• HINTS FOR Taking the ACT EXAM AND DOING BETTER

• "She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid."  • -Han Solo on the Millennium Falcon (Star Wars)-for you Jedi Masters!

• Be sure to answer every question. At the end, if you have no idea, take a guess, but first eliminate the answers that you KNOW are incorrect.

• Take your time. You have hours to do the exam (It is un-timed!)• Read the introductory paragraphs and study the graphs or diagrams before looking at

questions. Underline key words. • Draw diagrams to help you visualize the questions asked - where possible • Use a straight-edge to read graphics, to mark points on a graph and to measure distances.• If certain words cause confusion, cross them out and substitute a different word, then read the

question again. • (example: substitute the word "false" for "not true")• Don't leave any questions blank • Read all choices before deciding on an answer, sometimes a question has a good and a better

answer. Always choose the best answer. • If you are not sure of an answer, try to eliminate choices that you think are clearly wrong and

narrow down your choices. Then make your most careful guess. • Check your test a second time, but only change an answer if you find an obvious mistake. Your

first choice is usually correct. • Look up formulas, even if you think you know them. Substitute information from the question

into the formula. Most are on the back page of the reference tables.• Skip over hard questions that are stumping you. Go back to them later. Something else in the

test may give you a clue to one of these harder problems.. • Relax-you've seen all this stuff before

• 1. The same substance always has the same density no matter how much you have of it

• 2. As pressure increases, density increases

• 3. As temperature increases, density decreases

• 4. Water expands when it freezes. remember ice cubes float...see fact #6

• 5. Most changes are cyclic like ->The Water Cycle>Star lives->Carbon Dioxide

cycle>Nitrogen Cycle>Global Warming>Ice Ages

• 6. Water is most dense at 4 degrees C, when it is a liquid

• 7. The universe began with a expansion of our dimension, space and time--"The Big Bang Theory" 13.72 billion years ago

• 8. The best model of the Earth is a sphere-bulged in the middle a bit

Earth Science Overview

The present is the key to the past

• 9. The altitude of Polaris (North Star) equals your latitude • 10. Our solar system is located on the fourth arm of our Milky Way Galaxy

• 11. Latitude lines go east-west, just like the equator, but measure distances north or south.

• 12. Longitude lines go north-south,• but measure distances east or west.

• 13. Longitude is based on observations of the sun

• 14. Use any graphs

• 15. The closer the isolines (contour-isobar-isotherms-) are the steeper the slope or gradient

• 16. The earth rotates from west to east (24 hours) • 17. The earth revolves counterclockwise (365 1/4 days) • 18. All celestial objects appear to rise in the east and move west • 19. The moon has phases because it revolves around the earth

(remember though that half of the moon’s surface is always lit) phases happen because of the way we observe the moon

• 20. Planets appear to go backwards (retrograde) as the earth passes them in space

• 21. Summer solstice is June 21st • 22. Winter solstice is December 21st • 23. Equinoxes: March 21st September 23rd• 24. Equator always has 12 hours of day-light • 25. The lower the altitude of the sun, the • longer the shadow it casts

• 26. Foucault's pendulum and the Coriolis Effect prove the earth rotates• 27. Earth is closest to the sun in January• 28. The closer a planet is to the sun the higher it's velocity • 31. Black and rough surfaces are the best absorbers and radiators• 32. The half-life of a radioactive element can't be changed• 33. Ocean crust is thin and made of basalt • 34. Continental crust is thick and made of granite • 35. Energy moves from source to sink: high to low • 36. Mountains may form by uplifting, folding and/or faulting• 37. Chemical weathering occurs mostly in warm, humid climates • 38. Physical weathering occurs mostly in cold, humid climates (good for frost wedging)• 39. Air moves clockwise and outward around a high pressure system• 40. Air moves counterclockwise and inward around a low pressure system• 41. Good absorbers of radiation are good radiators • 42. Hottest part of the year is in July• 43. Hottest part of the day is after 1:00p.m. • 44. As temperature increases, air pressure decreases • 45. As moisture increases, pressure decreases • 46. Air pressure decreases with altitude • 47. High pressure are cool and dry; lows are warm and wet • 48. Wind is due to air pressure differences• 49. Wind blows from high to low pressure• 50. Wind is named from the direction that it is coming from

