Physics 1

Question 1

Solar System

Answer 1

The collection of objects that orbit a star.

Mnemonic: Solar System -> Stars Orbiting Large Asteroids.

Question 2

Star

Answer 2

Celestial body that is held together by its own gravity & that releases light.

Question 3

Planet

Answer 3

A large, spherical object that orbits a star.

Question 4

Moon

Answer 4

A naturally formed object that orbits a planet.

Question 5

Asteroids

Answer 5

Very small, rocky bodies that orbit the Sun.

Question 6

Meteoroids

Answer 6

Small fragments of asteroids less than tens of meters across.

Question 7

Comets

Answer 7

Relatively small, icy, dusty bodies that travel around the sun in elliptical orbits.

Question 8

Axis of rotation

Answer 8

The imaginary line from the North Pole to the South Pole on which the planet rotates.

Question 9

Crust

Answer 9

Outermost rocky shell at the surface of Earth.

Question 10

Mantle

Answer 10

The rocky layer beneath the Crust, and the thickest layer of Earth.

Question 11

Outer Core

Answer 11

The metallic outside core layer of Earth’s core that is mainly composed of hot iron in a liquid state.

Question 12

Inner Core

Answer 12

The metallic inside layer of Earth’s core that is composed of a solid ball of nickel-iron alloy under extreme pressure.

Question 13

Front

Answer 13

A boundary between two or more air masses.

Question 14

Warm Front

Answer 14

The leading edge of a moving mass of warm air that pushes into a mass of cold air.

Question 15

Cold Front

Answer 15

The leading edge of a moving mass of cold air that pushes into a mass of warm air.

Question 16

High Pressure System

Answer 16

An area that has a pressure higher than the surrounding air masses.

Question 17

Low Pressure System

Answer 17

An area that has a pressure lower than the surrounding air masses.

Question 18

Weathering

Answer 18

Alteration or breakdown of rock or soil.

Question 19

Physical Weathering

Answer 19

Result of mechanical processes such as changes in temperature or pressure.

Question 20

Chemical Weathering

Answer 20

Result of chemical processes such as changes that cause a rock’s composition to change.

Question 21

Erosion

Answer 21

The mechanism responsible for the transportation or removal of material.

Question 22

Deposition

Answer 22

The process by which soil, sediment, or rocks are added to a landform.

Question 23

Mineral

Answer 23

Element formed by a natural process, has a limited range of possible chemical composition, and has a definite arrangement of atoms.

Question 24

Rock

Answer 24

Mixture of one or more minerals.

Question 25

Sedimentary Rocks

Answer 25

Rocks made up of weathered particles that have cemented together into hard rock.

Question 26

Igneous Rocks

Answer 26

Rocks formed by lava or magma; molten rock cools quickly into a rock when it erupts onto Earth's surface.

Question 27

Metamorphic Rocks

Answer 27

Rocks that have been changed from their original form; typically occurs when a rock is partially buried and exposed to elevated temperature and pressures.

Question 28

Rock Cycle

Answer 28

The various processes that change rocks from one form to another.

Question 29

Atmosphere

Answer 29

The layer of gases surrounding Earth and other planets.

Question 30

Troposphere

Answer 30

The lowest & densest layer of Earth's atmosphere, where weather occurs.

Question 31

Stratosphere

Answer 31

The layer of Earth's atmosphere that contains the ozone layer.

Question 32

Ozone Layer

Answer 32

The layer of Earth's atmosphere that protects it from harmful sun radiation.

Question 33

Mesosphere

Answer 33

The middle layer of the atmosphere, where meteor showers can occur.

Question 34

Thermosphere

Answer 34

The layer of Earth's atmosphere where the auroras occur and objects like the International Space Station are in orbit.

Question 35

Exosphere

Answer 35

The layer of Earth's atmosphere where the atmosphere thins and merges with outer space.

Question 36

Air Mass

Answer 36

A large volume of warm or cold air that has approximately uniform temperature, humidity, and pressure over hundreds or thousands of miles horizontally & up to about 16km vertically.

Question 37

Air Density

Answer 37

The amount of air present in a given volume.

Question 38

Air Pressure

Answer 38

The force that an air mass pushes on the surrounding area.