Science Unit 0 & Space Systems

Unit 0: Science

• Science is a method of learning about the natural world, encompassing the knowledge gained through this process
• Scientific inquiry involves various approaches scientists use to study the natural world and propose explanations supported by evidence
• Manipulated variable: In an experiment, the variable that is deliberately changed by scientists
• Responding variable: The variable that changes in response to the manipulated variable

Unit 1: Space Systems

The Earth in the Solar System

• Rotation: The Earth's spinning motion on its axis
• Revolution: The Earth's movement around the Sun in an elliptical orbit
• Orbit: A path an object takes around another object in space
• Earth's orbit is elliptical, averaging 149.597 million kilometers from the Sun
• Gravity: The force that attracts all objects towards each other
• Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation: Every object in the universe attracts every other object

The Sun in the Solar System

• The Sun's interior consists of the core, radiation zone, and convection zone
• The core generates energy through nuclear reactions
• The radiation zone transfers energy primarily through electromagnetic radiation
• The convection zone transfers energy through the movement of hot gas and cooler gas

The Moon

• The Moon rotates and revolves around Earth
• Rotation: The Moon's spin on its axis (approximately 27.3 days)
• Revolution: The Moon's orbit around Earth (approximately 27.3 days)
• Phases of the Moon are caused by the positions of the Sun, Earth, and Moon, and the sunlight reflected on the Moon's surface
• Eclipses occur when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align, casting a shadow on one another (Solar and Lunar Eclipses)
• Tides are caused primarily by the Moon's gravitational pull on Earth's water, creating high and low tides

The Earth's Moon

• Maria (dark flat areas): Hardened rock formed from ancient lava flows
• Craters: Large pits on the Moon's surface
• Highlands: Light-coloured features on the Moon, mainly mountains
• Comparison to Earth: The Moon is smaller and has lower surface gravity compared to Earth

Unit 1: Part 5: Traveling into Space

• Rocket: A device that expels gas in one direction to propel itself in the opposite direction
• Rocket function: Rocket engines burn fuel to create hot gas, expelling the gas to create thrust
• Orbital velocity: The velocity a rocket needs to achieve to orbit Earth
• Escape velocity: The velocity a rocket needs to reach to escape Earth's gravitational pull
• Space Race: Competition between the U.S. and the Soviet Union to achieve space supremacy in the 1950s and 1960s
• Satellite: An object that orbits another object in space
• Space shuttle: A reusable spacecraft capable of carrying astronauts and equipment to and from space, and returning to Earth
• Space station: A large artificial satellite where people can live and conduct scientific research for extended periods
• Space probe: A spacecraft that carries instruments to collect data but does not carry a crew
• Rover: A robot operated remotely or autonomously that moves across the surface of another planet

Battle of Planets

• Mars: A planet with a dry, cold, and rocky surface that is red/orange in colour, named after the Roman god of war for its reddish color
• Potential for life: Whether or not life can inhabit the given planet, looking at the conditions of each planet