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FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 1: TEST DATE:_______________________ THE SUN-EARTH-MOON SYSTEM: The Earth’s AXIS is an imaginary line that goes through the center of the Earth from the North Pole to the South Pole. The Earth is constantly rotated on its axis. It takes the Earth 24 hours to complete one ROTATION. SOLAR SYSTEM: CELESTIAL OBJECTS are all the different objects in space that make up our universe. This includes stars, planets, asteroids, comets, and moons. UNIVERSE: THE UNIVERSE is the space that consists of all matter, all light, and all forms of radiation and energy. MICROBES: A MICROORGANISM is a living thing that can only be seen with the aid of a magnification. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: ENERGY is a source of usable power. The sun has energy because we are able to capture and use its energy through solar panels. A two-year-old is sometimes referred to as a “bundle of energy” but this is referring to a different kind of energy because a two-year-old’s energy cannot be used by others. 1 FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 2 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: A REVOLUTION is the circling of an object in space around another object in space. It takes one year for Earth to revolve around the sun and make a complete revolution. It takes the moon about 29 days to revolve around Earth. The path a planet or moon takes during its revolution is called an ORBIT. SOLAR SYSTEM: STARS are celestial objects that consist of gases which generate light and heat. Generally they stay in one place. The sun is the closest star to us. UNIVERSE: All the stars (except for the sun) are so far away that our present mode of space travel would take more than a lifetime to reach a star. Since stars are so far away, our present system of miles and years make it difficult for our minds to comprehend because the numbers are so large. Scientists and astronomers use THE LIGHT-YEAR—the distance light travels in one year— to help us understand these distances. MICROBES: It happens every year—you get a fever, scratchy throat, or headache. A microoranagism was probably the cause of your sickness, You may have called it a germ, but this term only describes relatively few microorganisms. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: Energy can come in the form of HEAT, LIGHT, or SOUND. 2 FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 3 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: When we look at the sun it looks as if it is moving across the sky. It is the rotation of the Earth that gives the sun this appearance. The sun is actually in the same place in the sky. As Earth rotates, it brings the sun in and out of view giving us daylight and darkness. SOLAR SYSTEM: Our SOLAR SYSTEM is a system made up of eight unique planets (plus Pluto) and many smaller objects that orbit the sun. The SUN is the star that is the basis of our solar system and sustains life on Earth as the source of heat and light. UNIVERSE: The sun is about 93,000,000 miles (150,000,000 km) from the sun. A beam of light from the sun takes about 8 minutes (500 seconds) to reach us. MICROBES: Microorganisms require food, air, water, ways to dispose of waste, and an environment in which they can live. Some microorganisms are PRODUCERS meaning they make their own food (similar to how plants do), and other microorganisms are CONSUMERS and eat other organisms for food. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: One way heat can be transferred is through CONDUCTION—the heat transfer through a substance or from a substance to another by direct contact. One example of conduction is a pan on the stove. The hot stove touches the pan and transfers heat making the pan hot. 3 FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 4 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: In 1852 a French Scientist, Jean Bernard Leon Foucault did an experiment to prove the Earth spins by building the FOUCAULT PENDULUM. He attached a wire to an iron ball with a pointer and hung it from a domed ceiling. After putting the ball in motion, it scratched a mark in sand spread below it. Throughout the day the scratch lines slowly and evenly shifted to the right. Since there is no outside force making the pendulum rotate as it swings, and no other outside force interrupting the swing, it must be the floor itself that is rotating, while the path of the pendulum’s swing remains constant. SOLAR SYSTEM: A PLANET is a celestial body that revolves around a star, does not give off its own light, and is larger than asteroids or comets. UNIVERSE: The closest star, other than our sun, is Alpha Centauri. It is 4.3 light-years away. So, if you could travel at the speed of light, it would still take about 4 years and 4 months to get there. MICROBES: Some microorganisms are MULTICELLULAR meaning they are made up of more than one cell. Others are SINGLE-CELLED (or unicellular). Living things made up of only one cell are the smallest unit of life. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: Substances that transfer heat better than others are CONDUCTORS. Some substances do not conduct heat easily, these are called INSULATORS. Glass, wood, plastic and rubber are all insulators which is why pans have handles made of wood or plastic—to keep the pan from conducting heat to your hand and burning it. 4 SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 5 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: Like the sun, the stars stay in the same place. However, because of the Earth’s rotation is seems as if the stars move across the sky. The North Star, also known as POLARIS, is the exception. Earth’s axis is pointing directly at the North Star (Polaris) so the star doesn’t appear to move. SOLAR SYSTEM: All celestial objects have some amount of GRAVITY—the attraction of one mass to another mass. GRAVITATIONAL FORCE is a measurement of the pull of gravity. Large masses have a stronger gravitational force than small ones. So the sun has a stronger gravitational force than the earth has. UNIVERSE: We know it takes 8 minutes (500 seconds) for the sun’s light to reach the Earth, and the sun and Earth are 93 million miles apart. 