Science In Action Unit E Topic 1 & 2 Quiz

Question 1

Solstice

Answer 1

It comes from the Latin words sol meaning sun and stice
meaning stop
 June 21: Summer solstice, the longest day of the year
 December 21: winter solstice, the shortest day of the year
Ability to predict the beginning of summer and winter
 Huge monuments built to honour these changes
 They used only their naked eye to make these predictions but were highly
accurate

Question 2

Equinox

Answer 2

Comes from the Latin eqi meaning equal, and nox
meaning night
 Day and night are equal
 March 21: Spring equinox
 September 22: Fall equinox

Question 3

Stonehedge

Answer 3

Southern England
 Arranged in concentric circles
 Enormous stones mark summer and winter solstices
Placed to line up with the movements of the sun

Question 4

Different Astronomical Devices

Answer 4

Sundial:
A stick in the ground
Used for over 7000 years
Where the shadow is pointing can help us tell time

Merkhet: Egyptians invented this device to predict the movements of the stars

Quadrant: Egyptians also invented this to measure a star’s height above the horizon

Astrolabe: Arabians used this tool to make accurate charts of the stars

Crodd-Staff: 14th-century astronomers used it to measure the angle between the moon and any stars

Question 5

Telescope

Answer 5

Revolutionized astronomy
More of the night sky was visible than ever before Learn about our neighbours in the solar system
History:
Over 500 years after the invention of the first telescope
We have optic and radio telescopes, as well as space
based telescopes
Can see much farther and see more objects

Question 6

Units of Distance

Answer 6

Astronomical Units (AU):
Used for measuring distances within our solar system
Equal to the average distance between the centre of
the earth to the centre of the sun (149 599 000 km)
Describe planets in relation to the sun
Light-Years:
Astronomical units are too small if we’re talking about objects outside of our solar system
The distance that light travels in one year
Approximately 9.5 TRILLION km
The next closest star to Earth is Proxima Centauri, 4 light-years away

Question 7

Star Temperatures

Answer 7

Blue Colour = Hottest
Red Colour = Coolest

Question 8

Life Cycles of “Sun-like Stars”

Answer 8

Nebula< SUN- LIKE STARS< Red giant< White Dwarf< Black Dwarf

Question 9

Life Cycles of “Massive Star”

Answer 9

Nebula< MASSIVE STARS< Red supergiant< Supernova< Neutron Star or Black Hole

Question 10

Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R diagram)

Answer 10

Compared surface temperature of stars to how bright they are (luminosity)
Stars fall into distinct groupings
Our sun belongs to the middle grouping in the diagram called the main sequence
90% of all stars fit in this group

Question 11

Constellations vs. Asterism

Answer 11

Groupings of stars, and patterns in the night sky
88 constellations recognized by the International
Astronomical Union
Asterisms: unofficial groupings of stars
Ex. Ursa major= constellation, Big Dipper = asterism

Question 12

Elliptical

Answer 12

Flattened “oval”
Is the shape of the predictable pathway that celestial bodies orbit on.
A type of galaxy including irregular + elliptical

Question 13

Blackhole

Answer 13

Highly dense remnant of a star
Super strong gravity
No light can escape from inside the black hole
Invisible to telescopes
Material near a black hole becomes hot and bright
Astronomers know of blackholes because of that

Question 14

Neutron Star

Answer 14

Rapidly spinning object
About 30km in diameter
A teaspoon of neutron star is so dense it would weight 100 000 t

Question 15

Nebula (Singular)

Answer 15

Vast clouds of gas (mostly hydrogen) and dust in space, where stars form
More than 1 nebula is called “nebulae”

Question 16

Celestial Sphere

Answer 16

Large imaginary sphere of sky around the earth

Question 17

Solar Wind

Answer 17

Charged particles released by the sun
Earth is protected by it’s magnetic field

Question 18

Protoplanet Hypothesis- Forming a
Solar System

Answer 18

A cloud of dust and gas in space begins swirling
Most of the material accumulates in the center- forms the sun (OVER 90%)
The remaining material accumulates in smaller clumps forming the planets

Question 19

Planets

Answer 19

Each planet has its unique features
Divided into two planet groups: inner planets and outer planets
Technology has allowed us to learn about our nearest neighbors in space

