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Physics > P1 - The Earth in the Universe > Flashcards

P1 - The Earth in the Universe Flashcards

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1
Q

Moons

A

Balls of rock which orbit planets

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2
Q

How many planet in our solar system are solid rock?

A

The four closest to the sun

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3
Q

How many planet in our solar system are gas giants?

A

The four furthest from the sun

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4
Q

Asteroids

A

Irregular lumps of rock, mostly in near-circular orbit between mars and Jupiter

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5
Q

Comets

A

Small objects made of rock and ice, with very elongated orbits around the sun

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6
Q

Dwarf planets

A

Small spherical lumps if rock in orbit around the sun

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7
Q

What percentage of the solar system’s mass is in the sun?

A

99%

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8
Q

Light year

A

The distance that light travels in a year

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9
Q

How far is a light year?

A

9.5 million kilometres

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10
Q

How fast does light travel in space?

A

3.0 x10^5 km/s OR 300,000 km/s OR 3 x 10^8 m/s

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11
Q

Relative brightness

A

How bright things seem

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12
Q

Real brightness

A

How bright something actually is

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13
Q

Nuclear fusion

A

When hydrogen nuclei are jammed together at such a high pressure that they combine to form helium nuclei

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14
Q

Nuclear fusion word equation

A

Hydrogen nucleus + Hydrogen nucleus -> Helium nuclei

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15
Q

Supernova

A

A large explosion where all the different chemical elements are made

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16
Q

When was the solar system made?

A

About 5000 million years ago

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17
Q

Redshift

A

The increase in wavelength from a galaxy moving away

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18
Q

The universe started expanding rapidly from a single point when?

A

About 14000 million years ago

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19
Q

When was the sun created?

A

About 5000 million years ago

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20
Q

When was the earth created?

A

About 4500 million years ago

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21
Q

What evidence supports the Big Bang theory?

A

The cosmic background radiation

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22
Q

Erosion

A

The wearing away of rock or other surface material

23
Q

Sediments

A

Particles of rock in water that settle to the bottom

24
Q

Fossils

A

Preserved evidence of a dead animal or plant. Mostly plastered in rock.

25
Q

Geologists

A

Scientists which study rocks

26
Q

Sedimentation

A

When eroded rock fragments are transported by wind, water and ice, broken up further and deposited on riverbeds and in the sea

27
Q

What are the three types of rock?

A

Igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic

28
Q

Name an example of each rock type:

A

Igneous: Obsidian, Granite
Sedimentary: Limestone, Mudstone
Metamorphic: Marble, Slate

29
Q

Who thought of the theory of continental drift and when?

A

Alfred Wegener in 1915

30
Q

Why didn’t geologists accept Wegener’s theory at first? 3 reasons

A
  • They already had other, similar theories which explained some of his observations
  • Nobody could explain or measure the movement of the continents
  • Wegener was not a trained geologist and his theory was very different from the others
31
Q

Sea floor spreading

A

The process during which the sea floor between continents moves apart and increases by a few centimetres each year

32
Q

Tectonic plate

A

Huge slabs of rock which make up the crust and upper mantle

33
Q

Plate boundaries

A

Where tectonic plates meet

34
Q

What three directions do plates move in?

A

Apart, together or past each other

35
Q

How are volcanoes formed? 2 ways

A
  • When liquid magma is forced through cracks where tectonic plates are moving apart
  • When one tectonic plate is forced under another heading towards it
36
Q

How are fold mountains formed?

A

When two tectonic plates meet head on

37
Q

Earthquakes

A

Releases of energy from tectonic plates sliding past each other

38
Q

What layers make up the earth?

A

The crust, mantle, outer core and inner core

39
Q

The crust

A

The relatively thin and rocky outermost layer of the earth

40
Q

The mantle

A

Semi liquid rock which resides under the crust and moves slowly

41
Q

The outer core

A

A layer of liquid nickel and iron about 2200km thick in the centre of the earth

42
Q

The inner core

A

Solid nickel and iron about 1250km thick in the very centre of the earth

43
Q

What are two types of seismic wave which occur when tectonic plates suddenly move?

A

P and S Waves

44
Q

Properties of P-Waves:

A
  • They move quickly through solid crust and liquid core
  • Longitudinal waves
  • Particles vibrates along the direction of motion of the waves
45
Q

Properties of S-Waves:

A
  • Only move slowly through the solid crust
  • Transverse waves
  • The particles vibrate at right angles to the direction of motion of the wave
46
Q

Amplitude

A

The maximum height of the disturbance from the undisturbed position

47
Q

Wavelength

A

The distance from one maximum disturbance to the next

48
Q

Speed, distance, time formula:

A

Speed (m/s) = Distance (m) / Time (s)

49
Q

Frequency

A

The number of vibrations of the source in one second

50
Q

How many planets are in the solar system?

A

Eight

51
Q

Oscilloscope

A

A machine that display waves on a screen

52
Q

A loud sound has a … Amplitude

A

Large

53
Q

A high pitched sound has a … Wavelength

A

Short

55
Q

The Wave Equation:

A

Wave speed (m/s) = frequency (Hz) x Wavelength (m)

Physics (6 decks)

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