P1 Quiz

The [blank_start]solar[blank_end] system has the star called the Sun at its center. It includes all the objects which travel around the sun in paths called orbits. These objects are different sizes and have different paths. [blank_start]Planets[blank_end] - eight spherical planets travel around the Sun in near-circular orbits. [blank_start]Dwarf Planets[blank_end] - the five known dwarf planets are much smaller than planets. They also travel around the sun in near-circular orbits. [blank_start]Asteroids[blank_end] - these are lumpy rocks in near circular orbits. [blank_start]Comets[blank_end] - these objects have very elongated orbits that stretch far away from the Sun and yet may also approach very near to it. [blank_start]Moons[blank_end] - these are balls of rock that orbit a planet in near-circular orbits.

Choose the correct size order of the objects in the solar system, from largest to smallest.

Distances in space are usually measured in....

Why might some stars seem to be brighter than others?

How bright a star appears to be is called real brightness.

An astronomer measures the distance to an object in space as about 100 light-years. The distance from the Sun to the nearest neighbouring star is about 4 light-years. Which statement best describes the position of the object?

Why do space-based telescopes help us to make more accurate measurements?

As the Earth moves around the [blank_start]Sun[blank_end], we look at nearby stars from a different [blank_start]angle[blank_end]. The nearby star seems to stay in the same place, while the stars behind it seem to [blank_start]change[blank_end] their position. This [blank_start]parallax[blank_end] is used to measure the distances to nearby stars. If an object is nearby, the parallax is [blank_start]greater[blank_end]. if it is further away, the parallax is [blank_start]smaller[blank_end].

Why is it hard to be sure that parallax measurements are correct?

Very large stars end their life in a massive explosion - a supernova. The energy involved is huge and spreads particles throughout space. These particles include all the elements found on Earth. Some of these elements formed during the star's lifetime, while others formed during the explosion.

The light and heat received from the Sun is a product of what process?

Red light has a [blank_start]longer[blank_end] wavelength than blue light. This change in colour is caused by the [blank_start]stretching[blank_end] of light waves, and is called the [blank_start]redshift[blank_end]. Light from nearly all galaxies is redshifted. Light from galaxies further away from us have a [blank_start]greater[blank_end] redshift. The amount of redshift depends on the [blank_start]speed[blank_end] at which the galaxy is moving away. The further away a galaxy is, the faster it moves away from us. Since we cannot assume that we have a special place in the Universe, this is evidence for a generally [blank_start]expanding[blank_end] universe. It suggests that everything is moving away from everything else, like the [blank_start]surface[blank_end] of a balloon as it is inflated.

Erosion of rock can be caused by...

Alfred Wegener suggested that the [blank_start]continents[blank_end] were joined to each other in the pat and drifted apart over [blank_start]millions[blank_end] of years. He said that the [blank_start]shapes[blank_end] of the continents looked as if they could interlock, that similar [blank_start]fossils[blank_end] and rock types were found on continents separated by [blank_start]oceans[blank_end], and that mountain chains made from similar rocks appeared on the edges of [blank_start]different[blank_end] continents.

Scientists at the time did not support Wegener's theory.

In the centres of many oceans, there are mid-ocean [blank_start]ridges[blank_end]. At these places, the [blank_start]tectonic[blank_end] plates are moving apart. Molten material, known as [blank_start]magma[blank_end] from inside the Earth oozes out and solidifies. This movement of the mantle is referred to as [blank_start]convection[blank_end] due to heating by the core of the Earth. This process is called seafloor [blank_start]spreading[blank_end]. The typical speed of seafloor spreading is [blank_start]slow[blank_end]: about 10 cm per year. When the magma oozing out of mid-ocean ridges solidifies into rock, the rock records the [blank_start]direction[blank_end] of the Earth’s magnetic field. The Earth’s magnetic field changes with time, and sometimes even [blank_start]reverses[blank_end] its direction. These changes are [blank_start]recorded[blank_end] in the rocks. The same [blank_start]magnetic patterns[blank_end] are seen on both sides of the mid-ocean ridges.

Volcanoes, mountains and earthquakes occur at the edges of tectonic plates - their creation depends on the direction the plates are moving.

Information from earthquake waves can be used to find out about the structure of the Earth. S-waves can only travel through solids P-waves can travel through both solids and liquids What conclusions can you draw from the evidence?

P-waves are transverse waves while S-waves are longitudinal waves.

Label the diagram of a wave.

Wavelength is inversely proportional to the frequency of any wave.