HW#38 – Blog “Intro to Earth Science”

Our Earth is a dynamic system and many of the processes that occur on the Earth work in a cyclical manner. In other words one thing works with another and one change leads to another change. The interactions between the Earth's surface, Earth's interior and Earth's atmosphere defines the Earth "system"

This week's assignment is a little introduction to the interactions that occur within this Earth system. You will be required to explore a few different websites and answer a few questions pertaining to those websites. Please make sure to use your blog grading rubric for help... carry one Earth system investigator!

Earth Forms!

Check out the following website on the formation of the Earthand explore the website to discover how our Earth formed(hint* everything might not be on this exact page, you might need to explore this website a bit, look carefully!)

1)   About how long ago did our Earth form? How do we know this?

2)   Could have human beings lived on Earth when it first formed? Why or why not?

3)   How did Earth acquire its water… where did it come from?

4)   How has LIFE on Earth changed since the Earth’s formation?

5)   Where does Earth’s inner heat come from?

Earth is a Mover and a Shaker!

Check out the following website on the processes taking place on Earthall the time causing massive changes, some fast and some pretty dang slow.By the way, this is from another school onPrince Edward Island, so if you see references toPEI, they are talking aboutPrince Edward Island.

1)   What are the three processes constantly changing the Earth’s surface?

2)   Describe erosion and how it occurs on Earth’s surface.

3)   Describe weathering and how it occurs on the Earth’s surface.

4)   What is the difference between weathering and erosion?

5)   How do weathering and erosion work together to wear down a mountain?

6)   How does tectonic plate movement cause changes on the Earth’s surface?

7)   Where does all tectonic plate movement take place?

Now that mapping and topography is behind us... kinda, we are ready to move on to a new dimension, space! Before we begin our space quest, lets see what you already know about this VERY broad topic. Answer the following questions to the best of your ability using complete sentences. You DO NOT have to get them correct, as this is more of a pre-assessment. So do not look up the answers on google, just use your current knowledge to see just how much you know (by the way, it is pretty easy for us to check if you did "google" the question).

1) Describe why we see different phases of the moon?

2) Why do we experience different seasons here in Massachusetts?

3) Why does the amount of daylight change throughout the year?

4) How does Earth just "float" in space?

5) If you were able to dig a hole all the way through our planet from North pole to South pole, and you dropped a bowling ball from the North pole, where would the bowling ball go?

6) What would happen if our moon was to disappear?

7) How long does it take for our planet to spin on its axis?

8) How long does it take for our planet to revolve around the sun?

9) Which on is farther away from Earth, the sun or pluto?

10) When are we closer to the sun, during the winter or during the summer?

11) Why would we have to wait until a specific date to launch a rocket to the planet Mars?

Good luck!

Mr. S

This week you will be learning about the unbelievable usefulness of maps... but how exactly can you use maps??? I mean, no offense, but your just a kid right? So really, why would you even care about silly pieces of paper with squiggles and lines on them? Then again, I might be playing the devil's advocate... check out the link below to see just how cool maps can really be, even when they are not made on paper:

The Ultimate Topographic Map of Earth!

Now that you have checked out the link, answer the following questions based upon what you have read:

1) Where did the images come from that helped create the map?

2) What latitude does the ASTER cover of our Earth?

3) What can we use this new data for in the "real-world"?

4) What they are discussing here is only data, not a program that renders the data into a 3-D image (Such as google Earth!). With that in mind, do you think it is possible to obtain data from other planets and to create maps very much like those found on Google Earth? Why or why not?

5) Finally, do you think that the data collected by the ASTER would be different if the ASTER was to collect data from one-million years ago or one-million years into the future? Explain your answer.

Good luck!

Mr. S

You have had some time now to investigate the mass and volume of various materials (both solids and liquids), and now you have come to the crossroads where these two measurements meet... density! What you have learned so far is that density is a measure of how much matter is within a given space (mass per volume), but what does this really mean? Answer the following questions using your current understanding of density, please use COMPLETE SENTENCES and your blog rubric.

1) What is mass?

2) What is volume?

3) If you had an odd shaped peice of copper, what properties must you measure to help you determine the objects density?

4) If you cut the object in half, what would happen to the object's mass, volume and density?

5) Explain why this would happen from question #4.

6) If your friend gave you a coin and he said that it was pure gold, how would you test his claim? In other words, how would you prove it is pure gold or not? Explain your process.

7) Is it easier to float on salt water or fresh water? Explain why?

8) Imagine this: Your bedroom is on the second floor of your house and it always seems to be extremely hot during the summer. The downstairs living room is always nice and cool, and you DO NOT even have air conditioning. Explain why your bedroom is always so hot.

9) Finally, tell me how you feel about density. What do you think you understand? What do you have trouble with?

Thanks!

MR. S

1. Find the length of a soccer field in meters.
2. Find the length of a Boeing 787 airplane in meters.
3. Find out how many seconds it takes for a rain drop to fall from a cloud to Earth's surface.
4. How many seconds can a person hold their breath underwater?
5. What is the volume, in milliliters (mL), of a gallon of milk?
6. What is the volume of Lake Michigan in cubic Kilometers (Km³)?
7. What is the mass of a White Rhinoceros in Kilograms (Kg)?
8. What is the mass of a Liter (L) of Water in grams (g)?
9. Find an interesting metric measurement you would like to share with us.