Question 20

Names

Answer 20

Mercury My
Venus Very
Earth Educated
Mars Mother
Jupiter Just
Saturn Served
Uranus Us
Neptune Noodles

Question 21

Inner Planet

Answer 21

Also known as terrestrial planets:
 Earth-like
 Smaller
 Rocky
 No rings
 Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars

Question 22

Outer Planet

Answer 22

Also known as Jovian planets:
 Jupiter-like
 Gas giants
 Have rings
 Jupiter, Saturn Uranus, Neptune

Question 23

Mercury

Answer 23

Telescopes and satellite data
Surface similar to the moon
No atmosphere- no protection
Temperatures vary greatly 400oC on the sunny side -180C on the dark side

Question 24

Venus

Answer 24

Earth’s twin: similar in diameter mass and gravity
Surface temperature is hot due to the greenhouse effect
Cannot see the surface of Venus via telescope- too cloudy
Rains sulfuric acid
1991 Magellan (a probe) mapped Venus using radio waves

Question 25

Earth

Answer 25

The only planet in our solar system where water exists in all three phases
The only planet in our solar system that can support life
Atmosphere protects from cosmic rays, ultraviolet rays

Question 26

Mars

Answer 26

Studied by telescope for centuries
Multiple robotic missions have landed on Mars, most recently Curiosity Rover
Red planet: due to iron oxide in the surface
Two small moons Phobos and Deimos

Question 27

Jupiter

Answer 27

Observed through telescopes since the 1600s
Observed by Voyager(1979) and Galileo(1990’s) probes
Juno(2016) currently orbiting to measure gravity, composition and magnetic field
Largest of all planets
Great Red Spot is a huge storm
Has thin rings, 16 moons
Made of hydrogen and helium

Question 28

Saturn

Answer 28

Large visible rings
Made of ice and dust
Observed by Voyager I and II (1980 & 1981) and Cassini (2004)
Has 19 moons
Made of hydrogen and helium

Question 29

Uranus

Answer 29

Voyager II has given most of our info
The Axis of rotation is on its side
Hydrogen & Helium
Methane in its atmosphere makes it appear blue
Large ring system
17 moons

Question 30

Neptune

Answer 30

Voyager II relayed info
Made of hydrogen and helium
Bluish in colour from methane
Ring system
Eight moons

Question 31

Pluto

Answer 31

No longer a planet
Now known as a minor planet
Orbit crosses paths with Neptune

Question 32

Asteroids

Answer 32

Asteroid belt: between Mars and Jupiter
Small metallic or rocky bodies travelling in space
Could be a few meters to several hundred kilometres

Question 33

Comets

Answer 33

“dirty snowballs”
Made of dust and ice, travels through space
Long tails and bright glow only appear when they are close to the sun
Gas released by the sun heating them
Mostly spend their time on the edge of the solar system

Question 34

Haley’s Comet

Answer 34

Sometimes comets can end up in the regular orbit of the sun
Will predictably show up because their paths are large ellipses
Halley’s Comet is an example: seen every 76 years

Question 35

Meteoroids, Meteors, and Meteorites

Answer 35

Meteroids: Small pieces of rock flying through space with no particular
path
Meteor: Pulled into Earth’s gravity, heat of the atmosphere causes it to
give off light. “shooting stars”
Meteorite: If it hits earth’s surface

Question 36

Archytas

Answer 36

An ancient Greek
The origin of rockets comes from him
Used escaping steam to propel a model pidgeon along wires

Question 37

The major physics principle behind making a rocket move

Answer 37

Newtons 3rd Law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction
Think of a balloon, that will travel in the direction opposite where the air is being released
Rockets work in a similar way

Question 38

How do rockets work

Answer 38

Gas under pressure confined in a chamber
Opening allows the gas to be released
Thrust (push) causes the rocket to be pushed into the
opposite direction

Question 39

Global Positioning System (GPS)

Answer 39

Let’s you know exactly where you are
Signals received from satellites are converted by a computer to a digital display
74 satellites have been launched, only need 24 for GPS to work correctly
Must have sightlines to 4 satellites to find your position