93,000,000 miles ÷ 500 seconds = 186,000 miles per sec But light-years are miles per year not miles per sec… Light-Year Calculation 60 seconds per minute x 60 minutes per hour = 3,600 seconds per hour 3600 seconds per hour x 24 hours per day = 86,400 seconds per day 86,400 seconds per day x 365 days a year = 31,536,000 seconds per year. 31,536,000 seconds per year x 186,000 miles per second = 5,865,696,000,000 miles per year 5,865,696,000,000 miles per year = 1 light year in miles. OR 31,536,000 seconds per yr x 300,000 kilometers per sec = 9,469,800,000 kilometers per year 9,469,800,000 kilometers per year = 1 light-year in kilometers MICROBES: Most microorganisms don’t cause disease, but are very helpful. How does CONDUCTION work? When particles are moving faster, there is more energy and the temperature is higher. As fast-moving particles touch slow-moving particles, the energy is transferred. This causes slower particles to move faster and the faster particles to slow down. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: 5 FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 6 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: People used to tell stories to explain the seasons. One tells of how an evil person took one of the daughters of the sun as prisoner. In the sun’s anger, he withdrew more of his light each day until she was returned. This made everything cold, dark, and stormy. Finally, there was a brave person who had enough courage to save the sun’s daughter. On her return, the sun started to shine its light longer each day to bring back the warm, fair days. SOLAR SYSTEM: Most the celestial objects that are part of our solar system are constantly circling our sun. These circling paths are called orbits. UNIVERSE: Most stars belong to a GALAXY—a group of millions of stars held together by gravity. Our solar system lies on the outer edge of a huge galaxy called the MILKY WAY GALAXY—a group of about 200 billion stars formed in a disk-shaped spiral. MICROORGANISMS: Even though some microorganisms have plant-like qualities, or animal-like qualities, they are not classified as either. Scientists classify them as BACTERIA, FUNGI, and PROTIST. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: RADIATION is the transfer of heat through space in the form of waves. 6 FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 7 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: Not only were early astronomers very interested in the sun and stars, but also by the changing moon. It appeared to change in size from day to day. This strange occurrence captivated people’s imaginations; there have been many legends and myths written to explain why the moon changes shapes. SOLAR SYSTEM: If a small object is trapped by the gravity of a larger object, it must move fast enough not to be “captured” by the gravity of the larger object. If it slowed down enough, it would fall into the larger object. For example, if the moon slowed down, Earth’s gravity would pull it down to earth. If it moved more rapidly it would spin off into space. UNIVERSE: The Milky Way galaxy is only one of billions of galaxies. One of our neighboring galaxies is Andromeda. It is two million light years away; it’s so far away you can’t see individual stars, only a hazy spot. These pictures were taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. MICROORGANISMS: Microorganism classifications are determined by: shape, structure, how they get their food, where they live, and how they move. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: Light is energy that travels in waves and is produced by hot energetic objects. 7 FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 8 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: The moon does not produce its own light. As the sun’s rays shine on the moon, they are REFLECTED. This reflection lets us see the moon. Just like Earth, half of the moon is always exposed to light and the other half is dark. SOLAR SYSTEM: The planets of our solar system, in order from the sun, are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are the inner planets and are made of rocky, solid matter. The outer planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are made up of gases. UNIVERSE: Long ago sky watchers noticed some stars were only visible during certain months. They charted the stars during the spring, summer, fall, and winter, and made calendars of the months based on the star formations. MICROORGANISMS: Bacteria are microscopic, single-celled organisms that exist all around you and inside you. Although they can cause sickness and disease, they are important to life on Earth. We depend on bacteria to help in the digestion of food, for plant growth, and to help us make foods and medicines. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: One way the three forms of energy are alike is that can be reflected. Light strikes a mirror at an ANGLE OF INCIDENCE. It bounces off at the same angle—THE ANGLE OF REFLECTION. 