EESC 101 Exam 1 || with 100% Error-free Solutions.
How do we know about the formation of the solar system? correct answers Telescopes, rovers,
probes, samples
Who published work about heliocentrism? correct answers Copernicus
What makes a planet a planet? correct answers 1. large body orbiting a star (in a regular pattern)
2. Nearly spherical
3. Cleared it's orbit of debris
Zone 1 of the Solar System correct answers First four planets, terrestrial (rocky), small
Zone 1.5 of the Solar System correct answers Asteroid belt lies between zones 1 and 2
Zone 2 of the Solar System correct answers Last four planets, jovian (gas), large
Zone 3 of the Solar System correct answers Edge of our solar system, icy, Kuiper Belt, Oort
Cloud, Dwarf Planets, comets
Why do we have planet zones? correct answers Ignition of the sun pushed away the volatiles
(gasses) forming the Gas Giants far away. This is past the "frost line" (near where the asteroid
belt is) and beyond is so cold gasses can exist as solids
The Sun is approximately __ % the mass of the solar system. correct answers 99.8
The Sun is mainly comprised of ... correct answers Hydrogen and helium
The Earth is mainly comprised of ... correct answers Iron and Oxygen, Silicon and Magnesium
Big Bang Theory correct answers All matter and energy in the universe started out at one point.
It exploded and has been expanding outwards since.
What is the evidence for the Big Bang Theory? correct answers 1. Red shifts
2. Elemental composition
3. Background radiation
How do stars form? correct answers 1. Nebulae formation (gravity causes different elements to
start to lump together
2. Proto-star formation (step one continues until temp is so high it glows, as well as
protoplanetary disk is formed)
3a. Star formation (once is reaches a certain mass and begins fusion, it is a star and can form
elements up to iron)
3b. Planet formation (dust around the star from the protoplanetary disk starts colliding, then
heavy elements sink due to stratification)
, Solar Death correct answers Massive explosion that created elements heavier than iron
Specific Facts about our Solar System correct answers Our sun is (at least) a 3rd generation star,
it was formed ~4.6 BYA, Earth is strange for naturally having water in all three states, as well as
a very thick atmosphere, strange formation of the moon
Moon Theories correct answers Something collided with the Earth and either
a. some of it broke off to form the moon
b. it completely melded with Earth, then some broke off
Where does heat on Earth come from? correct answers 1. Impacts
2. Layer differentiation
3. Radioactive materials
Why are half-lives important? correct answers They tell us how long is takes for 1/2 of a
radioactive material to turn into something stable. Elements with long half-lives are useful for
dating rocks.
What are the layers of the Earth? correct answers Crust, upper mantle, lower mantle, outer core,
inner core
What is the purpose of the magnetosphere? correct answers Deflect solar winds. It is caused in
Earth by the liquid outer core, and sometimes the magnetic fields can stop or switch.
What are the layers of the atmosphere? correct answers Troposphere, tropopause, stratosphere,
stratopause, mesosphere, mesopause, thermosphere
Atmosphere correct answers - 1 atm (pressure) at sea level
- clouds and weather in the troposphere
- temperature differences due to balance of forces (troposphere gets heat from radiation on Earth,
stratosphere gets heat from the sun's uv rays)
Magnetosphere correct answers - deflects solar winds
- caused on Earth by the liquid outer core
- sometimes magnetic field can stop/flip
- aurora borealis/aurora australis caused by charged particles 10-20 degrees from the magnetic
north and south poles reacting in the sky
Hydrosphere/Cryosphere correct answers - last glacial maximum was ~20,000 years ago, but the
ground is still bouncing back from all the heavy ice on it
- lots of ice + lower sea level = migration
Biosphere correct answers - all living organisms on earth
- lower atmosphere, depth of the ocean, deep underground
Geosphere correct answers - uneven land surfaces of the earth
How do we know about the formation of the solar system? correct answers Telescopes, rovers,
probes, samples
Who published work about heliocentrism? correct answers Copernicus
What makes a planet a planet? correct answers 1. large body orbiting a star (in a regular pattern)
2. Nearly spherical
3. Cleared it's orbit of debris
Zone 1 of the Solar System correct answers First four planets, terrestrial (rocky), small
Zone 1.5 of the Solar System correct answers Asteroid belt lies between zones 1 and 2
Zone 2 of the Solar System correct answers Last four planets, jovian (gas), large
Zone 3 of the Solar System correct answers Edge of our solar system, icy, Kuiper Belt, Oort
Cloud, Dwarf Planets, comets
Why do we have planet zones? correct answers Ignition of the sun pushed away the volatiles
(gasses) forming the Gas Giants far away. This is past the "frost line" (near where the asteroid
belt is) and beyond is so cold gasses can exist as solids
The Sun is approximately __ % the mass of the solar system. correct answers 99.8
The Sun is mainly comprised of ... correct answers Hydrogen and helium
The Earth is mainly comprised of ... correct answers Iron and Oxygen, Silicon and Magnesium
Big Bang Theory correct answers All matter and energy in the universe started out at one point.
It exploded and has been expanding outwards since.
What is the evidence for the Big Bang Theory? correct answers 1. Red shifts
2. Elemental composition
3. Background radiation
How do stars form? correct answers 1. Nebulae formation (gravity causes different elements to
start to lump together
2. Proto-star formation (step one continues until temp is so high it glows, as well as
protoplanetary disk is formed)
3a. Star formation (once is reaches a certain mass and begins fusion, it is a star and can form
elements up to iron)
3b. Planet formation (dust around the star from the protoplanetary disk starts colliding, then
heavy elements sink due to stratification)
, Solar Death correct answers Massive explosion that created elements heavier than iron
Specific Facts about our Solar System correct answers Our sun is (at least) a 3rd generation star,
it was formed ~4.6 BYA, Earth is strange for naturally having water in all three states, as well as
a very thick atmosphere, strange formation of the moon
Moon Theories correct answers Something collided with the Earth and either
a. some of it broke off to form the moon
b. it completely melded with Earth, then some broke off
Where does heat on Earth come from? correct answers 1. Impacts
2. Layer differentiation
3. Radioactive materials
Why are half-lives important? correct answers They tell us how long is takes for 1/2 of a
radioactive material to turn into something stable. Elements with long half-lives are useful for
dating rocks.
What are the layers of the Earth? correct answers Crust, upper mantle, lower mantle, outer core,
inner core
What is the purpose of the magnetosphere? correct answers Deflect solar winds. It is caused in
Earth by the liquid outer core, and sometimes the magnetic fields can stop or switch.
What are the layers of the atmosphere? correct answers Troposphere, tropopause, stratosphere,
stratopause, mesosphere, mesopause, thermosphere
Atmosphere correct answers - 1 atm (pressure) at sea level
- clouds and weather in the troposphere
- temperature differences due to balance of forces (troposphere gets heat from radiation on Earth,
stratosphere gets heat from the sun's uv rays)
Magnetosphere correct answers - deflects solar winds
- caused on Earth by the liquid outer core
- sometimes magnetic field can stop/flip
- aurora borealis/aurora australis caused by charged particles 10-20 degrees from the magnetic
north and south poles reacting in the sky
Hydrosphere/Cryosphere correct answers - last glacial maximum was ~20,000 years ago, but the
ground is still bouncing back from all the heavy ice on it
- lots of ice + lower sea level = migration
Biosphere correct answers - all living organisms on earth
- lower atmosphere, depth of the ocean, deep underground
Geosphere correct answers - uneven land surfaces of the earth