Question 40

Launching into Space

Answer 40

Space: Outside Earth’s atmosphere
To escape Earth’s gravity & leave the atmosphere the object needs to have a speed of 28,000 km/h

Question 41

Artificial Satellites

Answer 41

Small body that orbits a larger body
There are 2 Types: Natural & Artificial
Artificial:
Built and sent into orbit by humans
Small structures loaded with electronic equipment
Transmit information to ground stations via radio waves
Sputnik was the first and was used as a communications satellite
Used to observe or transmit information around the earth
Natural:
Moon

Question 42

First animal launches into orbit

Answer 42

A month later they launched another capsule, with a dog named
Laika
 The first time any living creature orbited the Earth
 Started the path for human space travel

Question 43

3 main parts of a rocket

Answer 43

Structural and Mechanical Elements:
Rockets, engines, storage tanks, fins etc.
Fuel:
Could be liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen, or gasoline. Lit in exhaust chamber to cause propulsion
Payload:
Materials needed for flight ex. Crew cabins, food, water, air, people

Question 44

Types of Space Craft

Answer 44

Shuttles: Carry people and equipment to orbiting spacecraft

Probes: Contain instrumentation to carry out robotic exploration of space

Space station: Orbiting spacecraft with living quarters, work areas and supports to allow people to live and work in space for long periods

Question 45

Ion Drives

Answer 45

Engines that use xenon gas (A noble gas)
▪ Electrically charge then accelerate the xenon
▪ Causes exhaust and propulsion opposite to the emission
▪ Not as strong as chemically fueled rockets, but can last a longer time
▪ BepiColombo- October 2018 to launch Mercury orbiters
Xenon is the least reactive elements & rarely react with other elements

Question 46

Solar Sails

Answer 46

Similar idea to sails on a boat
Harness the sun’s light
Uses the electromagnetic energy of photons to move
IKAROS: In May 2010 was the first craft to use a solar sail

Question 47

Categories of Space Hazards

Answer 47

Environmental:
Space is a vacuum = no air, no water
Cosmic rays and solar radiation
Possibility of being hit by meteoroids
Temperatures can range from really hot to cold
No pressure to help regulate the heartbeat

Psychological:
Cramped quarters
 Stuck with the same people for months at a time
You can’t just go take a walk…

Physiological:
Microgravity: When little or no gravity is acting on a body.
A person in space is almost completely weightless

Question 48

How does weightlessness affect our body?

Answer 48

Bones:
Have less pressure so they expand
Begin to deteriorate and release minerals (calcium) into the bloodstream

Heart: Doesn’t have to pump as hard to circulate blood

Muscles: Lifting & walking muscles aren’t used much, they weaken and shrink

Kidneys: Form stones from increased calcium

Eyes: Depth perception is affected

Question 49

Space Suit

Answer 49

Must dress appropriately for the conditions
When leaving the space craft astronauts need to bring everything with them air, water, heating cooling and washroom.
Must be flexible enough to do work
Custom designed for the astronauts wearing it

Question 50

Spin-off Technology:

Answer 50

Items that were created for a space environment are
now commonplace on earth
Categories:
Computer technology:
Space Use:
Structural analysis of spacecraft
Monitoring air quality
Simulation of the space environment for training
 Earth Use
▪ Microelectronics in appliances
▪ Structural analysis of buildings and bridges
▪ Virtual reality

Question 51

Categories of Spin-off Technology

Answer 51

Computer technology:
Space Use:
Structural analysis of spacecraft
Monitoring air quality
Simulation of the space environment for training
 Earth Use
▪ Microelectronics in appliances
▪ Structural analysis of buildings and bridges
▪ Virtual reality

Consumer technology:
 Space
▪ Space food
▪ Study aerodynamics & insulation
 Earth
▪ Baby food & freeze-dried food
▪ Improved helmets, balls, shoes, ski goggles

Medical & Health technology:
 Space
▪ Electronics from the Hubble Space Telescope
▪ Slow-release medication for motion sickness
▪ Microcircuits
▪ Communications and robotics
 Earth
▪ Digital imaging
▪ Motion sickness medication
▪ Voice-controlled wheelchairs