8 FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 9 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: Two weeks after the New Moon, the entire lighted side of the moon is visible from the earth. This phase is called the full moon. At that time, the earth is approximately between the moon and the sun. The full moon rises at sunset and sets at sunrise. SOLAR SYSTEM: Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun. Its atmosphere is made mostly of hydrogen, helium, methane, and ammonia. Its Great Red Spot is a storm, which has lasted for millions of years. It has a ring system. It also has four large and 24 small moons. It is the largest planet in our solar system. UNIVERSE: Ursa Minor, also known as the Little Dipper, is given its name because its seven brightest stars seem to form the shape of a dipper (ladle or scoop). The star at the end of the dipper handle is Polaris, the North Star. MICROORGANISMS: FUNGI are organisms that are neither plant or animal, yet have characteristics of both. They absorb food from whatever source they are growing on. A common fungus is a mushroom. It looks like a plant, but it is not green. Mushrooms cannot make their own food and must live on a food source. Some are poisonous, and only an expert can identify them. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: Energy in sound waves can be transmitted from one substance to another. Sound travels faster through liquids than through air, and faster in solids than in through liquids or gases. 9 FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 10 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: Why don’t we see the full reflection of the moon each time we see the moon? You have probably noticed that the moon doesn’t always rise and set at the same time each day. Sometimes it rises with the sun, after the sun has been up a while, or when the sun is setting. Sometimes it rises after the sun has gone down or in the middle of the night. The moon doesn’t revolve around the Earth as fast as the Earth rotates. Because of the Earth’s faster rotation, the moon rises about fifty minutes later each day. SOLAR SYSTEM: Mercury is the nearest planet to our sun. Its surface looks similar to our moon. It has no atmosphere, and no moons. Mercury revolves around the sun with the same side always facing the sun. It has the greatest temperature range from 662⁰ F (day) to -274⁰ F (night). UNIVERSE: Groups of stars are called CONSTELLATIONS—patterns of stars in the sky that have been identified and named. Some constellations don’t appear to move. This is because they are close to the North Star. MICROORGANISMS: Bacteria are an important part of the soil. They are able to capture some nutrients that plants cannot. When living things die, bacteria plays an important role as DECOMPOSERS—bacteria and fungi feeding on and breaking down plant and animal matter. Without decomposers, the bodies of all organisms that have ever lived would still remain—this would be messy! HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: Energy waves can also be REFRACTED—bent. 10 FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 11 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: Not only does the moon rise at different times each day, but it also changes shapes. The PHASES OF THE MOON are the different shapes of the moon during a lunar cycle. SOLAR SYSTEM: Venus is the second planet from the sun. It spins slowly backwards as it orbits the sun. Its atmosphere is mostly made up of carbon dioxide. The atmosphere traps heat making Venus the hottest planet at 860⁰F. Its surface is mostly craters, mountains, and volcanic lava. It has no moons. UNIVERSE: Orion, often referred to as The Hunter, is a prominent constellation located on the celestial equator and visible throughout the world. Its name refers to Orion, a hunter in Greek mythology. The Belt of Orion is three bright stars in a row. Surrounding the belt at roughly similar distances are four bright stars, which are considered to represent the outline of the hunter's body. MICROORGANISMS: Some bacteria always live in our bodies. They are found in the digestive system and help digest food. Other bacteria are in our food—when you eat cheese or yogurt, you eat bacteria. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: Sound is a form of energy that causes particles to vibrate back and forth. A VIBRATION is a rapid movement back and forth. If something “crashes” it causes the air around it to vibrate. Once those vibrations reach your eardrum, you hear the crash. 11 FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 12 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: The lunar cycle begins with the New Moon—one that is not visible to our eyes. During this phase the moon is between the sun and Earth. The moon and sun rise and move across the sky together. (Remember the sun is not moving; it’s earth’s rotation that makes it seem like the sun is moving.) Since sunlight is hitting the part of the moon that is facing away from Earth, we see the dark side of the moon. The New Moon phase only takes place during daylight hours. SOLAR SYSTEM: Earth has one moon. It has the conditions necessary for life as we know it. It has volcanoes and earthquakes. UNIVERSE: Stars in a constellation may seem close together, but actually they can be very far apart. Below is a chart graphing the distance of the stars that make up Orion. MICROORGANISMS: Bacteria are the smallest microorganism. You can see them when there are thousands of them growing together in a colony. To see bacteria as a single organism, requires a microscope with very high magnification. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: The more energy exerted, the louder the sound. Since it takes more energy to yell than to whisper, a yell has more intensity and loudness. 