Science Study Guide

Part 2 Light Energy

Light energy travels in a straight line called a ray.

Reflection

Reflect

Reflecting

Light energy bounces off of an object

Best reflectors of light energy are smooth and shiny

Refraction

Refract

Refracting

When light energy passes through a medium (substance) and is bent

The best mediums that cause light energy to refract (bend)

Transparent - All of the light passes through

Translucent - Only some of the light passes through

Opaque - None of the light passes through

Thermal Energy

Thermal energy is the movement of particles or molecules within matter. The faster the particles move the greater the amount of thermal energy is produced.

Thermal energy always want to move to cooler areas

Thermal energy is transferred in the form of heat.

Conductor

(Thermal Energy)

A material that allows thermal energy to pass through it.

Examples:

Insulator

(Thermal Energy)

A material that stops or slows the flow of thermal energy.

Examples:

Electrical Energy

Electrical Circuit

An electrical circuit is a pathway made of wires that electrical current can easily flow through and makes a complete “circle”.
A closed circuit will allow electricity to flow.
An open circuit has a break in a wire and electricity will not flow.

Series Circuit

A series circuit relies on a single path to allow the energy to travel. If any part of the circuit is cut or open none of the lights will work.

Parallel Circuit

A parallel circuit has branches that allow some lights to work even while others do not.

Energy Transfer

Scholars need to know that electrical energy can be transferred or changed into other types of energy.

Example:

Computer
- Electricity (battery) is transformed into light energy (screen), thermal energy (the motor) and sound energy (speakers)
Hair Dryer
- Electricity is transformed into thermal energy, and sound energy
Ceiling Fan with Light
- Electricity is transformed into mechanical energy, light energy and sound energy

Conductor

(Electrical Energy)

A material that allows electrical energy to pass through it.

Examples:

Metals (aluminum, steel, copper, etc…
Water

Insulator

(Electrical Energy)

A material that stops or slows the flow of electrical energy.

Examples:

Glass
Styrofoam
Cotton
Plastic

Sound Energy

Sound is a form of energy that is produced when matter vibrates. When something vibrates, it quickly moves back and forth.

The stronger the vibrations, the louder the sound.

Sound can bounce off a surface and cause an echo.

Mechanical Energy

If an object is in motion it has mechanical energy.

Mechanical energy makes work easier.

A force is anything that can cause an object to move. It may be experienced as a lift, a push, or a pull.

Motion is caused by applying a force (push or a pull) onto an object. An object is in motion when its position is changing. The motion of objects can be changed by pushing or pulling.

Energy is required to apply the force that moves the object. The greater the distance the object moves, the more work is done.

Changes to the Earth’s Surface

Sediment

Small pieces of rock, soil and sand

Weathering

Weathered

Break down of rock

Erosion

Eroded

Erosion

Movement of sediment

Deposition

Deposit

Deposited

Depositing

When moving sediment stops

Agents / Forces

Responsible for the weathering (break down) and erosion (movement) of rocks

Ice Wedging

Water becomes trapped in the crack of a rock, the water then freezes and expands outwards. This causes the rock to crack, this process will be repeated multiple times.

Glacier

Glaciers are formed of many layers of snow and ice. Glaciers appear to be sitting still, they are actually moving. The weight of a glacier and the pull of gravity will cause it to move slowly down the mountain, sort of like a very slow moving river. As the glacier slowly slides down the mountain side it weathers and erodes the mountain. The glacier takes a lot of rock and sediment with it to be deposited it at the bottom of the mountain.

Water

The movement or force of water is constantly weathering and eroding the Earth's surface. Here are a few examples of the these forces, such as, the waves of an ocean, precipitation, and the constant flow of a river.

Wind

The constant force of wind continues to change the Earth's surface through weathering and erosion.

Gravity

Gravity pulls everything down, including rocks and sediment.

Animals

Animals including humans weather and erode our Earth's surface. A few examples are increased farming removes the plant cover leaving the soil open to erosion from water and wind. Over grazing can all so cause erosion when herds eat all the plant cover exposing the soil to wind and water.

Plants

Plants can cause weathering by sprouting and growing in soil that has collected in the cracks of a rock. As the plant grows, the roots extend and spread the crack until the rock eventually breaks.

Landforms

U-Shaped Valley

U-shaped valley's are formed when a glacier is pulled down the side of a mountain by gravity. As the glacier slowly moves down the mountainside it weathers and erodes the side of the mountain forming a U-shaped valley.

