Earth and Space

Question 1

Which poles of a magnet attract each other?

Answer 1

The opposite poles (North and South)

Question 2

What happens when like poles of magnets come together

Answer 2

They repel

Question 3

Give some examples of magnetic materials

Answer 3

Iron, Steel, Cobalt, Nickel

Question 4

Give some examples of non-magnetic materials

Answer 4

Plastic, Wood, Paper, Rubber, Glass

Question 5

Why does the Earth have a magnetic field

Answer 5

The core of the earth is a rotating ball of Iron

Question 6

What is a magnetic field?

Answer 6

The region around a magnet where other magnetic materials experience a force

Question 7

How are magnetic fields represented in diagrams?

Answer 7

Magnetic field lines

Question 8

How could you visualise the field around a magnet?

Answer 8

Iron filings, or using a compass

Question 9

What is a gravitational field?

Answer 9

The region around an object with mass where other objects experience weight

Question 10

What is weight?

Answer 10

A force experienced by an object with mass that is inside a gravitational field

Question 11

Give the formula for weight

Answer 11

weight = mass x gravitational field strength

Question 12

What is the gravitational field strength of the earth?

Answer 12

10 N/kg (or 9.8)

Question 13

What are the units of mass?

Answer 13

kg (kilograms)

Question 14

What are the units of force?

Answer 14

N (newtons)

Question 15

Name the planets

Answer 15

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

Question 16

Name the five largest dwarf planets

Answer 16

Pluto, Eris, Ceres, Makemake, Haumea

Question 17

Why is Venus considered a “terrestrial” planet?

Answer 17

It is made of rock

Question 18

Which planets are the ice giants?

Answer 18

Uranus and Neptune

Question 19

What is meant by a “Jovian planet”

Answer 19

A planet that is similar to Jupiter (a gas giant)

Question 20

What is the speed of light?

Answer 20

300,000,000 m/s

Question 21

How long does it take for light to travel from the Moon to the Earth?

Answer 21

1.25 seconds

Question 22

How long does it take for light to travel from the Sun to the Earth?

Answer 22

500 seconds (approximately 8 minutes)

Question 23

What do stars form from?

Answer 23

Nebulae

Question 24

What is the name for most stars in the stable portion of their life cycle?

Answer 24

Main sequence star

Question 25

What is the name for the hot ball of gas that begins to form a star?

Answer 25

Protostar

Question 26

Which colour of star is the hottest?

Answer 26

Blue

Question 27

Which colour of star is the coolest?

Answer 27

Red

Question 28

Name the closest star to the solar system other than the sun

Answer 28

Proxima Centauri

Question 29

Give the name for the whole of space

Answer 29

Universe

Question 30

What is a group of billions of stars called?

Answer 30

Galaxy

Question 31

What is the name of the galaxy that the solar system is in?

Answer 31

Milky Way

Question 32

What is a year?

Answer 32

The time taken for a planet to orbit its star

Question 33

What is a day?

Answer 33

The time taken for a planet to rotate fully on its axis

Question 34

How long does it take for the Earth to orbit the Sun?

Answer 34

365.25 days

Question 35

What is the main factor controlling the length of a year for a planet?

Answer 35

The distance the planet is from the sun.

Question 36

Why does the Earth experience seasons?

Answer 36

The axis of rotation is tilted around 23 degrees from the plane of its orbit

Question 37

Mercury does not have a tilted axis of rotation. Will it experience seasons?

Answer 37

No

Question 38

Why is winter cooler than summer?

Answer 38

Away from the equator, sunlight is spread over a larger area of ground so warms it less. The days are also shorter, so there is less time for the ground to warm up.

Question 39

If something is moving in a circle e.g. a planet orbiting the sun, in which direction is the force?

Answer 39

Towards the centre of the circle

Question 40

Which force causes a moon to orbit a planet

Answer 40

gravitational force (directed towards the centre of a circle)

Question 41

Draw the magnetic field around a bar magnet

Answer 41

Question 42

Draw the magnetic field around the Earth

Answer 42

Remember - the Earth's geographic north pole is a magnetic south pole (we still call it magnetic north when referring to where our compass needle points!)

Question 43

Draw the gravitational field around the Earth

Answer 43

It will be the same shape for other planets and stars