12 FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 13 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: Since the moon rises later each day during the lunar cycle, we see more of the lighted side of the moon each time it rises. On the eighth or ninth day, the moon is in the First Quarter phase. It has traveled one-quarter of the way through its orbit. From Earth we can now see one-half of the lighted side. SOLAR SYSTEM: Mars is the fourth planet from the sun. Iron oxides (rust) cause its surface to have a red glow. It has polar ice caps made of frozen carbon dioxide and water. It has small moons. It has a thin atmosphere, and huge dust storms sometimes cover the surface. UNIVERSE: People of all ages have discovered that constellations can be used as reference points. Sailors used them to help guide their ships at night. African-Americans fleeing slavery sought what they called the Drinking Gourd (Big Dipper), found by the North Star as a guide to freedom. Pioneers migrating west used constellations as a guide while on the Oregon Trail. MICROORGANISMS: Scientists can CULTURE—grow microorganisms in a specially prepared nutrient medium. The drawing shows hoe colonies of bacteria look when cultured on a plate. The colonies vary in size and color depending on type of bacteria. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: PITCH is how high or low a sound is. 13 FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 14 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: A week after the full moon, only one-half of the moon’s lighted side is visible from earth. This phase is called the third quarter, or last quarter. The moon in the last quarter rises at midnight and sets at noon. MICROORGANISMS: Fungi also like warm moist places to grow. One type of fungus you are familiar with is yeast. It is used to make bread rise and give it flavor. Athlete’s foot is caused by a fungus. Some types of fungi rot wood in homes. SOLAR SYSTEM: Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun. It is the second largest planet in our solar system. It has an atmosphere of hydrogen, helium, methane, and ammonia. It has at least 30 moons. The largest moon, Titan, is larger than Mercury. If it were set upon Earth’s oceans, it would float. It has a ring system. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: The pitch of an instrument changes by adjusting its length or width. It can also be changed by tightening the strings which increases the speed of vibration. Below, when tapped, glass on the left will have the lowest pitch. UNIVERSE: Ursa Major, also known as the Big Dipper, is commonly used to find Polaris. This is done by following a line through the two stars which form the end of the "bowl" of the Big Dipper. 14 FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 15 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: through the water with tiny hair-like arms called cilia. The cilia are located all around the sack-like body of the protozoa and wave back and forth to move the protozoa through the water. After a New Moon, the phases begin WAXING—that more of the illuminated half of the moon can be seen each night. About 24 hours after a New Moon, you can see a thin slice of the moon. This phase is called the WAXING CRESENT. SOLAR SYSTEM: Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun. It is the third largest planet in our solar system. It has a ring system. Its axis points towards the sun. It has 21 moons. It has an atmosphere of hydrogen, helium, methane, and ammonia. It is the methane that causes Uranus to appear blue in color. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: With sound, the position where the molecules are pressed close together is called a COMPRESSION. Where the molecules are spread out is called a RAREFACTION. One compression and one rarefaction together make up one wavelength. UNIVERSE: An easy constellation to find is Cassiopeia. You can look for five bright stars that form a big “W” or “M” in the northern sky, depending on the season. MICROORGANISMS: PROTOZOANS are microscopic organisms that usually live in water. They move FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ 15 SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 16 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: UNIVERSE: After a Full Moon, the phases are said to be WANING—see less of its illuminated half each night. WANING GIBBOUS begins just after a Full Moon. A WANING CRESENT occurs just before another new moon. The actual number of stars is not known, but about 3,000 can be seen from the Earth with the naked eye. With the aid of a telescope, we can see more. MICROORGANISMS: One Protozoan, the AMOEBA, is a Sarcodine. This means it has no definite shape; its shape changes as it moves. It sends out pseudopods (false feet), then the rest of the body flows into the pseudopod. SOLAR SYSTEM: Neptune is the eighth planet from the sun. It has a Great Dark Spot that is a huge storm system as large as Earth. It has high altitude winds. Its atmosphere is made of hydrogen, helium, methane, and ammonia. Methane causes Neptune to appear blue in color. It has eight moons, and its moon Triton has an atmosphere. Neptune also has a ring system. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: When sound is reflected it produces an ECHO. FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ 16 SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 17 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: Earth’s tilt is important when understanding the changing seasons. The Earth’s tilt is at a 23.5° angle. As Earth revolves around the sun, it maintains this tilt, and always points in the same direction--towards the North Star. The combination of the Earth’s revolution around the sun, and Earth’s 23.5° angle tilt, are the reasons we have seasons. MICROORGANISMS: The Amoeba is a Protozoan that is classified as a Sarcodine. It eats other tiny organisms, such as algae or bacteria by surrounding them and digesting them. Inside its cell are vacuoles and a cell nucleus. The vacuoles are tiny spaces that collect and expel excess water; food also goes there and is digested there. SOLAR SYSTEM: All eight planets revolve around the sun in a counterclockwise (west to east) direction. The time needed for a planet to make one complete trip around the sun (one revolution), is called the planet’s year. