The Final Frontier Flashcards
mass
a large body of matter with no definite shape
weight
The force of gravity acting on an object.
Weight = mass X acceleration due to gravity
w= m x g
what causes day and night
Day and night are due to the Earth rotating on its axis, which happens every 24h
what causes tides
caused by the gravitational forces exerted on the earth by the moon, and to a lesser extent, the sun
what causes seasons
The earth’s spin axis is tilted with respect to its orbital plane. When the earth’s axis points towards the sun, it is summer for that hemisphere. When the earth’s axis points away, winter can be expected.
what causes lunar eclipses
when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align so that the Moon passes into Earth’s shadow.
what causes solar eclipses
when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow on Earth that either fully or partially blocks the Sun’s light in some areas.
rotation
the action of rotating about an axis or centre
revolution
The movement of the Earth around the Sun in a fixed path is called a revolution
elliptical orbit
an oval-shaped path, like a slightly elongated circle orbiting a mass in space
effects of gravitational forces on the planets and the moons in the solar system and the universe
Gravity is what holds the planets in orbit around the sun and what keeps the moon in orbit around Earth
independant variable
variable that is manipulated during an experiment (the amount or type of fertiliser you put into each plant) - what causes change
dependant variable
what is affected during the experiment. (plant growth - effected by fertiliser)
controlled variable
what is controlled/stayed the same during the experiment (amount of sunlight to each plant)
