What is Science?
Earth Science
Key Idea: As scientists seek to understand the natural world they use skills such as observing,inferring, and predicting.
Observing means to use your senses to gather information
Inferring means to make an educated guess based on observation
Predicting means to make a forecast on the future depending on evidence
Key Idea: Energy can be transferred from place to place by moving objects, waves, or heat flow.
A wave is an up or down, back or forth motion that carries energy from place to place but leaves matter behind.
A medium is the material through which a wave travels.
Heat is the thermal energy transferred from 1 object to another as a result of the different temperature.
Earth Science is knowledge about the Earth.
Key Idea: The Earth system has four main parts:
Atmosphere
The outermost sphere made of a mixture of the gases nitrogen and oxygen
Hydrosphere
Hydro means water, lakes, oceans, rivers, glaciers, and any other body of water on Earth.
Lithosphere
The solid, rocky outer layer. Our continents and smaller lannd masses.
Biosphere
All living things, extends to the other three spheres.
Key Idea: Topography of an area includes:
Elevation: The height above sea level of a point on Earth's surface
Relief: The difference in elevation between highest and lowest parts
Landforms: A feature of topography such as a hill or valley
Plains: Nearly flat or gently rolling land with low relief
Mountains: High elevation and high relief
Plateaus: High elevation and more or less level surface