EARTH SCIENCE A
Unit 1: Origin of the Earth
2. Introduction
This lesson introduces you to four of the major disciplines within Earth Science. These are biology, meteorology, astronomy, and geology. Another discipline, cosmology, will be introduced in lessons 4 and 5.
6. Competing Perspectives
Watch this supplementary video lesson.
7. Science Weighs In
Watch this supplementary video lesson. It will explain concepts and problems in the lesson and let you know what to study for the upcoming quiz!
This lesson introduces you to four of the major disciplines within Earth Science. These are biology, meteorology, astronomy, and geology. Another discipline, cosmology, will be introduced in lessons 4 and 5.
6. Competing Perspectives
Watch this supplementary video lesson.
7. Science Weighs In
Watch this supplementary video lesson. It will explain concepts and problems in the lesson and let you know what to study for the upcoming quiz!
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Now imagine that some maniac just stole your piano and put it in the back of his truck. As he speeds away staring back at you with wild beady eyes, imagine his crazy dog is in the back of the truck pounding on middle C. Although the sound will obviously get fainter as the truck speeds away, the Doppler Effect tells us that it will also sound to you like it is changing pitch. This is because each of the 262 pulses released each second from the piano string will be released from a further distance away from you than the one before and therefore take longer to reach your ear. Overall, this "stretches out" the sound wave. A longer sound wavelength means a slower frequency. (That's why ocean waves will hit you less often than the tiny waves your rubber ducky makes in the bathtub.) A slower frequency gives the sound a lower pitch. If the truck is going fast enough (about 44 miles per hour in case you were wondering) then only 247 of those pulses will reach your ear each second and you will think the dog is now playing B, even though he is still playing C. I'm sure at that point you wouldn't really care though would you?
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Anyway, this also explains why a racecar going past you makes the sound it does (eeeeeeeaaaoooooo). The noise created by the engine and tires remain constant but to your ears it changes from higher pitch to lower pitch as it starts moving away from you. The same principle works with light waves, though the frequencies and speeds are much faster. (The color red has a longer wavelength than blue, so light from a source moving away from you will look more and more red.) View this video or this video for a visual demonstration of how the Doppler effect works.
So when you answer the questions remember that Jane and John will hear different notes (or pitches) and they will see different colors. You just have to explain which ones and why.
So when you answer the questions remember that Jane and John will hear different notes (or pitches) and they will see different colors. You just have to explain which ones and why.
9. Quiz 1
Be sure you review the five disciplines (or fields of study) that have been discussed so far...astronomy, etc. Be sure you understand the four theories on how the universe came into being. Also review key concepts like the cosmological principle and the Doppler effect.
10. A Sequence of Events
This lesson describes how scientists believe that our solar system (the sun and it's planets) formed. This sequence of events is called nebular theory, because it assumes that our solar system started as a cloud (nebula is the Latin word for cloud) of dust and gas, which was slowly pulled into distinct spheres (the sun and planets) by gravitational attraction.
11. Planetary Motion
You'll see Kepler's third law come up on the quiz and the test so be sure you understand how to do the examples and do square roots and cubed roots on a calculator. I walk you through all of that in this video.
Be sure you review the five disciplines (or fields of study) that have been discussed so far...astronomy, etc. Be sure you understand the four theories on how the universe came into being. Also review key concepts like the cosmological principle and the Doppler effect.
10. A Sequence of Events
This lesson describes how scientists believe that our solar system (the sun and it's planets) formed. This sequence of events is called nebular theory, because it assumes that our solar system started as a cloud (nebula is the Latin word for cloud) of dust and gas, which was slowly pulled into distinct spheres (the sun and planets) by gravitational attraction.
11. Planetary Motion
You'll see Kepler's third law come up on the quiz and the test so be sure you understand how to do the examples and do square roots and cubed roots on a calculator. I walk you through all of that in this video.
The most difficult of Kepler's three laws to understand is probably the Law of Equal Areas. Be sure you view the animation in OdysseyWare and remember that each of the twelve triangle shapes will have the exact same area, meaning it will take up the same amount of space. Although the shapes (which are nearly triangles) aren't as long when a planet is close to the sun, the object travels much faster, which makes the triangles fatter. Thus no matter where a planet is in its orbit, it will "sweep" out the same sized shape, whether it is long and skinny or short and fat.
