Birth of Rocks
What is root wedging?
A type of weathering when a root grows from a seed in a crack in the rock, then widens the crack as it grows bigger! The rock can crack in two.
How can rain break down a rock?
The rain water freezes, then gets bigger because ice expands, and cracks the rock. This is called ice wedging!
What tool could you use to give two plants the same amount of water?
Hint: You use it in baking!
A measuring cup!
What pattern forms as trees grow?
Is smog connected to people using cars?
Yes! Smog is a fog or haze combined with smoke and other pollution.
What is ice wedging?
A type of weathering when ice wedges itself into rock cracks and widens them, splitting a big rock into smaller rocks. The rock can crack in two.
Which type of volcano has basalt rocks?
Dark-colored rocks called Basalt.
What is a diagram?
a simplified drawing showing the appearance, structure, or workings of something; a schematic representation.
What is a system found in nature that involves rain?
The water cycle
Opinion or fact: "Technology never really helps people."
Opinion!
If someone asked you if a volcano could pop up where they lived, what would you tell them?
Yes, if you live near the Pacific Ocean in the Ring of Fire! Otherwise, maybe, but it’s less likely.
Why are rocks at the bottom of the mountain rounder than those at the top?
Rocks at the bottom of a mountain are rounder because as the rocks tumble down the mountain through erosion the edges become more rounded, hitting other rocks along the way.
What is data?
The observations and measurements made during an experiment!
What are two common models of the Earth?
Maps and globes!
Which is more likely to happen when you exert force on an object: it stays in the same position, or it stops moving?
It stops moving!
Do mountains last forever?
No! Processes of weathering like ice wedging and root wedging break down rocks, which are moved through erosion and put somewhere new through deposition.
Why do cone volcanoes explode? What is your evidence?
Cone volcanoes with thick lava explode because the thick lava traps the gas bubbles. Eventually the gas makes the volcano explode. In the class activity, I saw the thick lava trap the gas bubbles longer and then they popped!
As a scientist, you want to watch a butterfly come out of its chrysalis. What tool could you use?
A hand lens or magnifying lens!
What is an example of a system found in nature and one of its parts?
One system is the ocean - a part is the fish! Other answers possible.
If you want to measure how the amount of rainfall changes over time in West Philadelphia, what do you need to measure besides the volume of rain?
You could look at the shape of the volcano and the color of the rocks.
If the volcano is shaped like a cone and the rocks are lighter, the volcano probably produces felsite lava and EXPLODES!
If the volcano is shaped like a shield and the rocks are dark, the volcano probably produces basalt lava AND DOES NOT EXPLODE.
Why are some volcanoes shaped like cones and others like shields?
They have different kinds of lava!
Cone-shaped volcanoes have thick lava that oozes out slowly, forming a hill.
Shield-shaped volcanoes have lava that is thin and runny, so the lava spreads out farther.
If you wanted to find out if the length of your shadow changes throughout the day as the sun moves, what are two things you need to measure? What tools would you need to use?
1. You could measure the length of your shadow using a ruler.
2. You could measure time, using a watch.
Which model would you use to learn how a hurricane forms: a weather map or a diagram?
A diagram!
As a scientist you want to learn about how sunlight affects plant growth. You give two plants the same amount of water each day, but one is in the sun and the other the shade. Which part of the experiment is the controlled variable?
The amount of water given to each plant.