51. The closer the air temperature is to the dew point the greater the chance for precipitation

52. Weather moves from west to east in the United States53. Cold fronts move the fastest

• 54. As particle size increases, permeability increases • 55. Capillarity increases when particle size decreases • 56. Increase in latitude and altitude have the same affect

on climate• 57. Vertical rays (overhead sun) can only occur between

23 1/2°N and 23 1/2°S• 58. Index fossils are good time markers (widely spread,

lived a short time) i.e.-trilobites• 59. Air cools and expands as it rises• 60. Water bodies moderate temperature (smaller

temperature range...land located near a body of water is warmer in winter and cooler in summer) like Great Lakes

• 61. Gravity causes all erosion • 62. Streams are the number one agent of erosion • 63. Stream velocity depends on slope and discharge • 64. Velocity is fastest on the out side of meander bend

•65. Glaciers are made from snow that get at least 165 feet, gravity packs snow down to form ice, and the ice flows downhill under gravity like a plastic taffy like a slow motion bulldozer on steroids

•66. Glaciers leave unsorted terminal moraines, kettle ponds and

•67. Aquifers are the water table

•68- Hurricanes strike the east

coast and gulf of Mexico, low areas,

impacted by storm surge should

be abandoned before a hurricane

strikes

•69. Tornadoes occur mostly in the

Spring and after 2 pm-8pm

70. Earth is a mostly closed system,

71.Chemicals are recycled in systems

72. Black smokers give off hot chemicals that feed entire ecosystems on ocean floor

• 73. Heavy, round, and dense particles settle out first• 74. Graded bedding (vertical sorting): biggest sediments are on bottom • 75. Glacial sediments are unsorted with scratches in a U-shaped valley • 76. Sedimentary rocks may have flat layers - most likely to have fossils• 77. Igneous rock: if it cools fast it will have small crystals; if it cools slowly it will

have large crystals• 78. Metamorphic: banded-distorted structure (Metamorphic means "changed")• THE ROCK CYCLE- All rock started out as igneous as the earth formed 4.6 billion

years ago in the Haden period, and then sedimentary and metamorphic rock formed

• 79. Mineral properties depend on the • substances internal atomic arrangement• 80. Calcite fizzes with acid • 81. Isostasy: earth's crust in equilibrium (uplift & subsidence) • 82. Mid-ocean ridge - new crust being created-sea floor spreading• 83. Trenches – ocean crust being • destroyed-subduction zone • 84. P-waves are faster than S-waves

• 85. P-waves -can pass through solids & liquids -- S-waves pass through solids only• 86. You need 3 seismometer stations to plot earthquake• 87. Undisturbed layers - bottom layer is oldest part of strata• 88. Intrusion and faults are younger than the rock they are in • 89. Unconformity means erosion (time gap in the rock layers) • 90. Arid landscape: steep slopes with sharp angles • 91. Humid landscape: smooth with rounded slopes• 92. When in doubt, see if the reference tables or graphs will help• 93. Uranium 235 dates old rocks • 94. Carbon 14 dates recent living objects• 95. Convection currents in the mantle move plates (Plate Tectonics)• 96. Always try to eliminate two answers you know are wrong• 97. When a rock is broken into smaller pieces, surface area increases and

weathering rate increases • 98. Use complete sentences for the open responses • 99. Be familiar with this chart: • DATE (APPROXIMATE)LATITUDE OF SUN'S DIRECT RAYSDIRECTION OF

SUNRISE AND SUNSETALTITUDE OF NOON SUNLENGTH OF DAYLIGHT • Sept. 23 (Autumnal Equinox) • December 21 (Winter Solstice) (longest night) • March 21 (Vernal Equinox) • June 21 (Summer Solstice) (longest day) 

                                  

                                                         

100 Plate tectonics is the central organizing theory of geology and is part of the explanation of every idea and process observable in the Geosphere. Plate tectonics cause events in the atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere.