V-Shaped Valley

Formed through the weathering and erosion of a river. The force of the water and the grinding of rocks and stones cut down into the river bed to carve out a valley.

Delta

A delta is formed from sediment flowing down a river when the river runs into an ocean or a lake the sediment is deposited. As the water enters the ocean/lake, it slows down and spreads out, and so the particles of sediment build up.

Arial view of river delta

Sand Dune

Sand dunes are formed from the movement of wind. There needs to be a large amount of loose sand in an area with hardly any vegetation, enough wind to move grains of sand and some kind of obstacle to make the blowing sand lose its momentum and deposit a new place.

Canyon

Canyons are formed through many years of weathering and erosion from the constant movement of a river. Canyons have step side called cliffs.

Resources

Natural Resources

Any materials that people use from the Earth and the atmosphere. The students need to know that everything we have and use comes from some type of natural resources.

Renewable Resources

P - plants

A - animals

A - air

W - water

S - soil

S - Sun

Resources that can be replaced in a short period of time.

Types of Renewable Resources:

This would include plants, animals, air, water, soil and Sun.

Nonrenewable Resources

Resources that cannot be replaced in a short amount of time.

These fossil fuels are formed by heat and pressure applied to organic materials buried in the ground over millions of years and are found in sedimentary rock.

Types of Nonrenewable Resources:

Such as, oil, natural gas, minerals, and coal.

They form from rock particles deposited by moving water, wind, or ice on the Earth's surface.
Form in layers
Scientist investigating the layers of sediment can use the clues they find of the type of rock or fossil to determine what the Earth looked like hundred or millions of years ago.
Most sedimentary rocks are held together by the minerals (calcite and quartz), which act like a cement. The combination of high temperatures and pressures speeds the process of cementation. If sediment continues to be deposited in the same place, newer layers of sediment will bury older sediment. The added weight of the newer sediment increases the pressure on the older sediment and squeezes the bottom layers. The layer of newer sediment also acts like a blanket insulating the
As sediments get buried by other sediments, they can eventually become hard.
Fossils were formed from prehistoric plants and animals that lived hundreds of millions of years ago. When these ancient living things died, they became buried under layers of sediment. Eventually, hundreds and sometimes thousands of meters of earth covered the fossils. Processes like weathering and erosion often uncover fossils by taking away the layers that once covered the fossil.
Fossils are only found in sedimentary rock.
Fossil fuels take millions of years to form and conditions required for formation must be just right. Because these fuels cannot be quickly or easily made and replaced, we call fossil fuels "nonrenewable resources." During the millions of years that passed, The dead plants and animals slowly decomposed into organic materials and formed fossil fuels.
What is needed to create fossil fuels
- Dead organisms (plants or animals)
- Millions of years
- Heat
- Pressure

Sedimentary Rock

Fossils

Fossil Fuels

Water Cycle, Weather and Climate

5.8A Differentiate between weather and climate.
5.8B Explain how the Sun and the ocean interact in the water cycle.

Weather

Climate

The Water Cycle

Evaporation

Evaporate

Condensation

Condensate

Precipitation

Precipitate

Weather generally refers to day-to-day temperature, precipitation activity, etc. Weather includes sunshine, rain, cloud cover, winds, hail, snow, sleet, freezing rain, flooding, blizzards, ice storms, thunderstorms,steady rains from a cold front or warm front, excessive heat, heat waves and more.
Climate is the description of the long-term average pattern of weather in a particular area. Some scientists define climate as the average weather for a particular region and time period, usually taken over 30-years. When scientists talk about climate, they're looking at averages of precipitation, temperature, humidity,sunshine, wind velocity, phenomena such as fog, frost, and hail storms, and other measures of the weather that occur over a long period in a particular place.
The water cycle is the movement of water from Earth’s surface into the air and back to the Earth’s surface.
Our Earth has a small amount of usable fresh water. Fresh water is recycled. This process is called the water cycle. The water cycle consists of three major processes called evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.
Around 95% of the earth’s surface is covered by saltwater and 5% is fresh water. Thus, the majority of the earth’s freshwater supply is underground.
The water cycle is vital for human survival and is dependent upon the sun to be able to work.
To evaporate is to change liquid water into a gas. Water can evaporate when heat is added.
To condense is to change from water vapor (gas) into liquid water. Water vapor condenses when it is cooled.
Water that falls from the sky is called precipitation.
Rain, snow, sleet, and hail are kinds of precipitation.
Snow and hail are solid forms of water. Sleet is a solid and liquid mixture.