EARTH SCIENCE BELLWORK

 
BELLWORK #1        				Tuesday, September 2, 2008

FACT:
By understanding how natural forces shape our environment, Earth scientists 
can better predict potential disasters and help save lives and property.

QUESTION:
Which scientist is most likely to chase tornadoes?
- an astronomer                            - a geologist
- a meteorologist                          - a paleontologist
 
BELLWORK #2       			Wednesday, September 4, 2008

FACT:
“Many early scientists were Greek philosophers, which, as defined by the 
ancient Greeks, meant people who search for knowledge for its own sake.” 
– Janice VanCleave, Scientists Through the Ages, 2004, p. 5
QUESTION:
The process in which experts in a given field examine the results and 
conclusion of a scientist’s study before that study is submitted for 
publication is called:
-	Analysis					- Peer Review
-	Formulating a theory				- Observation

BELLWORK #3    				Thursday, September 4, 2008

FACT:
People who study erupting volcanoes, the bottom of the ocean, hurricanes and 
tornadoes, raging rivers, the solar system and universe are all considered 
geoscientists.  The geosciences include all branches of Earth science: 
Astronomy, Meteorology, Geology, and Hydrology. – 
www3.nsta.org/main/news/pdf/ss0110_38.pdf

QUESTION:
A possible explanation for a scientific problem is called a(n):
- Experiment			- Observation
- Theory			- Hypothesis
 
BELLWORK #4       				September 8, 2008

FACT:	The specific pressures and temperatures of the interior (of Earth) 
determine whether it’s layers are solid or liquid.  Higher temperatures tend 
to cause solids to melt and become liquid, but higher pressures may counter 
this effect and compress liquids into solids.  – Holt Earth Science

QUESTION:
The diameter of Earth is greatest at the

- poles               		 - oceans 
- equator		         - continents	
 

BELLWORK #5       				Tuesday, September 9, 2008

FACT:	“The Earth system is almost a closed system because matter exchange 
is limited.  Energy enters the system in the form of sunlight and is 
released into space as heat.  Only a small amount of dust and rock from 
space enters the system, and only a fraction of the hydrogen atoms in the 
atmosphere escape into space.”  - Holt Earth Science

QUESTION:
Closed systems exchange energy but do not exchange

- gravity                   	 - sunlight 
- matter		         - heat

BELLWORK #6       				Monday, September 15, 2008

FACT:	“The areas on Earth’s surface just above where the poles of the 
imaginary magnet would be are called the geomagnetic poles.  The geomagnetic 
poles and the geographic poles are located in different places.”   
- Holt Earth Science, p. 55

QUESTION:
How could you tell whether a topographic map shows a gradual slope?
- Look for V-shaped contour lines
- Look for widely spaced contour lines
- Look for short, straight lines inside the loop 
- Look for tightly space, circular, contour lines	
 



BELLWORK #7       				Tuesday, September 16, 2008

FACT:	“The Earth system is composed of four “spheres” that are storehouses 
of all the planet’s matter.”  These four “spheres” include the atmosphere, 
hydrosphere, geosphere, and biosphere.

QUESTION:    (Chapter 2)
Phosphorus cycles through all spheres except the
-	Geosphere                                     - biosphere
-	Atmosphere                                   - hydrosphere

BELLWORK   #8    				Monday, September 22, 2008

FACT:  Today is the autumnal equinox.  
“The autumnal equinox occurs on September 22 or 23 of each year and marks 
the beginning of fall in the Northern Hemisphere.”    It is a moment when 
the sun appears to cross the celestial equator and the sun’s rays strike 
Earth at a 90°angle along the equator.  “The hours of daylight and darkness 
are approximately equal everywhere on Earth on that day.” – Holt Earth 
Science

QUESTION:

Fact or Fiction:  
Why is the egg on the transparency cart balancing?  
Is it because of the autumnal equinox with day and night hours balanced?  
Explain your answer.


 

BELLWORK   #9   				Tuesday, September 23, 2008

FACT:  “According to the first law of thermodynamics, energy is transferred 
between systems, but it cannot be created or destroyed.”