101 Knowing the processes and Earth materials allow the Earth’s history to be understood.

102 Using age dating techniques gives evidence for an ancient Earth and allows for the interpretation of Earth history which is the foundation of the design and refinement of the geologic time scale.

103 Protecting the human interests of health, safety and resource management depends upon an understanding of natural hazards and human impact on Earth systems.

104 Predicting and mitigating the potential impact of global climate change requires an understanding of the mechanisms of Earth’s climate, involving studies of past climates, measurements of current interactions of Earth’s systems and the construction of climate change models.

105 Finding solutions to problems related to water resources requires an understanding of the dynamics and interconnectedness of the components of the hydrosphere and the impact created by human activity.

106 Processes, events and features on Earth result from energy transfer and movement of matter through interconnected Earth systems.

107 A model of the structure and dynamics of Earth’s interior where the transfer of heat from the interior towards the surface causes slow movement of Earth’s tectonic plates is based largely on recordings of seismic waves.

108 Local, regional, and global climates are patterns of atmospheric circulation driven by temperature differences in water, land and the atmosphere which involves the exchange of matter and energy between the ocean and atmosphere.

109 Exterritorial energy and materials influence Earth’s systems and the position and motion of the Earth within an evolving solar system, galaxy, and universe.

• The Rock Cycle • 110 New Rocks Exposed by Erosion  • 111 Rocks Broken Down Mechanically and

Chemically (Weathering)  • 112 Components (Parts) Transported by Erosion  • 113 Components Cemented into Sedimentary Rocks  • 114 Burial and Heating creates Metamorphic Rocks 

• 115 Melting Creates Igneous Rocks

Earth Science*Geology -Preserves earth's history *Meteorology – Climatology weather over time *Oceanography-Drives Climate*Astronomy-Heats Planet surface

• Plate Tectonics • 116 Outer Crust of Earth Moves a Few cm/yr • 117 Driven by Convection, Caused by Natural Nuclear reactor in Earth’s Interior 

– Accounts For:  – Earthquakes  – Volcanoes  – Mountain-Building (Orogeny)  – Arrangement of Continents – Mineral deposits– Current locations of Fossil Fuels (Coal/Oil Deposits)

• Water • 120 Principal Agent in Modifying Earth’s Surface  • 121Medium for Storing and Distributing Global Heat  • 122 The Universal Solvent 

– Essential for Life  – Destructive to Rocks 

• 123 Lowers Melting Point of Rocks 

• 124 Reduces Strength of Rocks Under Pressure • Dissolved oxygen levels drop as water temperature rises.

• 125 Warm ocean water (above 80 degrees) powers hurricanes• 126 Heat from the radioactive core powers convection that causes plate tectonics• 127 Radiation from the sun powers the ocean and atmosphere• 128 Radiation from the powers life on earth• 129 The sun on is on the main sequence on the HR diagram, it is a yellow dwarf• 130 Sunspot effect the earth’s magnetic field and cause auroras and disrupt communications and

satellites• 131 Evidence of Plate Tectonics are GPS, similar rocks, mountain ranges, glacier evidence, fossil

evidence,• 132 Evidence for Big Bang Theory Redshift, Background temperature leftover from the explosion,

early galaxies are more primitive,75% Hydrogen 24%Helium mix Stellar evolution, nucleosynthesis, E=mc2

• 133 Reasons for global warming are fossil fuel use and impacts will be droughts and floods and stronger storms