12. Ability to Orbit
This OdysseyWare lesson is a pretty clear explanation of Newton's law of gravity (section1) and his three laws of motion (section 2). Click on the video links if you would like more help.
13. Project: Newton's Laws
For the fourth question be sure to describe which of Newton's three laws of motion are affecting the bucket and how they are doing so.
14. Quiz 2
For this quiz you will need to understand the nebular theory of star formation, Keplar's three laws of planetary motion, Newton's law of universal gravitation, and Newton's three laws of motion.
16. Project: Earth Comparisons
Bob the Alien's website is a good place to start.
12. Ability to Orbit
This OdysseyWare lesson is a pretty clear explanation of Newton's law of gravity (section1) and his three laws of motion (section 2). Click on the video links if you would like more help.
13. Project: Newton's Laws
For the fourth question be sure to describe which of Newton's three laws of motion are affecting the bucket and how they are doing so.
14. Quiz 2
For this quiz you will need to understand the nebular theory of star formation, Keplar's three laws of planetary motion, Newton's law of universal gravitation, and Newton's three laws of motion.
16. Project: Earth Comparisons
Bob the Alien's website is a good place to start.
Unit 2: History of the Earth
1. Determining Earth's Age
Are you a gradualist or a catastrophist? Today you can make a decision. Lucky you! Every person has to assess the evidence for scientific theories and decide for themselves what they think it means. When it comes to the development of the earth, most scientists have looked at evidence from astronomy, geography, and biology and agreed that the earth has changed gradually and uniformly for about 4.6 billion years. If you agree with them you are a gradualist and uniformitarian. On the other hand, many catastrophists think that the earth must have been formed more quickly (not gradually) and primarily through extreme events (not through constant, uniform processes). Often catastrophists are Bible-believers who think the Bible teaches that the universe is extremely young (though many Bible-believers disagree with this interpretation). Both sides should remember to listen carefully to the other and not to pass judgement too quickly. Though both sides can't be right, there is always something to be learned in a debate if you are open-minded.
Are you a gradualist or a catastrophist? Today you can make a decision. Lucky you! Every person has to assess the evidence for scientific theories and decide for themselves what they think it means. When it comes to the development of the earth, most scientists have looked at evidence from astronomy, geography, and biology and agreed that the earth has changed gradually and uniformly for about 4.6 billion years. If you agree with them you are a gradualist and uniformitarian. On the other hand, many catastrophists think that the earth must have been formed more quickly (not gradually) and primarily through extreme events (not through constant, uniform processes). Often catastrophists are Bible-believers who think the Bible teaches that the universe is extremely young (though many Bible-believers disagree with this interpretation). Both sides should remember to listen carefully to the other and not to pass judgement too quickly. Though both sides can't be right, there is always something to be learned in a debate if you are open-minded.
2. Relative Dating
Relative dating doesn't give us exact ages for things but helps us piece together a series of events because it tells us the relationships between certain dates. For example, you may not know how old my parents or grandparents are, but you are probably smart enough to deduce that my grandparents were born before my parents. Perhaps we could call that the Law of Grandparent Oldness and win the next Nobel Prize in science. |
The laws of stratigraphy (the study of rock layers) and paleontology (the study of fossils in those layers) are used to decide the relative age of rocks and fossils. The five main principles or laws can be summed up like this. Younger rock layers are originally laid down on top of older rock layers (Superposition). Rock layers are originally flat (Original Horizontality) and they extend continuously in a horizontal direction until reaching a previously existing boundary (Lateral Continuity). Fossils are older and simpler in the older rock layers (Floral and Faunal Succession). Intrusive features, like magma coming up through rock layers, are always younger than the layers they penetrate (Cross-cutting Relationships). This is obvious if you think about it because magma can't penetrate a rock layer that doesn't exist yet. Use the animations in your lesson, but here is a video that can also help you visualize these laws.
3: Project: Relative Dating
Although you should NEVER date your relatives, you are now going to look at some rock layers and use the principles above to do a different kind of dating: Determining the ages of things relative to each other.
Although you should NEVER date your relatives, you are now going to look at some rock layers and use the principles above to do a different kind of dating: Determining the ages of things relative to each other.