“The transfers of energy between Earth’s spheres can be thought of as parts 
of an energy budget, in which additions in energy are balanced by 
subtractions.”

-	Holt Earth Science

QUESTION:

Which of the following is NOT an important energy source for Earth systems?
-	Sun                                     - gravity
-	(CORRECT ANSWER)Nitrogen                - convection


BELLWORK #10     				Thursday, September 25, 2008

FACT:  “Like all scientific theories, theories about the origin and 
evolution of the universe must constantly be tested against new observations 
and experiments.  Many current theories of the universe began with 
observations made less than 100 years ago.” – Holt Earth Science, p. 793

QUESTION:

The heaviest element formed in the core of a star is
-	Iron                                      - carbon
-	Helium                                 - nitrogen

BELLWORK #11       				Monday, September 29, 2008

FACT:  “Visible light is a form of energy that is part of the 
electromagnetic spectrum.  The electromagnetic spectrum is all of the 
wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation.”   - Holt Earth Science, p. 661

QUESTION:
A telescope is an instrument that collects ________________________ from the 
sky and concentrates it for better observation.
-	Astronomical units          - electromagnetic radiation
-	Stars                       - light years

BELLWORK #12       				Tuesday, September 30, 2008

FACT:  “In astronomy, the hypothetical violent explosion that created the 
universe, between 12 billion and 14 billion years ago…” is called the “Big 
Bang”.  “The Big Bang Theory states that all the matter and energy of the 
universe was once an unimaginably dense mass and that the universe has been 
expanding from the explosion of this mass ever since.” 
– Chambers Science Factfinder, 2006, p. 15

QUESTION:
Cosmic background radiation
-	Is very hot                     - is blue-green
-	Comes from supernovas           - comes equally from all directions

BELLWORK   #13     				Thursday, October 2, 2008

FACT:  Approximately “…23% of the universe is made up of a type of matter 
that does not give off light but that has gravity we can detect.  Because 
this type of matter does not give off light, it is called dark matter.”
-	Holt Earth Science, p. 796

QUESTION:
What type of matter in the universe does not give off light but has gravity 
we can detect?

-heavy matter                                          - cosmic matter
- caloric matter                                       - dark matter

 
BELLWORK   #14     				Friday, October 3, 2008

FACT:  By using spectra of distant galaxies, astronomer Edwin Hubble “…found 
that the most distant galaxies showed the greatest red shift and thus were 
moving away from Earth the fastest.”  
- Holt Earth Science, p. 793

QUESTION:
Galaxies and stars moving away from Earth has a spectrum that is shifted 
slightly toward

- yellow                                       - blue
- red                                          - white
 
BELLWORK  #15      				Monday, October 6, 2008

FACT:  “Our galaxy is so wide that, at the speed of light, it would take you 
100,000 years to cross it.”  -Glenn Vecchione.  Science Facts. 2004

QUESTION:
Analyzing the ripples in cosmic background radiation tells us that the kinds 
of matter that humans, the planets, the stars, and matter between stars are 
made of 
-Only 73% of the universe                    - only 4% of the universe
-Only 23% of the universe                    - only 32% of the universe

BELLWORK  #16      				Tuesday, October 7, 2008

FACT:  A light year is the distance light travels in one year.
			This distance is the same as:
				5,870,000,000,000 miles OR
                                5.87 x 1012 miles OR
                                9.45 trillion kilometers OR
                                9.45 x 1012 km

QUESTION:
Many current theories of the universe began with observations made
- more than 300 years ago                         - less than 100 years ago
- more than 100 years ago                         - less than 10 years ago

BELLWORK  #17      				Wednesday, October 8, 2008

FACT:  “The distance of even the nearest star far exceeds our eye’s ability 
to resolve it into a distant object.  So when we look at a star, we’re 
actually seeing a snowflake pattern of light created by our eyes.”
-	Glenn Vecchione, Science Facts, 2004.

QUESTION:
-	About how many stars are visible from Earth without a telescope?
-	- 6,000                                       - 100,000
-	- many billions                         - a million