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: With string instruments, frequency (pitch) is controlled by the tightness of the strings. The pitch is lower for looser, longer, or thicker strings. To make the pitch higher, one would have to tighten the strings UNIVERSE: Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, and Cassiopeia are constellations in the northern sky and circle around Polaris. Because of this, they are called CIRCUMPOLAR constellations. FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ 17 SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 18 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: an imaginary line called an axis. The time needed for a planet to make one complete rotation on its axis (period of rotation), is called the planet’s day. Why does the Earth’s tilt make a difference? Think of a sunburn you may have received during a day playing outdoors. The top of your shoulders got burned more than your legs. The angle of your shoulders caused them to receive the most direct sun rays, and your legs were angled away from the sun and absorbed less of the sun’s energy. UNIVERSE: When you refer to the brightness of a star, you can refer to its absolute magnitude—a measurement of the amount of light it gives off. MICROORGANISMS: The Euglena is a Protozoan that is classified as a flagellate, and is commonly found in freshwater ponds and streams. It is pearshaped, and has a hairlike whip called a FLAGELLA that propels it through water. Notice the space between the rays on the diagram on the left are much closer together than those on the right. The heat that is produced by the light on the left is greater than the heat produced on the right. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: Many woodwind instruments use a reed for a mouthpiece. A musician changes the pitch by pressing and releasing small holes. This changes the length of the vibrating air column thus changing the pitch. SOLAR SYSTEM: The planets rotate, or spin like a top, as they travel around the sun. They rotate on FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ 18 SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 19 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: Each planet is kept in orbit around the sun by a balance between inertia and the force of gravity. Newton’s law of gravity states: every body in the universe has a gravitational attraction for every other body. The heavier the body, the greater its gravitational pull. As Earth revolves around the sun, Earth’s tilt never changes, yet it changes in relation to the sun. When Earth’s North Pole points away from the sun, the Northern Hemisphere has winter. When this happens, the Southern Hemisphere gets more sunlight and is warmer. People in Australia go swimming in December because it is their summer. Six months later, Earth North Pole is pointing towards the sun and receives the most direct rays and warmth from the sun. That is when the United States has summer and the Southern Hemisphere enjoys winter. UNIVERSE: Another way to refer to a star’s brightness is its apparent magnitude—a measurement of the amount of light received on Earth MICROORGANISMS: Euglena has other interesting characteristics other than a flagella. It also contains chlorophyll that allows it to use the sun to make its own food using photosynthesis. However, if there is no sunlight, it will eat bacteria and materials from decaying plants and animals. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: With brass instruments the pitch is controlled by changing the tightness of the lips (the tighter the lips the higher the pitch), and making the vibrating column shorter. Most brass instruments do this with valves. SOLAR SYSTEM: 19 FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 20 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: There are two times during the year when the Northern and Southern Hemisphere have the same amount of daylight. They are March 21st and September 21st. These mark the first official days of spring and fall. SOLAR SYSTEM: The planets remain in orbit instead of being pulled into the sun because of INERTIA—the tendency of a body in motion to continue moving in the same direction and at the same speed unless some force causes it to change direction or speed. The planets are moving at a tremendous speed, with nothing to slow them down. MICROORGANISMS: The Paramecium is a Protozoan that is classified as a ciliate. It has cilia and resembles that shape of a shoe or slipper. It can be found in the scum that forms on the surface of quiet ponds. It eats other microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, and other protists. UNIVERSE: Scientists can measure close stars by measuring its parallax. This is the apparent shift in the position of an object when viewed from two different positions. The nearer an object is to the observer, the greater its parallax. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: Percussion instruments work by striking a surface. Some have a diaphragm stretched over a hollow container. Tightening or loosing this diaphragm will change the pitch (the tighter the higher). The thickness and the size can also affect the pitch. The thicker and the bigger the diaphragm, the lower the pitch. 