4: Absolute Dating
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Although relative dating is useful for finding the order of events, if you actually want to know how old my grandpa is you would need more than the Law of Grandparent Oldness that we just made up. That would only tell you that he was older than my mom, but younger than my mom's grandparents. So, you would also need a way to figure out when he was born. You could probably just ask him. However, when we ask rocks and fossils when they were "born," they usually won't tell us. They are shy about that kind of thing. So we have to get crafty! Mainly we use two methods for absolute dating called radiometric dating and the molecular clock theory. Radiometric dating is used on rocks containing radioactive elements like uranium. It is explained well in your text, but check out this video too. The molecular clock theory is used on fossils and is based on the idea that the rate of mutations in living things is constant. |
5: Quiz 1: History of Life on Earth
Before you take this quiz be sure you know what stratigraphy is and what the laws of stratigraphy are. Also, be sure you understand the difference between absolute dating and relative dating. You will not need to know the Law of Grandparent Oldness.
Before you take this quiz be sure you know what stratigraphy is and what the laws of stratigraphy are. Also, be sure you understand the difference between absolute dating and relative dating. You will not need to know the Law of Grandparent Oldness.
6: Geologic Time
This is a great lesson on the past history of earth. We have divided it into four eons covering all of the time since the earth formed. There are many eras within those eons, and many periods within those eras. (Scientists have even subdivided some periods into Epochs and Stages.) We have named these different eons, eras, and periods based on major changes in the fossil record. For example, Proterozoic means "earlier life" and Phanerozoic means "visible life," I suppose because the fossils are much bigger and easier to see. For the quiz just make sure you understand the differences in the four major eons and the main features of the three eras within the Phanerozoic eon.
This is a great lesson on the past history of earth. We have divided it into four eons covering all of the time since the earth formed. There are many eras within those eons, and many periods within those eras. (Scientists have even subdivided some periods into Epochs and Stages.) We have named these different eons, eras, and periods based on major changes in the fossil record. For example, Proterozoic means "earlier life" and Phanerozoic means "visible life," I suppose because the fossils are much bigger and easier to see. For the quiz just make sure you understand the differences in the four major eons and the main features of the three eras within the Phanerozoic eon.
7: The Clock of Eons
You can choose to either do this project or the project Before, During, and After a Mass Extinction just below. For the other project you can just submit the word "forgiven" into the text box.
You can choose to either do this project or the project Before, During, and After a Mass Extinction just below. For the other project you can just submit the word "forgiven" into the text box.
8. Mass Extinctions
This stuff is a little complicated, but fascinating. For the quiz, make sure you know what caused the two most famous extinctions: the Permian and Cretaceous-Tertiary. Also, even though we often aren't sure exactly what causes an extinction, make sure you remember the main suspects in the Big Five extinctions: asteroids and extreme volcanic activity. |
9. Project: Before, During, and After a Mass Extinction
You can make your graphic presentation digitally or by hand. Feel free to use photos from the internet and don't worry if you can't format it perfectly. You will be graded primarily on content. Email it to me, put it in my box in the office, mail it to the office, give it to your adviser teacher, or get it to me however you can. At right is a great hand-drawn example from EWA student Emilia Adamson. Something like this along with a brief description of what kinds of living things are in the drawings is all you need to do. |
9. Paleoclimatic Changes
As you get ready for the Greenhouse Effect project and the quiz, make sure you understand how the climate affects life and how life effects the climate. For example, what was the atmosphere of the early earth like and why did it change? On the other hand, what happens to life when there is climatic change? You might want to review the Big Five extinctions and compare when they happened with Earth's temperature timeline in the lesson text. All except the Triassic seem to be tied to dramatic changes in temperature on earth.
As you get ready for the Greenhouse Effect project and the quiz, make sure you understand how the climate affects life and how life effects the climate. For example, what was the atmosphere of the early earth like and why did it change? On the other hand, what happens to life when there is climatic change? You might want to review the Big Five extinctions and compare when they happened with Earth's temperature timeline in the lesson text. All except the Triassic seem to be tied to dramatic changes in temperature on earth.
10. The Greenhouse Effect
You don’t need to do the experiment if you can't get the materials, but you can watch this Mythbusters video of a similar experiment. Seltzer tablets release extra carbon dioxide into the bottle so just pretend like the ice sculpture box with the CO2 is your seltzer bottle and the "control" is the other bottle. Don't worry about the methane one. Pause the video when it gives the average temperatures so you can write these down for #2 on question 3. This 3-minute video will help you understand how greenhouse gasses (like the carbon dioxide in a seltzer tablet) affect the overall temperature of the earth in a process similar to how a real greenhouse keeps your delicate tomato starts warm on cold spring mornings.
