Earth, Moon, and Sun Test Flashcards
(23 cards)
Explain how mass and distance affect the strength of gravitational force when they are either increased or decreased.
increased mass increases force, increased distance decreases force.
Identify Galileo’s, Newton’s, & Einstein’s contributions to understanding the force of gravity.
Einstein-gravitational force is a field force.
Newton-everything made of matter has gravitational force.
Newton-strength of gravitational force is determined by distance and mass of the 2 objects.
Galileo-all objects fall out the same rate with a scene of air resistance, and law of inertia
Explain how gravitational force affects the orbit/motion of planets and moons.
The Sun’s gravity pulls planets in orbit around it, and some planets pull their own moons into orbit
Identify the differences between rotation & revolution.
Rotation is on the objects axis and then revolution around another object
Identify the contributions of Brahe and Kepler to understanding the motions of objects in space.
Brahe provided exceptionally accurate observations about the positions of planets and moons, Kepler later used this to prove that everything’s orbits around the sun. Kepler did the Laws of planetary motion
identify the differences between circles & ellipses.
An ellipse is the set of all points in a plane where the sum of the distances to two fixed points, called foci , is constant. A circle is a special form of an ellipse where both foci are at the center.
Explain why objects in space orbit in ellipses (Law of Planetary Motion #1).
The constant tug-of-war between inertia and gravity creates a curved path that is an ellipse, a flattened circle with the Sun at one of its foci.
Explain what happens to the velocity/acceleration of an object in space as it gets closer or further away from the Sun in its orbit. (Law of Planetary Motion #2).
According to Kepler’s second law, a planet’s velocity increases as it gets closer to the Sun and decreases as it moves further away.
Explain what happens to the time it takes (period) for an object to orbit around the Sun based on its distance from the Sun (Law of Planetary Motion #3).
According to Kepler’s Third Law of Planetary Motion, the time it takes for an object to orbit the Sun increases as the distance from the Sun (the orbital radius) increases. This means that planets further away from the Sun take longer to complete one orbit.
Identify the unique effect that occurs because of the Moon’s rotation & revolution periods.
We always see the same side of the moon, this is because of the same revolution and rotation period lengths.
Explain what causes the phases of the Moon.
The phases of the moon are caused by the changing angles at which we see the Sunlit portion of the Moon as it orbits Earth. (sun, moon, and earth)
Visually identify the different Lunar phases from pictures & diagrams. Look at the pic
Identify what Lunar phase is required for a Solar eclipse.
Describe what causes/happens during the eclipse.
New moon phase is required, the moon passes in-between the earth and the sun and blocks the sun from fully shining on the earth
Identify what Lunar phase is required for a Lunar eclipse.
Describe what causes/happens during the eclipse.
Full moon is required, the earth goes in-between the moon and sun, blocking the light from reflecting on the moon, causing the moon to appear red
Explain what causes Earth’s different seasons. Also, Be able to Visually identify the correct Northern Hemisphere season based on a diagram.
Earth’s seasons are primarily caused by the planet’s tilted axis (approximately 23.5 degrees) as it orbits the sun. This tilt means different parts of the Earth receive more direct sunlight at different times of the year.
name the different physical features found on the Moon.
highlands, maria (mare), craters, & ejecta
What are the highlands, maria (mare), craters, & ejecta.
craters are caused by meteor and asteroid impacts. maria are large, flat areas made from ancient lava flows. highlands are mountainous regions. ejecta is spray of rock material from crater
Identify the different types of rockets.
solid fueled and liquid fueled
Explain the benefits & problems with each type of rocket fuel.
Liquid fuels offer higher specific impulse, allowing for more efficient propulsion, but require complex systems for storage and handling. Solid fuels, while simpler and more stable, have lower specific impulse and cannot be easily controlled during flight
Identify some of the key historical rockets through history.
first ever rockets by chinese
V2 rockets used to attack London in WW2, liquid oxygen and alcohol.
Saturn V Rocket used for apollo missions, largest rockets ever built.
Space Shuttle Program with reusable orange insulated system, tank supplies fuel to the shuttle during launch.
Explain how a rocket works using scientific laws.
Rockets utilize Newton’s Third Law of Motion (for every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction) to propel themselves forward. By expelling hot gases backward, the rocket experiences an equal and opposite force that propels it forward, allowing it to overcome gravity and launch into space.
Identify the parts of a rocket.
Identify the engine classification system. A3-8
letter- total impulse
number 1-thrust force
number 2-delay time