20 FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 21 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOONS/SEASONS: Occasionally, the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, in such a way that the moon is within the Earth’s umbral shadow. This phenomenon is called a lunar eclipse. SOLAR SYSTEM: The word planet means “wanderer.” The planets were given this name because, to early astronomers, they appeared to wander around the sky, instead of remaining in a fixed position as the stars appear to do. UNIVERSE: Draco (The Dragon) is also a circumpolar constellation. It contains the star Thuban which around 2700 BC, at the height of the ancient Egyptain civilizations, Thuban, not Polaris, was at the celestial North Pole. The pole star slowly changes because the Earth’s rotational axis wobbles. MICROORGANISMS: There are many different kinds of mold, all of which are a part of the FUNGI family. Some of them grow on bread, cheese, and other foods. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: The sense of hearing can be damaged by exposure to very loud sound. The extent of hearing damage depends on how near, how loud, how long, and how often the ear is subjected to the sound. You should always protect your ears from exposure to intense sound. 21 FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 22 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: Cepheus and Cassiopeia are circumpolar constellations. They are known as the King and Queen from a city in Ethiopia. They had many children including a beautiful daughter named Andromeda. On rare occasions, the moon passes between the Earth and the sun in such a way that the moon’s umbral shadow reaches the Earth. The tip of the umbra covers a very small part of the Earth’s surface, darkening that part of the Earth in a total solar eclipse. A total solar eclipse lasts a maximum of eight minutes, and very few people ever get to see one. MICROORGANISMS: As mold matures, it produces spore cases, each about the size of a pinhead, and contains thousands of spores. When a spore case matures, it breaks open and the spores are released and carried away by air currents. SOLAR SYSTEM: Most planets have smaller SATELLITES— objects that revolve around another object. These satellites are called moons. Earth only has one moon, but some planets have several. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: Light is a member of a group of waves called ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES. Others in this group include radio waves, infrared rays, X rays, and gamma rays. All of these are part of the electromagnetic spectrum. UNIVERSE: FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ 22 PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 23 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: UNIVERSE: The tilt of Earth affects the height of the sun in the sky and the length of daylight. During summer, the sun stays out longer during the day and is higher overhead at noon. During the winter, the days are short because the sun never gets very high in the sky. Stars vary in temperature. Stars with higher temperatures also have brighter absolute magnitudes. The two scientists that discovered this, Hertzspring and Russel developed a graph to show this relationship. This is known as an HR diagram. SOLAR SYSTEM: Pluto is farther away from the sun most of the time, but sometimes Neptune is farther away from the sun. This is because the orbits of Neptune and Pluto cross each other. However, this condition only exists for a small portion of Pluto’s orbital period, so Pluto is considered to be farther from the sun. MICROORGANISMS: Mold spores can be harmful. Mold spores that are carried through the air can settle on damp food and grow, and produce more spores. Also, many people are allergic to mold spores in the air. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: Each electromagnetic wave has its own unique WAVELENGTH--the distance from one crest to the next crest. It also has its own unique FREQUENCY—the number of waves that pass by a given point in a one second. 23 FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 24 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: UNIVERSE: Project Apollo was the U.S. program to land on the moon. On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 landed on the Moon’s surface. Neil Armstrong was the first human to set foot on another celestial object. His first words on the moon were, “That’s one small step for man, and one giant leap for mankind.” Ancient civilizations used the stars for a calendar. They did this by watching the 12 zodiac constellations. Those constellations include: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. MICROORGANISMS: SOLAR SYSTEM: Mold on cheese is not always a bad thing. Some cheeses are famous because special types of mold grow on them giving them flavor many people enjoy. The Sun is the largest member of our Solar System. It is so large that if it were hollow, a million Earths could fit inside. The Sun’s energy is nuclear, meaning it fuses atoms together (hydrogen atoms into helium atoms) thus creating energy. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: A lens is a tool that refracts light. A concave lens curves inward so when light passes through it, it is spread. This helps you see faraway objects. 24 FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 25 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: Apollo 13 was launched on April 11, 1970. However, an explosion caused the mission to abort, and the astronauts barely made it home. SOLAR SYSTEM: Scientists believe that Mars may have once had liquid water, and therefore had life. They believe this because several of Mars’ surface features are similar to Earth’s that were formed with water through weathering. UNIVERSE: An Alien Planet is any planet outside our solar system. Sometimes they are referred to as exoplanets. The first one was discovered in the 90s and since then hundreds have been discovered. Scientists are trying to find one that is habitable, but even if they did, overcoming the distance to get there would be a problem. MICROORGANISMS: One type of mold produces the drug penicillin which is an antibiotic used to fight many bacterial diseases. