Chapter 4 - Space and Time

Question 1

How old is the earth?

Answer 1

4.56 billion years old

Question 2

Why are the rocks on the moon so old?

Answer 2

Because the moon has no rock cycle

Question 3

What are the innermost planets called? What are they? Describe them

Answer 3

They are called terrestrial planets, they are; small, rocky, metallic, and dense. The terrestrial planets are; Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars

Question 4

What are the outer planets called? What are they? Describe them

Answer 4

They are called jovian planets, they are much larger, less dense and more gaseous than terrestrial planets. They jovian planets are; Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune

Question 5

What is the largest known volcano in the solar system?

Answer 5

Olympus Mons

Question 6

What is unique to the earth compared to the other planets?

Answer 6

Tectonic activity

Question 7

What dominates 98% of the suns mass?

Answer 7

Hydrogen and helium

Question 8

Why do seasons occur on earth?

Answer 8

Seasons occur on earth because of the tilt of the earth’s axis at 23.5 degrees that keeps the earth at a constant orientation as the planet revolves around the sun.

The northern hemisphere is pointed directly towards the sun during June and the southern hemisphere in December.

Question 9

How many planets are in the solar system, list them by type.

Answer 9

There are 8 planets in the solar system.

Terrestrial - rocky, small, metallic and dense

1. Mercury
2. Venus
3. Earth
4. Mars

Jovial

1. Jupiter
2. Saturn
3. Uranus
4. Neptune

Question 10

What is geocentric?

Answer 10

That everything used to revolve around earth, an idea once believed.

Question 11

What is heliocentric?

Answer 11

Everything revolves around the sun

Question 12

Name the 8 planets in order moving away from the sun

Answer 12

1. Mercury
2. Venus
3. Earth
4. Mars
5. Jupiter
6. Saturn
7. Uranus
8. Neptune

Question 13

What is the nebular hypothesis?

Answer 13

The nebular hypothesis proposes that a huge swirling cloud of cosmic gas and dust (a nebula) formed the sun and planets

Question 14

How did the nebular hypothesis work?

Answer 14

• gravity pulled the slower, swirling gas and dust inwards
• gas became hotter and denser
• temperature and pressure reached height for nuclear fusion which created the sun
• surrounding the sun was a flattened rotating disc of gas and dust

Question 15

What explains the distinct materials of the terrestrial and jovial planets?

Answer 15

Distance from the sun and condensation temperatures

Question 16

What 5 key factors lead to the evolution of terrestrial planets?

Answer 16

1. Melting, impacts, and differentiation
2. Volcanism
3. Planatary mass
4. Distance from the sun
5. Biosphere

Question 17

What is an indicator of high internal temperature?

Answer 17

Volcanism

Question 18

What provides earth with a strong magnetic field?

Answer 18

It’s molten core

Question 19

Which planets composition is remarkably similar to the sun?

Answer 19

Jupiter

Question 20

How big is earths moon in relation to earth, how did it form?

Answer 20

Earth’s moon is 1/4 the size of earth and likely formed from a catastrophic collision.

Question 21

Explain the collision that formed earth’s moon

Answer 21

• Earth runs into another growing planet called Theia
• Theia is destroyed along with a chunk of earths mantle which are blasted into orbit around earth
• The debris spreads itself into a ring and beings to clump together
• The larges clump attracts other fragments and begins forming the moon

Question 22

What are asteroids and meterorites?

Answer 22

Subplanatary objects orbiting the sun that are commonly rocky and or metallic.

Question 23

What are stars classified by?

Answer 23

Color and brightness.

Color

• indication of temperature
• blue = short wavelengths/hot
• red = long wavelengths/cool

Question 24

What is the big bang?

Answer 24

The hypothesis that everything originated at one location in an explosion

Question 25

What is relative age?

Answer 25

–refers to the order in which a sequence of past events occurred

Question 26

What is numerical age?

Answer 26

–is the actual time, in years, when a specific event happened, calculated using radioactive decay

Question 27

What is uniformitarianism?

Answer 27

"The presence is the key to the past"

Question 28

Which is the smallest planet in the solar system? a. venus b. mercury c. earth d. mars

Answer 28

b. mercury

Question 29

Jupiter and Saturn are so massive that their atmospheric gases never escaped; their atmospheres still maintain compositions very similar to the solar nebula from which they are formed. True or False

Answer 29

True

Question 30

Radiometric dating is possible if a rock contains a measurable amount of: a. daughter isotopes b. parent isotopes c. parent or daughter isotopes d. parent and daughter isotopes

Answer 30

d . parent and daughter isotopes

Question 31

The model in which the sun is at the center of the solar system is called the a. newtonian model b. geocentric model c. galilean model d. helocentric model

Answer 31

d. helocentric model

Question 32

Life on earth was able to develop primarily due to a. the chemical composition of its rocks b. a combination of its size and its distance from the sun c. is distance from the sun d. its size

Answer 32

b. a combination of its size and its distance from the sun

Question 33

A solar system is comprised of eight planets. All of the planets (other than mercury and venus) have one or more moons. How many moons have been observed? a. 10 known moons b. 8 known moons c. 170 known moons d. 200 known moons

Answer 33

c . 170 known moons (had to google, could be inaccurate)

Question 34

Earth's moon is a result of a comet captured within earth's gravitational field True or False

Answer 34

False

Question 35

The main factors that influenced the evolution of the terrestrial planets shortly after their formation were impact cratering, volcanism, proximity to the sun, and the absence or presence of a biosphere True or False

Answer 35

True

Question 36

Because of the earth's relatively small mass, our planet's atmosphere is composed: a. of the same percentages of gases that exist throughout the solar system b. of a large amount of carbon dioxide c. of gases similar to those of the jovian planets d. of very little hydrogen and helium

Question 37

The most widely accepted theory for the formation of the moon is the: a. capture model, in which the moon formed in another part of the solar system and was captured by earth's gravitational field b. quaint idea that the moon is made of green cheese c. giant impact model, in which material was ripped from the earth after an impact with a mars size object d. co-formation model, in which the moon formed from a rotating disk of gas and dust around the earth.

