Unit 2

Question 1

Ancient Greek philosophers

Answer 1

– Spherical shape

• 350 BCE

Question 2

Eratosthenes

Answer 2

– Accurately estimated Earth’s
circumference
• 200 BCE

Question 3

Ellipsoid Earth

Answer 3

– Similar to a sphere, but with a bulge around the center (Equator)
• Earth is not a perfect “Ellipsoid”
– Rugged terrain
• Mt. Everest (8.8 km above sea level)
• Marianas Trench (10.9 km below sea 
level)

Question 4

spheres of the earth

Answer 4

• Atmosphere
• Lithosphere
• Hydrosphere
• Cryosphere
• Biosphere
• Hemisphere

Question 5

Atmosphere

Answer 5

– Blanket of air that adheres to the 
Earth’s surface
– Ranges from a few meters below 
the surface to 60,000 km (37,000 
mi)
– In continuous motion due to solar 
energy

Question 6

Lithosphere

Answer 6

– Outermost shell of the solid Earth
– Forms Earth’s scenery
• Mountains
• Valleys
• Seafloor

Question 7

Hydrosphere

Answer 7

– All of the liquid water on the
Earth’s surface and in the
atmosphere
– 71% of the Earth’s surface

Question 8

Cryosphere

Answer 8

– All of the frozen water including
glaciers, floating ice, snow cover,
and permafrost

Question 9

Biosphere

Answer 9

– Zone of life

– Includes vegetation and animals

Question 10

Hemisphere

Answer 10

– Hemi –meaning half

– Sphaira –meaning sphere

Question 11

equator

Answer 11

Imaginary line that circles the earth at zero degrees latitude

Question 12

prime meridian

Answer 12

– Imaginary line that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole and passes through Greenwich, England

Question 13

international date line

Answer 13

– Imaginary line that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole and passes through the Pacific Ocean

Question 14

northern hemisphere

Answer 14

– From Equator to the North Pole

– 70% of Earth’s land area

Question 15

southern hemisphere

Answer 15

– From Equator to the South Pole

– Dominated by water

Question 16

western hemisphere

Answer 16

– Extends from the Prime Meridian
westward to the International
Date Line

Question 17

eastern hemisphere

Answer 17

– Extends from the Prime Meridian
eastward to the International
Date Line

Question 18

cartography

Answer 18

– The science, art, and
technology of mapmaking and
map use

Question 19

Location

Answer 19

– A grid is formed on the Earth’s 
surface as lines run both E-W 
and N-S
•Lines form great circles and 
small circles

Question 20

great circle

Answer 20

– Plane that passes through the center 
of a sphere dividing it in half
– Represents the circumference of a 
sphere
– Ex: Circle of Illumination

Question 21

small circle

Answer 21

– Plane that passes through any other
part of a sphere than the center
– Ex: Tropic of Cancer

Question 22

lines of latitude

Answer 22

– Run E-W around the Earth
•Measure N/S component of a
location

Question 23

lines of longitude

Answer 23

– Run N-S around the Earth
•Measure E/W component of a
location

Question 24

conversion equations

Answer 24

– To convert from minutes and seconds to decimal form:
•Divide seconds by 3,600 and divide minutes by 60 and add the two
– To convert from decimal to degrees and seconds:
•Multiply decimal by 60. Whole number is minutes. Multiply the remaining
decimal by 60. That is the number of seconds

Question 25

elevation

Answer 25

– Height above some reference value 
(i.e. vertical datum)
– Distance above mean sea level 
(AMSL)
• Use average to eliminate tidal and 
other effects

Question 26

GPS

Answer 26

– Easy way to determine location
– Relies on a network of 24 satellites,
which are in geosynchronous orbit
– Uses signals from these satellites

Question 27

Map Projections

Answer 27

– Project Earth and its “lines” onto a surface to create a 2D map
•Will be errors!

Question 28

conformal

Answer 28

– Map projection that preserves the true shape
– Area is not preserved
-mercator

Question 29

equal area

Answer 29

– Map projection that preserves the true area
– Shape is not preserved
-peters

Question 30

cylindrical map projections

Answer 30

•Transfer of Earth’s latitude and 
longitude grid from a globe to a 
cylinder
•Ex: Mercator Projection 
– Most popular cylindrical 
projection
– Any straight line is a line of true 
and straight compass bearing

Question 31

conic map projection

Answer 31

– Conic
•Transfer of Earth’s latitude and 
longitude grid from a globe to a 
cone
•Typically used in mid-latitudes 
that cover a large expansion of 
longitudes

Question 32

Standard parallel

Answer 32

– The line of latitude where the 
projection surface touches the 
globe
– Found in conic or cylindrical 
projections
•Tangent: 1 standard parallel
•Secant: 2 standard parallels

Question 33

planar map projections

Answer 33

– Planar
•Imaginary plane that touches
the globe at a single point
•Typically used for polar regions

Question 34

mathematical map projections

Answer 34

•No projection surface
•Minimize distortion
– Devote most of the projection to the parts that project best
– Deemphasize areas of the globe that are not essentia

Question 35

scale

Answer 35

– Ratio of map distance to Earth
distance
– Should always be 1:some #

Question 36

small scale

Answer 36

– Shows large area with less detail (i.e.
world map)
– Large denominator (1:75,000,000)

Question 37

large scale

Answer 37

– Shows small area with great detail (i.e.
hiking map)
– Small denominator (1:7,500

Question 38

Isopleth (Isolines)

Answer 38

– Depict surfaces
– “iso” means equal
– Numerous lines that represent
points of equal value

Question 39

Contouring (contour lines)

Answer 39

– Measure elevation
– Each contour line represents
an elevation value

Question 40

isotherms

Answer 40

– Measure temperature
– Each line represents a temperature
value

Question 41

gis

Answer 41

– A grouping of computer software 
and hardware 
– Enables spatial data to be collected, 
analyzed, stored, retrieved, 
manipulated, and displayed
– A lot of spatial data collected using 
remote sensing techniques
– “Interactive Mapping

Question 42

remote sensing

Answer 42

– Ability to scan the Earth from airborne and satellite observation 
platforms to gain information
•Examples: 
– Elevation
– Cloud cover
– Vegetation
– Infrastructure