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: A convex lens bulges outward. Light rays bend inward towards its center. This makes objects near the lens seem bigger. Reading glasses have a convex lens. 25 FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 26 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: On July 30, 1971 Apollo 15 landed on the moon. The astronauts stayed on the moon for three days. As part of this mission they rode around in a lunar rover to collect samples and do other scientific research. SOLAR SYSTEM: Scientists believe our solar system formed from part of a nebula of gas, ice, and dust. Gradually this cloud fragment contracted into a large, tightly packed, spinning disk. At the disk’s center it was so hot and dense that nuclear fusion began to occur and the sun was born. UNIVERSE: The Hubble Space Telescope was launched in 1990 by the space shuttle Discovery. It is how scientists have been able to view large clusters of galaxies beyond our own. MICROORGANISMS: Molds, like some bacteria, break down organic matter and help to prepare it to return to soil. This action not only gets rid of dead organisms and wastes, but also fertilizes the soil. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: Although the various electromagnetic waves differ in their wavelengths, they all travel at 300,000 km/sec in a vacuum. This is called the speed of light. 26 FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 27 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: of a pin point—that’s how vast our galaxy is! The moon is much smaller than Earth. There is no air or atmosphere. It almost has no water either. Because of these factors, the moon has an extreme range of temperatures. In the daytime, it is hot enough to boil water. The nights are colder than any place on Earth. MICROORGANISMS: Most species of fungi are many-celled. The body of a fungus is usually a mass of manycelled, threadlike tubes called HYPHAE. The hyphae produce enzymes that help break down food outside of the fungus. SOLAR SYSTEM: A German mathematician, Johannes Kepler, began studying the orbits of the planets. He discovered they were not circular, but elliptical. His calculations further showed the sun is not exactly at the center of the orbits. He also discovered the planets travel at different speeds in their orbit. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: UNIVERSE: A refracting telescope uses convex lenses. Light from an object passes through a convex objective lens and it bends to form an image at the focal point. The eyepiece magnifies the image. Throughout the universe, stars are found in large groups called galaxies. Our sun is near the edge of The Milky Way Galaxy. If you could shrink the Milky Way down to the size of a bike tire, our sun would only be the size 27 FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 28 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: the club-shaped structure that produces spores. This structure is called a BASIDIUM. The spores are then released from the “gill” part of the mushroom so the mushroom can reproduce. The moon is Earth’s closest neighbor in space. It is 240,000 miles from Earth. This is almost 400 times closer than the sun which is 93 million miles away. SOLAR SYSTEM: The first American spacecraft to Mercury was in 1974-1975 by Mariner 10. It flew by the planet and sent pictures back to Earth. Scientists now know Mercury’s surface has many craters, and is similar to Earth’s moon. There is also a weak magnetic force around it so some scientists hypothesize it has an iron core. PROTIST: BACTERIA: Protists may be unicellular or have multiple cells, however all their cells contain a nucleus. Scientists have created three classes of protists: Sewage treatment plants use bacteria to purify water. Bacteria are also used in cheese, yogurt, and drugs. FUNGI: 1. Plantlike Protists (algae), 2. Animal-Like Protists (protozoans), 3. Funguslike Protists (slime molds and mildews). Club Fungi is the type of fungi you are most familiar with because this group includes mushrooms. Club Fungi gets its name from 28 FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 29 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: PROTIST: Sometimes the moon appears white, but sometimes it takes on another color such as yellow or blue. The moon’s color “appears” to change because of the changes in the Earth’s atmosphere. The atmosphere contains water vapor, dust particles which distort light as it comes to earth. Plant-like protists are known as algae. Even though all algae contain chorolphyll, not all of them look green. Many have other pigments that cover up their chlorophyll. BACTERIA: Bacteria normally have three basic shapes— spheres, rods, and spirals. Sphere-shaped bacteria are called cocci (singular coccus), rod-shaped are called bacilli (singular bacillus), and spiral-shaped are called spirilla (singular spirillum). Bacteria are smaller than plant or animal cells. They are one-celled that occur alone or in chains or groups. SOLAR SYSTEM/UNIVERSE: All the planets (and Pluto) revolve around the sun in a counterclockwise (west to east) direction. FUNGI: Sac Fungi include yeasts, molds, morels, and truffles. The spores these fungi are produced in a little, saclike structure called an ASCUS. Yeasts reproduce sexually by forming spores, and reproduce asexually by BUDDING. 