’s gravity causes the Earth to orbit or revolve around the Sun. It takes 365 days for Earth to go all the way around the Sun.
What is a phase change?
What happens when you add heat to a substance?
3. What happens when you take away heat from a substance?
A phase change is when matter changes from one state to another.
Adding heat can make solids melt into liquids and liquids evaporate into gases.
Taking away heat can make gases condense into liquids and liquids freeze into solids.
What are 3 ways that humans can help stop pollution of Earth’s water cycle?
Water Treatment Plants
Reduce runoff from farms by creating natural filters
Reduce pollution and litter on the ground
Why do we see the Sun, Moon, and stars in different places in the sky at different times?
The Sun, Moon and stars seem to change where they are in the sky throughout the day and year because the Earth is both spinning and moving around the Sun.