Chapter 1 - PREMIDTERM

Question 1

How old was big bang

Answer 1

12-18 billion years

Question 2

How old is solar system

Answer 2

5/6 billion

Question 3

How old are planets

Answer 3

5-4.6 billion

Question 4

How old is earth

Answer 4

4.6 Billion

Question 5

What is solar nebula theory?

Answer 5

According to solar nebula theory, condensation of gass resulted in counter clockwise rotation disk of gases and materials. 90% of material formed center, things on outside were called solar nebula

Question 6

How did earth form? How did earth get its core?

Answer 6

• smaller planets orbited earth at first
• planets grew through series of collisions
• collision between earth and another object (+ heat of collision) gave earth its iron core

Question 7

What is co-accretion?

Answer 7

Hypothesis of how moon came.

-moon accreted at same time as earth through collisions

Question 8

What is capture theory?

Answer 8

Moon formed somewhere else in solar system but came close enough to earth to be caught by its gravitational pull and remained in orbit

Question 9

What is fission theory

Answer 9

earth spun so fast that the moon split off from it, but didn’t get enough speed to leave gravitational pull

Question 10

What is giant impact theory?

Answer 10

Moon was created by theia hitting earth

Question 11

What is theia?

Answer 11

Giant body that was hypothesized to hit earth, creating moon

Question 12

How are waves created? (where does force come from?)

Answer 12

Moon

Question 13

Is moon coming towards us or further away

Answer 13

Further away

Question 14

What is the most probable hypothesis of the creation of the moon? Why is this the most probable cause?
Least probable cause? Rank probables causes in order

Answer 14

Theia / Giant impact hypothesis
-the one where theia, giant body, hit earth, creating moon.
-most probable from data of core, composition of moon
FROM MOST PROBABLE TO LEAST PROBABLE
Giant impact, fission, capture, co-accretion

Question 15

When the earth was created, what was it mainly made out of? what type of material?

Answer 15

Silicates

Question 16

How did segregation of earths materials work when earth was first created (by impact)?

Answer 16

Early earth was mainly silicates
Lightest material stays on the outside, heaviest material goes to the centre, thus creating the mantle and crust (gravitational segregation)
The impact gave earth more iron and nickel to the earth’s core
Gravitational compression, meteorite impact and radioactive decay increased earth’s temperature and was hot enough to melt the iron and the nickel. While the silicate material went up. This segregated to the centre and thus the homogeneous layer disappeared and there were different layers.

Question 17

What are terrestrial planets?

Answer 17

inner planets

Question 18

What are jovian planets?

Answer 18

Outer planets

Question 19

How many comets hit Jupiter every year?

Answer 19

Gravitational force of Jupiter prevented comets barraging it

Question 20

Principles of uniformitarianism

Answer 20

Uniformity of: Laws of nature
Processes
rate
state

Question 21

Principles of uniformitarianism: exceptions

Answer 21

• earths rotation has slowed
• atmospheric composition
• continents and oceans -movement due to plat tectonics
• colonization of land by plants -and animals

Question 22

What are cycles? Give some examples

Answer 22

Continuous, no beginning and end

-consists of reservoirs, storage tanks

Question 23

Is earth a closed system?

Answer 23

Earth is considered a closed system compared to universe

Question 24

What are subsystems of earth? are they open or closed systems?

Answer 24

Atmosphere
lithosphere
biosphere
hydrosphere
-all open systems, but earth is a closed system compared to solar system