29 FIRST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 30 TEST DATE:_______________________ MOON/SEASONS: The moon’s orbital plane around the earth is tilted about 5 degrees from the earth’s plane orbit around the sun. Therefore the moon and the earth are usually a little above or below each other’s shadow as the moon circles the earth. At such time no eclipses occur; therefore eclipses don’t occur every full or new moon. BACTERIA: Most organisms use oxygen when they break down food to obtain their energy. This process is called respiration. An organism that uses oxygen for respiration is call an AEROBE. In contrast, an organism that is adapted to live without oxygen is call an ANAEROBE. PROTISTS: Dinoflagellates—meaning “spinning flagellates”-- are a group of plant-like protists. They have two flagella. One flagellum circles the cell like a belt, and another is attached to one end like a tail. As the two flagella move, they cause the cell to spin. FUNGI: A lichen is an organism that is made of a fungus and either a green algae or a cyanobacterium. The two organisms have a symbiotic relationship. The fungus gets food made by the green algae or cyanobacterium, and in return the green algae/cyanobacterium get a moist, protected place+++++++++ to live. HEAT/LIGHT/SOUND: Visible light is found on the electromagnetic spectrum. 30 NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 31 TEST DATE:_______________________ 31 FRIST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 32 TEST DATE:_______________________ Make your own review for CRTs. Go back through all your old tests, and reviews to find six facts that you have difficulty remembering. Write those six facts below. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 32 FRIST AND LAST NAME:_________________ PERIOD:________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 33 TEST DATE:_______________________ Things to Remember and Common Mistakes The sun is a light source. Therefore it does not have a shadow. Never think the earth or the moon is in the shadow of the sun. Thermal Energy vs. Kinetic Energy— what’s the difference? The “dark side” of the moon never faces the sun—THIS IS A FALSE STATEMENT. The dark side of the moon refers to the side of the moon that we don’t see from earth. The moon does orbit and rotate. However, since the rotational period is exactly the same as the orbital period, the same portion of the Moon's sphere is always facing the Earth. Distance from the sun is why we have different seasons—THIS IS A FALSE STATEMENT. If this were true then the northern and southern hemispheres would not have opposite seasons. It is the axis tilt that gives us the seasons. DON’T USE “COLD” WHEN DESCRIBING TEMPERATURE! When we refer to temperature we are really referring to ENERGY. Cold is not a form of energy. A better term to use would be “an absence of heat” Review the following definitions to help you remember why: Dates to remember: H___________ is the transfer of thermal energy. T____________ is the measure of the average kinetic energy. K_________ __________ is the energy of motion. T_________ __________ is the total amount of energy within a material. C_____________ is not a form of energy, but a term used to describe a condition of low levels of thermal energy. 33 Apollo 11 landed on the moon in 1969 June 21st is our longest day of the year and is the summer solstice Dec. 21st is our shortest day of the year and is the winter solstice March 20th is our spring equinox (daylight and nighttime hours are equal) Sept. 22nd/23rd is our fall equinox (daylight and nighttime hours are equal) July 4th is around when we are farthest from the sun Jan. 4th is around when are closest to the sun FIRST AND LAST NAME:_____________________ PERIOD:____________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 34 TEST DATE:_______________________ MATTER: Matter is anything that has mass and occupies space. This includes air, water, soil, stone, metal, animals, plants, planets, and so on. Some things consist of many different substances such as the human body or air. Material that is made up of only one kind of matter is called a pure substance. EARTH’S STRUCTURE: The atmosphere is thickest and heaviest near the surface of the Earth, because of the weight of the air above, and it grows gradually thinner at higher altitudes. The atmosphere is thought of being layered. ORGANISMS/ORGANS: The smallest unit of living tissue is called a cell. The average human adult body is made up of over 60 trillion cells, which vary in size, shape, and function. A grouping of similar cells forms tissue. GENETICS: Genetics deals with the structure of genes, and how genes behave in an organism. It also deals with patterns of inheritance from parent to offspring. Given that genes are universal to living organisms, genetics can be applied to the study of all living systems, from viruses and bacteria, through to humans. CLASSIFICATION: It is estimated that there are at least 5 million different kinds of living organisms. These are all classified into groups. The hierarchy of grouping animals is as follows: KINGDOM PHYLUM CLASS ORDER FAMILY GENUS SPECIES SUBSPIECES 34 35 NAME:_____________________ PERIOD:____________________ SCIENTIFIC FAST FACTS WEEK 34 TEST DATE:_______________________ MATTER: EARTH’S STRUCTURE: ORGANISMS/ORGANS: There are four main types of tissue in the body: 1. Muscle tissue—which forms all the muscles 2. Connective tissue—which supports body parts and holds them together, including bone, blood, tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. 3. Nerve tissue—which includes the brain, the spinal cord, and all nerves 4. Epithelial tissue—which form the outer skin and lines the body cavities, such as the mouth, nose, stomach, intestines, and heart. GENETICS: CLASSIFICATION: 36