the diagram models earth and the moon in two positions of its … · earth makes is equal to one...
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April 24, 2012
The diagram models Earth and the moon in two positions of its orbit. The arrows indicate the direction of light from the sun.
In your Answer Document, identify what phase of the moon will be seen from Earth when the moon is in position X. Describe or draw what that phase looks like from Earth. Indicate in your description or drawing what portion of the moon is lit or is not lit. Then, identify what phase of the moon will be seen from Earth when the moon is in position Z. Describe or draw what that phase looks like from Earth. Indicate in your description or drawing what portion of the moon is lit or is not lit. (4 points)
April 24, 2012
From Earth, the moon phase at position X would be the third quarter moon , and the left half of the moon, as seen from a position in the northern hemisphere of Earth, would be lit. The moon phase at position Z is the new moon phase. At this position, the moon would appear completely dark.
April 24, 2012
Students observe that the length of the shadow of a flagpole varies throughout the year. They measure and diagram the flagpole’s shadow in spring, summer and fall at mid-afternoon. The students’ diagrams are shown.
In your Answer Document, describe or draw what the flagpole’s shadow will look like at mid-afternoon in the winter, December 21. Then, explain why the flagpole’s shadow length changes throughout the year. (2 points)
April 24, 2012
The length of a shadow can be used to determine the time of year at certain locations on Earth. Since Earth is tilted, it receives varying degrees of sunlight throughout the year. This makes the sun appear low or high in the sky, and affects the length of shadows cast by objects on Earth.
April 24, 2012
The sun is a mid-sized, main sequence star. What stage is next in the life cycle of the sun?
A. Red GiantB. Black HoleC. White DwarfD. Neutron Star
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A. red giantThe life cycle of a star depends on its mass. For our sun, a main sequence star, the next stage is the red giant stage.
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The diagrams show the sun, Earth and moon in different positions relative to one another. Which diagram shows the correct arrangement of the sun (S), Earth (E) and moon (M) relative to the location of high tides
A
B
C
D
April 24, 2012
B • High tides are caused by the tidal interaction between the moon and Earth. The gravitational pull of the moon on Earth is the cause of both tidal bulges. Because the moon is so close to Earth, the pull of the moon changes very quickly over very short distances. The bulge on the side of Earth that is opposite the moon is due to significantly weaker force on the oceans on that side of the planet.
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Which unit of measurement do astronomers use when measuring the distance between two stars found in the Milky Way?
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light-yearA light-year is just under ten trillion kilometers. Earth’s closest neighbor, Mars, is over 78,000,000 kilometers away. Scientists use the unit of light-years so that they can use much smaller numbers to show very great distances. For example, the closest star to Earth is about four light-years away. A light-year is the distance that light travels in one year. Light travels at a constant speed of 300,000,000 meters per second in space. This means that light from a galaxy that is one light-year away will take one year to reach Earth
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Two galaxies are interacting with each other. What is the force that draws these two galaxies toward each other?
A. FrictionB. GravityC. ElectricityD. Magnetism
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• Gravity is the force that holds people to Earth and the planets in orbit around the sun. On a larger scale, gravity is also the force that holds stars, gas and dust together, making a galaxy. The gravity of this system of stars, gas and dust is strong and can act over the extremely large distances between galaxies.
April 24, 2012
What causes the streak of light observed when a meteoroid enters Earth’s atmosphere?A. sunlight reflected from the meteoroid surface
B. energy released from radioactive materials in the meteoroid
C. lightening produced between the meteoroid and the upper atmosphere
D. visible light produced from the interaction between the meteoroid and the upper atmosphere
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D. The meteoroid enters Earth’s atmosphere at a very high speed. The visible light is a result of heat produced by ram pressure. As the meteor swiftly moves through the atmosphere, the meteoroid compresses the air in it. The compression heats the air, which in turn heats the meteoroid. The intense heat vaporizes most meteoroids, creating the meteor event (or “shooting star”).
April 24, 2012
Which diagram shows a Full Moon?! Circle the correct answer.
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April 24, 2012
Question 37Why do satellites and spacecraft launched from Earth need to reach a specific speed to escape Earth’s surface?
• A. to overcome Earth’s gravitational force
• B. to protect equipment from radiation
• C. to break through the sound barrier
• D. to avoid Earth’s magnetic field
April 24, 2012
A. to overcome Earth’s gravitational forceSatellites and spacecraft have to travel at a certain speed (about 11 km/s) to overcome the pull of Earth’s gravity (pulling force Earth exerts or puts on objects). If the object can’t go that fast, it will fall back to Earth’s surface.
April 24, 2012
This photograph of Galaxy M-82 was taken by students at the Kitt Peak observatory in Arizona.
Which type of equipment did the students use to collect the light to make this photograph?
• A. satellite• B. binoculars• C. microscope• D. optical telescope
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D. optical telescopeAn optical telescope is used to collect the light needed to make photographs of galaxies like this one.
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Question 42Which phenomena occur as a result of the gravitational attraction between the moon and Earth?
• A. eclipses• B. ocean tides• C. seasonal changes• D. phases of the moon
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B. ocean tidesThe gravitational pull of the moon on Earth (and its oceans) causes the tidal bulge that is responsible for ocean tides on Earth.
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Question 44What change would occur if Earth’s rate of rotation significantly increased?
• A. The year would be shorter.
• B. The year would be longer.
• C. The day would be shorter.
• D. The day would be longer.
April 24, 2012
C. The day would be shorter.If Earth began to spin faster it would take less time than it did before for Earth to make one complete rotation. Because one rotation of Earth is equal to the length of a day, days would become shorter as a result of the faster rotation rate. Each full rotation that Earth makes is equal to one day, so the faster that Earth spun, the shorter the days would become.
April 24, 2012
Fossils of the Coelacanth (sØ' lŒkanth') fish occur in the fossil record from 410 to 65 million years ago. The lack of more recent fossils led scientists to conclude that the fish went extinct along with the dinosaurs. In 1938, a fisherman caught a living Coelacanth. More than 200 of them have been caught on the deep reefs in the Indian Ocean. This fish has been called a “living fossil” because its body plan is nearly identical to the 400-million-year-old fossils. This structural similarity, as evidenced by the fossil record, supports which statement?
• A. The environment of the deep sea has changed little over millions of years.
• B. The amount of salt in the deep sea has varied greatly over millions of years.
• C. The oceans have completely dried up multiple times during the past 400 million years.
• D. The oceans have been continuously repopulated by freshwater fish species over millions of years.
April 24, 2012
A. The environment of the deep sea has changed little over millions of years.A big change in the environment will mean that the characteristics of a population that helped the species stay alive in one environment may not help it stay alive in another environment. This will cause the population to become extinct (no more of this species on planet Earth), or develop new characteristics (adapt). Since the fossil record shows that this type of fish did not change in millions of years, the environment that it lives in most likely did not experience any major changes.