• 134 Alternative energy sources advantages and disadvantages• 135 Fertilizer use impacts waterways causing plankton blooms and using up all the oxygen causing

dead zone• 136 Main greenhouse gases CO2, Methane• 137 Permian extinctions -95% of all life at the time dies. 4 ice ages 20 large extinctions, volcanoes ice

ages and asteroid impacts cause them• 138 Radioactive half-life C14 5730 years good to around 50,000 years after death and U235 half-life

4.6 billion years, good for rock dating• 139 Three types of rocks and formation Igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic • 140 Three types of faults and locations convergent divergent and strike slip• 141 Three types of volcanoes-Cone, shield, stratovolcanoes• 142 Black smokers- hot water rises by convection and dissolved minerals and heat powers life• 143 Locating earthquakes, P and S waves• 144 Magma Hotspots- rising plumes make places like Yellowstone, Hawaii and Samoan island chains• 145 Tornado formation- warm tropical (mT) air from south pushes north and runs into Polar front or

the jet stream dividing warm southern air from colder northern continental Polar (cP) air• 146 Index fossils- must be common and wide spread and have only lived in a narrow time frame• 147 Igneous crystal size- slow cooling causes large crystal, rapid cooling very small or non-existent

crystal to the naked eye.

Earth Systems

• Although we study four branches of earth science, there are many interactions between earth’s systems. You are standing on the ______sphere. You are breathing in part of the ______sphere. If you went to the beach or canoed down the James you where visiting the ______sphere. And you and all the other living things on earth make up the _____sphere.

Scientific Method

• When solving problems scientifically we follow a series of steps to avoid wasting time, effort, and resources. These steps include:

• 1. Defining the ________ (may include research or observation)• 2. Stating a ____________ (explanation of observation; must be

able to be tested)• 3. _________ the hypothesis (involves measurement of one

variable at a time)• 4. Analyzing the _________ (data organized in graphs, tables,

and charts)• 5. Drawing _____________ (returning to step #2 as needed)

***This is not a rigid, step-by-step outline.***

Unit one vocabulary

• ________- the standard for comparison in an experiment• _______- all the variables we are not testing and trying to keep the

same• ___________________- factor in an experiment that may change if

the independent variable changes• _____________________- factor that the experimenter changes• ______________- also known as SI units; uses a decimal base 10

system; such units as liters, meters, and grams. • ____________________- shorthand where a number is expressed

as a multiplier and a power of 10• _______- explanation that is consistent with repeated observations,

can be tested and make predictions, and is as simple as possible• ____- basic fact describing behavior of a natural phenomenon

Newton 1643 builds on Galileo’s work creates physics-causality(Everything has a reason)

1st- Objects at rest tend to stay at rest

2nd-F=ma

3rd-Every action has a reaction

Also created the mathematical

understanding of gravity; F=GM1M2/r2

and density; D=m/v Tides

Conduction-heat transfer through a solid by atoms bumping each other

Convection-Heat transfer by atoms actually moving from fast movement (hot) to slow vibrations (cold)

Radiation- energy transfer by photons (light)

Origins of the Universe• Big Bang

– occurred 13.72 billion years ago +/-200myr

– model for the beginning of the universe

Georges LeMaitre was a monsignor in the Catholic church. LeMaitre proposed this theory, in which he stated that the expanding universe was the same in all directions -- the same laws applied, and its composition was the same -- but it was not static. In 1929, Edwin Hubble discovered that galaxies were moving away at high speeds. LeMaitre used Hubble's dramatic discovery as evidence for his theory. It was easy. If you imagined the galaxies rushing away from us as a movie, just run the movie backwards. After a certain time, all those galaxies will rush together. LeMaitre put forth the idea that there was once a primordial atom which had contained all the matter in the universe. Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson found evidence of cosmic background radiation, which LeMaitre and other theorists had determined would be the residue of the big bang's explosion many billions of years ago.