Energy
When speaking about Energy, what does the Acronym "M.E.L.T.S." stand for?
(When speaking about energy,) The acronym "M.E.L.T.S." stands for Mechanical (Energy), Electrical (Energy), Light (Energy), Thermal (Energy), and Sound (Energy).
When speaking of changes to earth's surface, what does the Acronym "W.E.D." stand for?
(When speaking of changes to earth's surface,) The acronym "W.E.D." stands for Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition.
What landforms are most commonly formed by rivers?
The landforms most commonly formed by rivers are Canyons, Deltas, and V-Shaped Valleys.
What are three examples of fossil fuels?
Three examples of fossil fuels are Coal, Oil, and Natural Gas.
What soil type can be described as soft but scratchy?
A soil type that can be described as soft but scratchy is sand. (clay or loam may also be accepcted)
Electrical Energy Travels along wires and other metal objects. What is the name for a circuit where no energy is flowing? What needs to happen to make energy flow?
The name for a circuit where no energy is flowing is an open circuit. To make energy flow, there needs to be one or more complete paths for the energy to flow from one end of the battery to the other.
What are the agents of Weathering, and what are they doing when they are weathering?
The agents of Weathering are Ice, Water, and Wind, and they break up rock into smaller pieces when they are weathering.
What are two landforms are primarily formed by deposition?
Two landforms that are primarily formed by deposition are river deltas and sand dunes.
What three processes are needed in order to form fossil fuels?
What soil type would be best for desert-dwelling plants? Why?
gravel or potting soil would be best for desert-dwelling plants because they do not retain much water, and desert plants need very little amounts of water.
What is the behavior of light called that causes it to bounce off of objects?
The behavior of light that causes it to bounce off of objects is called reflection.
Erosion is a process where an agent takes sediment from one place to another. Which agent of change erodes sediment the fastest?
The agent of change that erodes sediment the fastest is Wind.
Describe the differences between how a U-Shaped Valley was formed and how a V-shaped valley is formed.
V-Shaped Valleys are formed by water weathering and eroding rock, while U-shaped valleys are formed by ice weathering and eroding Rock in the form of glaciers.
What processes cause layers of sediment to stick together, and how do these work?
The processes that cause layers of sediment to stick together are Compaction and Cementation, and these work by squeezing the rock layers under pressure and heating the layers to evaporate the moisture out of them. (The layers stick together like cement as they dry out!)
What soil type would be best for rainforest plants? How do you know?
The soil type that would be best for rainforest plants would be clay. We know this because it rains a lot in the rainforest, so the plants there would be used to getting a lot of water. (Clay is the type of soil that retains the most water, so it would be good for growing rainforest plants that need a lot of water)
How are Mechanical Energy and Friction different?
Mechanical Energy is the total energy of moving things, and Friction is not an energy but a force that tries to stop things from moving by pushing in the opposite direction to motion (Answers may vary).
Deposition is a process involved in changing earth's surface. What two processes happen as a result of deposition?
Two processes that happen as a result of deposition are compaction and cementation.
What is one example of a landform that forms from rapid changes to earth's surface? What causes this rapid change?
Ex. Volcanic Islands, Fault Lines, landslide debris. Answers may vary.
Are Fossil Fuels considered a renewable energy source? Why or why not?
Fossil Fuels are considered a non-renewable energy source because it takes millions of years to form them, so we cannot make more when we run out.
Why is potting soil a dark color?
Potting soil is a dark color because it contains a lot of organic material.
Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another. Where does most of the energy we use on our planet start from?
Most of the energy we use on our planet starts from the sun.
There is a special kind of weathering that breaks rocks into large pieces instead of small ones. What is this process called and how does it work?
This process is called Freeze-Thaw Weathering and it works by water freezing and expanding in cracks in the rock, causing the rock's cracks to widen.
What is the process by which mountain ranges are formed?
The process by which mountain ranges are formed is tectonic plates bumping into and sliding under each other. This causes wrinkles in the earth in similar way to how sheets of paper or cloth work.
Why do Fossil Fuels contain so much energy? Where did that energy come from?
Fossil fuels contain so much energy because they are formed from organic material. The energy came from the animals and plants, which got their energy from the sun or from plants.
Describe one way that you can find what kind of soil retains the most water.
One way that you can find what kind of soil retains the most water is by pouring water through different types of soil and measuring how much water drips into a graduated cylinder.