| A | B |
|---|
| Name the Earth's 3 major global wind belts. | Prevailing westerlies, polar easterlies, trade winds |
| Which is denser (heavier), warm air or cold air? | Cold air, that is why it sinks |
| Name the 3 things that effect air pressure | temperature, moisture, and elevation |
| Does air pressure increase or decrease as elevation increases? | decrease |
| List the 4 steps of the scientific method | ask a question, hypothesis, data collection, conclusion |
| In an undisturbed layer of sedimentary rock, objects in the top layers are older or younger than objects in the bottom layers? | they are younger |
| What is the definition of a fossil? | The preserved remains of an ancient organism |
| What is the 1/2 life of a radioactive material? | The amount of time it will take for 1/2 of the material to decay into something non-radioactive |
| List the four geologic eras, from oldest to the most recent | Pre-cambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic |
| Which technique do scientists use to determine how old things are compared to each other? | Superposition |
| Which technique do scientists use to determine exactly how old ancient artifacts are? | Radioisotope (radiometric) dating |
| A change in wavelengths of sound or light as an object moves. | Doppler Effect |
| How do scientists know that the universe is expanding? | Primarily by observing the red shift, the shift of light from different stars toward the red end of the spectrum. |
| What features give us information about distant stars? | Size, color, temperature, brightness |
| What will happen to the universe if it is an open universe? If it is a closed universe? | Open -- expand forever Closed -- reach the edges and collapse |
| What are gentle winds that move from 30 degrees back to the equator called? | trade winds |
| what are the strong winds that move from 30 degrees towards the poles called? | prevailing westerlies |
| movement of the air caused by unequal heating of the atmosphere results in? | wind |
| what is the normal air pressure at sea level? | 14.7 (about 15) pounds per square inch |
| where does the earth get the most direct sunlight? | at the equator |
| why is it colder at the poles than it is at the equator? | the poles get indirect, less concentrated sunlight |
| how does the ozone layer protect us? | it filters out harmful UV rays |
| when is the ozone a bad thing? | when it's down on the ground and we breath it in |
| where are the 2 ozone holes? | North pole (arctic) and the South Pole (Antarctica) |
| What is the approximate percent of oxygen in the atmosphere? | 21% |
| What is the most abundant gas in our atmosphere? | Nitrogen |
| name 3 things that contain chemicals that harm the ozone layer | refrigerators, air conditioners, aerosol containers |
| What is the approximate % of carbon dioxide in the atmoshere? | 0.15% (very small) |
| Name at least 2 things that add nitrogen to the atmosphere | volcanoes, animal wastes, and decaying leaves |
| A day that has the highest high and lowest low tide is | a spring tide |
| The shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere | the winter solstice |
| The period of rotation | a day |
| The period of revolution | a year |
| The largest planet | Jupiter |
| The smallest planet | Pluto |
| The planet with the runaway greenhouse effect | Venus |
| The age of our solar system | 4.6 billion years |
| The theory which explains the formation of the solar system | Nebular Theory |
| The theory which explains the formation of our moon | Big Whack Theory |
| How many planets are there in our solar system? | 9 |
| What is the name for the side of the moon which we never see? | the dark side |
| The amount of time that passes between each high and low tide | 6 hours |
| The first day of spring | Vernal Equinox |
| The season which follows the autumnal equinox | Fall (autumn) |
| A time when the sun is blocked out by the shadow of the moon | Solar Eclipse |
| A lunar eclipse can only happen during the __ phase of the moon | full moon |
| The time of day when the full moon rises | about when the sun sets |
| The time of day when the new moon rises | about when the sun rises |
| The moon phase which follows the full moon | waning gibbous |
| The moon phase which follows a waning gibbbous | final quarter (last quarter) |
| A cloud of dust and gas in space is a | nebula |
| What are the 3 shapes galaxies can take? | spiral, elliptical, irregular |
| The surface temperature of a star can be estimated using its | color |
| An open universe is one that is | expanding |
| What are the 4 layers of our sun, starting with the innermost layer? | core, photsphere, chromosphere, corona |
| The hottest stars are what color? | blue |
