nst term 4 Flashcards
what are features?
interesting or noticeable parts of something
what is a sphere?
a round shape like a ball
all planets are spheres
what is the surface?
the outside part or top layer of something
what is soil?
sand that is mixed with dead or rotting material
what is earth’s water surface?
large areas of water that cover earth’s rocky surface where it is
hollowed
what are oceans?
the largest of earth’s water surfaces, which are salty seawater
what are seas?
smaller water surfaces, that are parts of the ocean so are also salty seawater
what are continents?
one of seven large pieces of earth’s surface
what is an island
a piece of land that is smaller than a continent and surrounded by seas
what are lakes?
large areas of water than have land all around them
what is the atmosphere?
the layer of thin air that surrounds earth
what shape is earth?
a sphere
what is earth made of?
rock
is the earth solid or liquid?
both - the surface is hard solid rock but the centre is so hot that the rock has melted to liquid
why is Earth called the blue planet?
all the water on earth’s surface (on 71% of the surface) makes it look blue from space
what are Earth’s land surfaces?
the parts of Earth’s that are not covered by water. These are either continents or islands
how high above Earth’s surface does the atmosphere go?
About 600km
why is the atmosphere so important?
- It contains the gases that all living things need to BREATH
- It acts like a BLANKETS to keep Earth’s surface warm enough for living things to survive
what is a planet?
a large object that moves around a star
what are stars?
objects in space that give off their own light
what is the sun?
a very bright star that gives light and warmth to planet Earth
what is the moon?
a cold round object that always moves around Earth
How many planets does the Sun have?
8
what is space?
the never-ending darkness that is above the Earth’s atmosphere
what is in space?
stars, planets, and many other objects as well as gas and dust
what are astronauts?
people that travel to space
when can we see the sun?
in the daytime, when our half of the Earth is facing toward the sun
what is the nearest object in space to the earth?
the moon
where are the stars during the day?
in the same place in the sky in space but you just can’t see them because the sun’s light is much brighter
how many stars are there?
Millions (but we can’t actually count them all because we can only see some of them)
what does orbit mean
the pathway along which the Earth moves around the sun
what is the solar system
the sun and all the objects that move around it
what type of planet is the Earth?
a terrestrial planet
What is a year on earth?
365.25 days
the time it takes for the Earth to do a full orbit of the sun.
What features does Earth have that other planets do not?
Earth is the only planet with LIFE on it and no other planet has liquid WATER
How many planets is the Earth from the Sun?
Earth is the 3rd planet from the Sun
What is the sun made of?
very hot burning gases
Why is the Sun so important for life on Earth?
life need the Sun’s heat and light energy
without the sun it would be dark and freezing cold, so plants and animals would not survive
How big is the Sun?
The Sun is 110 times the diameter of Earth
How far away from Earth is the sun?
about 150 million kilometres
Is the sun a bright star?
No, it just seems that way because it is so much closer to Earth than any other stars
what direction does the Earth travel around the sun?
anticlockwise
what is the centre of the solar system?
the sun
(solar system literally means the sun’s system)
What does life on Earth need to survive in addition to the Sun’s energy?
water
What starts the energy chain?
light from the Sun
what happens to plants and animals when they get too much or too little heat?
they die
why do seeds need warmth?
to grow
why do animals need warmth?
to maintain their life processes
what is a crater?
a round hole made by something that has fallen onto it
what is the surface of the moon covered with?
dust and pieces of rock
what is not on the surface of the moon?
No soil (that anything could grow in) and
no liquid water on the moon
what are the large dents on the surface of the moon called?
craters
what is closest to the Earth in space?
the moon
what are phases of the moon?
the changing pattern of sunlight on the moon
Name the phase of the moon when you can see half a circle?
The QUARTER moon
Name the phase of the moon right before and right after full moon
Gibbous Moon
Name the phase of the moon when you can only see a rounded sliver of it?
The Crescent moon
The phases of the moon appear in the same order every _______ days?
29 and a half
What is the name of the phase of the moon when you cannot see it?
New Moon
what does WAXING mean when describing phases of the moon?
growing/getting bigger
(the half of the cycle that comes straight after new moon)
what does waning mean when describing the phases of the moon?
getting smaller
(the half of the cycle that comes after full moon)
what is a rocket?
A long tall structure that can be propelled into space
what does launch mean?
to send a space craft into space
what is gravity?
the pull that holds things on earth
what is a payload?
the people, equipment or other space craft that are carried by a rocket
what is a vehicle?
a machine that is used to carry people or things from one place to another
what does propel mean?
to move or push something forward
what input energy does a rocket’s system use?
fuel
why do rockets need to be light?
so that it can carry a bigger payload because each kilogram of it’s own weight needs fuel too
why do rockets need to be strong?
to do their job of carrying vehicles, equipment and people into space
what makes it easier for rockets to slip through the atmosphere into space?
their SHAPE
what explains how rockets move?
Newton’s 3rd law
what is Newton’s 3rd law of physics?
for every push in one direction, there is an equal push in the other direction