You don’t need to do the experiment if you can't get the materials, but you can watch this Mythbusters video of a similar experiment. Seltzer tablets release extra carbon dioxide into the bottle so just pretend like the ice sculpture box with the CO2 is your seltzer bottle and the "control" is the other bottle. Don't worry about the methane one. Pause the video when it gives the average temperatures so you can write these down for #2 on question 3. This 3-minute video will help you understand how greenhouse gasses (like the carbon dioxide in a seltzer tablet) affect the overall temperature of the earth in a process similar to how a real greenhouse keeps your delicate tomato starts warm on cold spring mornings.
Unit 3: Dynamic Structure of the Earth
2. Project: Building a Model of the Earth
Use the information from lesson 1 to answer the five questions for this project.
Use the information from lesson 1 to answer the five questions for this project.
5. Project: Mantle Convection
When one part of a liquid is heated it expands, which means it becomes less dense. Since it is less dense it will rise above the cooler, denser liquid around it until it is cooled and moves back down. This process is called convection. Look at the last lesson in the section entitled "How Do Plates Move?" to answer the question of what the foam pieces on top of the "lava" would represent. The graphic at right shows how this process creates an ocean ridge. |
Unit 4: Forces and Features of Earth
4. Project: Earthquake Features Lab
When earth's plates move they must either bend, break, or sometimes melt. If they bend they produce a fold. If they break they produce a fault. This lab will help you investigate the different rock formations that will be produced. Is it compressional stress, tensional stress, or shear stress?
When earth's plates move they must either bend, break, or sometimes melt. If they bend they produce a fold. If they break they produce a fault. This lab will help you investigate the different rock formations that will be produced. Is it compressional stress, tensional stress, or shear stress?
14. Project: Mapping
For this project you can either do section 1 or section 2. You don't have to do both. If you do section 2 you can submit it to me electronically or put it in my box at the EWA office.
For this project you can either do section 1 or section 2. You don't have to do both. If you do section 2 you can submit it to me electronically or put it in my box at the EWA office.
Unit 5: Features of Earth's Crust
2. Project: Crystal Systems
Imagine that you are a famous gem cutter. Whenever a large diamond, ruby, or emerald is mined you are one of the first people who is called in to look at it. You see, a diamond isn’t worth much until it is cut into a pleasing geometrical shape. You need to visualize the best diamond that can be made from a rough crystal and then strike it at particular angles to cut off the excess material until you have a diamond worth millions. One mistake will ruin the diamond. This project helps you to see the basic shapes of crystals. If you don’t have a printer, simply draw the shapes on a piece of paper as carefully as you can. Then, cut them out and fold them into a three dimensional crystal shape. Send me a picture of yourself with your crystal shapes or show them to your advisor teacher. |
4. Project: Identifying a Mineral
To "pick up" items in this virtual lab you must click and release. Click and release again to "put down" items. Click and drag won't work.
To "pick up" items in this virtual lab you must click and release. Click and release again to "put down" items. Click and drag won't work.
10. Project: Identifying a Rock
Click on the "Rock Reference Chart" in the upper right corner of the virtual lab to find the name of rock that has the characteristics you have identified.
Click on the "Rock Reference Chart" in the upper right corner of the virtual lab to find the name of rock that has the characteristics you have identified.
14. Project: Nuclear Energy
This website will help you get started on this project, but be sure that you write your report in your own words!
This website will help you get started on this project, but be sure that you write your report in your own words!
EARTH SCIENCE B
Unit 1: Shaping Earth's Crust
5. Project: Soil Particles
If you don’t have the materials to do this experiment at home, click here for a video demonstration
If you don’t have the materials to do this experiment at home, click here for a video demonstration
Unit 2: Earth's Water
2. Experiment: Water Purification
These pictures will help you set up your experiment. Put it near a warm lamp if it is raining outside.
These pictures will help you set up your experiment. Put it near a warm lamp if it is raining outside.
Unit 3: Earth's Atmosphere
13. Project: Greenhouse Effect
If you don't have a thermometer you can watch this video and answer the questions as best you can.
If you don't have a thermometer you can watch this video and answer the questions as best you can.
Unit 4: Earth's Weather and Climate
9. Project: Control the Weather
If you are having trouble finding the Weather Maker activity, click here or copy the link below into your browser. Then click on the Start button to do the activity. http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwatch/investigate/weather_maker.htm |