1. Earth Science Nature of Science Chapter 1 1

2. Branches of Earth Science The scope of Earth Science is vast. It is broken into 4 major areas of specialization. 2

3. Astronomy Astronomy is the study of object beyond Earth’s atmosphere. Early astronomers merely described locations of objects in space with the invention of modern technology more information is being discovered. Hubble Telescope 3

4. Images from Hubble Telescope 4

5. Meteorology Meteorology is the branch of Earth Science that studies the air that surrounds our planet. Meteorologist study the forces and processes that cause atmospheric change to produce weather and make predictions about how changes in weather might affect Earth’s climate. 5

6. Weather Pictures 6

7. Geology The study of the materials that make up Earth and the processes that form and change these materials is the branch of Earth Science known as geology. Geologists identify rocks, study glacial movements and interpret clues to Earth’s 4.6 billion year history as well as the forces that change our planet. 7

8. Geology Pics 8

9. Earth’s Layers 9

10. Oceanography The study of Earth’s oceans which cove nearly ¾ of the planet is called oceanography. Oceanographers study the creatures that inhabit salty water, measure different physical and chemical properties of the oceans and observe various processes in these bodies of water. 10

11. Ocean Pictures 11

12. Earth’s Systems There are 4 major earth systems: 1.The lithosphere- rigid outer shell of the planet and includes the crust and the solid uppermost part of the layer below the crust, the mantle. 2.Hydrosphere- the water in Earth’s oceans, seas, lakes, rivers and glaciers as well as the water in the atmosphere 3.Atmosphere- the blanket of gases that surrounds out plant 4.Biosphere- includes all organisms on Earth and the environments in which they live. 12

13. Technology The study of science has led to the discovery of many things that you use in every day life. This application of scientific discoveries is called technology. Technology is transferrable which means that it can be applied to new situations. 13

14. Methods of Scientists A scientific method is planned, organized approach to solving a problem. While the steps to solving problems may vary they usually follow a general outline. 1.Question 2.Test 3.Analyze 4.Conclude 14

15. Scientific Investigation Step 1) Identify the problem- ask a question- what do you want to know- research your question Step 2) Design a test and identify the variables Step 3) Develop a hypothesis of what you think will happen, based on your prior knowledge or experience Step 4) Do the test- conduct experiment make observations and record your results Step 5) Organize your data, look for trends, create a graph, compare your hypothesis with your results Step 6) Form a conclusion- was your hypothesis accepted or rejected, if needed re-evaluate your hypothesis and formulate a new question. 15

16. Experimentation A hypothesis is tested by conducting an experiment. During an experiment you test for only one variable at a time. The independent variable is the variable that is changed or manipulated. The dependent variable is the factor that is changed because of the independent variable and gives you a measurable result. Constants are things within the experiment that do not change. Control is used in an experiment to show that the results of the experiment are actually the result of the condition being test 16

17. Analysis and Conclusions During a scientific experiment all data, including measurements and observations are carefully recorded. Once and experiment is complete the data must be formatted so that others could complete your experiment and get the same results. It is important to realize that scientific investigations are not rigid step by step outlines to solve problems. Sometimes problems develop during an investigation that leads to pursuing the new problem rather that the original hypothesis. 17

18. Measurement In science we use the System of International Units or SI for short. This system is a modern version of the metric system. Length: standard unit is the meter (m), the meter is divided into 100 equal parts called centimeters (cm), so a centimeter is 1/100 of a meter a millimeter (mm) is 1/1000 of a meter or 10mm in 1 cm. Long distances are measured in kilometers (km), there are 1000 m in 1 km. Weight and Mass: Weight is a measure of the gravitational force on an object and is measured with a spring scale, weight varies with location. The standard unit for weight is a newton (N). Mass is the amount of matter within an object and depends on the number of atoms that make up that object. Mass does not change with an objects position. The SI unit of mass is the kilogram (kg) and is measured with a balance. 18

19. Measurement Area and Volume: Area requires a combination of SI units. Area is the amount of surface included with a set of boundaries and is expressed in square units of length such as square meters (m 2 ) and is the length of an object X the width of the object. The amount of space occupied by an object is its Volume. The basic SI unit of volume for a regularly shaped solid object is the cubic meter (m 3 ). SI units for liquid volumes are usually made in milliliters (mL) or liters (L). Volume can also by expressed in cubic centimeters, one cubic centimeter = one milliliter. 19

20. Measurement Density: is the measure of the amount of matter that occupies a given space. Density is calculated by dividing the mass of the matter by its volume. Density is expressed in grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm 3 ) or grams per milliliter (g/mL) or kilograms per cubic meter (kg/m 3 ). Time: is the interval between two events and is measured with a watch or clock. The SI unit of time is the second (s). Temperature: is the measure of the average vibrations of particles that make up a material. A mass that has particles that vibrate quickly has a higher temperature. Temperature is measured in degrees with a thermometer. Temperature is measured using the Celsius (C) scale. The state unit of measure is the Kelvin scale, on this scale the coldest possible temperature is absolute zero or 0 K, which is = to -273 °C. 20

21. Scientific Notation In many branches of science some numbers are very small while others are extremely large. To conveniently express those numbers scientists use a type of short hand called scientific notation to express the number as a multiplier and a power of 10. In scientific notion a number is expressed as a value between 1 and 10 multiplied by the power of 10. The power of 10 is the number of places that the decimal must be shifted so that only a single digit remains to the left or right of the decimal point. For example: the number of stars that exist in the Sombrero Galaxy is 90,000,000,000or in scientific notation 9X10 10. The mass of Earth which is 5,974,200,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg is written as 5.97X10 24 kg. If the decimal point needs to be shifted to the right then the exponent of 10 is negative. For example the diameter of an atom in meters, which is approximately, 0.0000000001 m is written as 1X10 -10 m. Appendix A in your book offers you a summary of measurements and conversions between units you are more familiar with to SI units. 21

22. Communicating One important goal of science is to be able to communicate your results to others. Lab reports are used to record your data and observations during an experiment and will be used to assess your understanding of concepts and will help with comparing your results to others. Graphs are also a great way to show a visual interpretation of your results. The independent variable is always on the x axis and the dependent variable is on the y axis. 22

23. Terms in Science Sometimes in science words have different meanings that what you may be familiar with. In science a theory is an explanation based on many observations during repeated experiments. A theory may be changed or modified as new information is discovered. A scientific Law is a basic fact that describes the behavior of a natural phenomenon and can be thought of as a rule of nature. 23