Answer 37

c. giant impact model, in which material was ripped from the earth after an impact with a mars size object

Question 38

What is the kuiper belt? a. a vast repository for meteors b. a vast repository for asteroids c. the location of pluto's orbit d. a vast repository for comets

Answer 38

d . a vast repository for comets

Question 39

The atmospheres of the jovian planets are made of primarily: a. liquid metallic hydrogen b. methane and ammonia c. oxygen and nitrogen d. hydrogen and helium

Question 40

If pluto is not a planet (but rather a dwarf planet), then where do astronomers believe its point of origin? a. a comet from the oort cloud b. a moon from neptune c. a comet from the kuiper belt d. an asteroid from the asteroid belt

Answer 40

c. a comet from the kuiper belt

Question 41

Numerical age is the actual time when a specific event happened True or False

Answer 41

True

Question 42

If the ages of the earth and the moon are nearly identical, as believed, why are most rocks found on the moon so much older than rocks found on earth? a. the moon is older b. age dating techniques are just too inaccurate to really know c. unlike the earth, the moon as no atmosphere to weather rocks or plate tectonic activity to destroy rocks d. none of the choices listed

Answer 42

c. unlike the earth, the moon as no atmosphere to weather rocks or plate tectonic activity to destroy rocks

Question 43

According to the nebular hypothesis: a. planets should rotate in the same direction as they revolve around the sun. b. the hypothesis does not indicate direction or rotation or revolution c. planets can rotate in any direction around the sun d. planets should rotate one way and revolve the other way

Answer 43

b. the hypothesis does not indicate direction or rotation or revolution

Question 44

We experience seasons due to the extreme changes of earth's orbit around the sun True or False

Answer 44

False

Question 45

The age of the solar system is about 4.6 million years old True or False

Answer 45

False

Question 46

Differentiation is a process by which a. the earth's surface separated into continents and oceans b. less dense materials sink and denser materials rise to the surface c. none of the above d. denser materials sink and less dense materials rise to the surface

Answer 46

d . denser materials sink and less dense materials rise to the surface

Question 47

As the sun continues to age, the chemical composition of its core will change. Over time, it will contain a lower percentage of and a greater percentage of: a. helium, hydrogen b. oxygen, nitrogen c. carbon, lead d. hydrogen, helium

Question 48

The principle of uniformitarianism states that the landscape of the earth formed via a series of sudden and catastrophic events in earth's early history True or False

Answer 48

False

Question 49

The innermost planets in the solar system (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) are large and gaseous. True or False

Answer 49

False

Question 50

If the earth had a 90 degree tilt rather than a 23.5 degree tilt, how many seasons would there be? a. three (winter, spring, summer) b. four (winter, spring summer, fall) c. two (winter, summer) d. one (little to no seasonal variation)

Question 51

Venus unlike earth, mercury, mars spins rotates in a retrograde motion True or False

Answer 51

True

Question 52

Icy comets that were originally orbiting in the inner part of the solar system could have met which of several fates? a. the loss of their icy constituents due to volatilization b. all of the above c. collision with a planet or planetesimal d. being swept to the outer part of the solar system by a strong solar wind

Answer 52

b. all of the above

Question 53

All of the objects in the solar system orbit around earth True or false

Answer 53

False

Question 54

Most of the exoplanets discovered thus far are a. giant planets, most likely resembling jupiter b. parts of planetary systems quite different than ours c. small planets, most likely resembling earth d. parts of planetary systems very similar to ours

Question 55

The sun converts mass into energy by a. fossil fuel burning b. all of the above c. nuclear fusion d. nuclear fission

Answer 55

c. nuclear fusion

Question 56

All of the terrestrial planets lost their primary atmospheres, but Earth, Mars, and Venus evolved and retained secondary atmospheres True or False

Answer 56

True

Question 57

The sun is massive enough to keep burning on the main sequence for another a. 20 billion years b. 5 billion years c. 15 billion years d. 10 billion years

Answer 57

b. 5 billion years

Question 58

The rate of decay of radioactive materials is effected by geologic processes True or False

Answer 58

False

Question 59

What is the widely accepted age of the universe? a. 20 billion years b. 4.7 billion years c. 13.7 billion years d. 18.5 billion years

Answer 59

c. 13.7 billion years

Question 60

The nebular hypothesis proposes that the solar system formed from a huge, swirling cloud of cosmic gas and dust True or False

Answer 60

True

Question 61

The planets formed when bits of solid matter from the solar nebula were drawn together by gravitational attraction and accretion True or False

Answer 61

True

Question 62

The sun is the center of our solar system True or False

Answer 62

True

Question 63

Where is the asteroid belt located? a. between the orbits of mars and jupiter b. between the orbits of earth and venus c. outside of the solar system, in the oort cloud d. between the orbits of saturn and uranus e. in the belt of the constellation orion, the hunter

Answer 63

a. between the orbits of mars and jupiter ​

Question 64

Which of the following moons has an atmosphere? a. earth's moon b. callisto c. titan d. ganymede e. triton

Answer 64

c. titan

Question 65

Radiometric dating has allowed scientists to attach numerical ages to many of the events in the geologic timescale True or False

Answer 65

True