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Name _______________________________________ Period ______________ Mrs. Coates—Earth Science

Solar System Unit Tracking Sheet

My Progress

Pre-Test Age of S.S. Nebular Theory

Planet Compositio

n

Size and Scale

Conditions for life

Planets are Different

Post Test

4 (90-100%)

3 (80-89%)

2 (70-79%)

1 (0-69%)

Learning Target Question Example Date Target was Taught

in Class

The Solar System is 4.6 billion years old How is the age of the solar system

estimated by scientists? September 19/22

Nebular Theory explains how our Solar System formed

How does the nebular theory describe the formation of the solar system?

September 23/24

The inner planets are small and rocky because they are close to the Sun

What effect did the solar wind and heat from the newly formed sun have on the composition of the inner planets of the

solar system?

September 23/24

Size of Objects: Planets Sun

Solar System Milky Way Galaxy

How does the size of the solar system compare to the Milky Way galaxy?

September 25/26

The three conditions necessary for life: liquid medium,

raw materials, and energy Which conditions on Earth support life? September 29/30

The eight planets (and many moons) in our Solar System have unique features

What are the most abundant atmospheric gases found on the outer planets?

September 29/30

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AH-HA!

How does Nebular

Theory explain the

formation of the

Solar System?

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Science Starter Sheet

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Science Starter Sheet

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Video: The Birth of the Earth web link: bit.ly/15B8iSp

This video covers three major ideas: how the Earth formed, how the moon formed, and where

Earth’s water came from. Answer the following questions while watching the video. The questions

do go in chronological order to the video. Some answers to questions will be very close to each other

in the video and some will be further away. At each stop sign, we will discuss the previous questions.

1. Why do scientists study the formation of the Earth to find other planets like ours?

2. What is the first step of planetary formation?

3. How long ago did our solar system start forming?

4. How did the supernova trigger the formation of the solar system?

5. (T or F) The force that clumped the first particles together was gravity.

6. Explain the “cosmic dust bunnies.”

7. What event caused the “dust bunnies” to become rocks? What evidence do we have of

it?

8. The rocks smash into each other randomly to form big rocks until what force takes over? What does it lead to?

9. How did the Earth become round?

10. What caused the Earth to become molten? What element sank to the center?

11. Why is a magnetic field for the Earth important?

12. What is “The War of the Titans” phase? What was the result?

13. (T or F) Our moon was formed from left over debris from a collision with another planet. What was the name of the planet?

14. Why is the moon so important to us?

15. What is the modern theory of where water on Earth came from?

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Understand ing Rad i oact i ve Decay

Atomic Number Review

What does the atomic number represent? ___________________________________________

Locate each of the following on the periodic table and record the atomic number (the first one has been done for you):

C 6 Th Cl K Ar

Pb U N I Xe

Al Mg O He Pt

If the number of protons is changed then so is the identity of the atom! For example, when a proton is added to Carbon

it becomes a form of Nitrogen.

What atom would be created if Aluminum LOST 1 proton? M a g n e s i u m What atom would be created if Hydrogen GAINED 1 proton?

What atom would be created if Thorium LOST 7 protons?

What atom would be created if Uranium LOST 10 protons?

How many protons would Iron need to lose to become a form of Potassium?

How many protons would Uranium need to lose to become a form of Thorium?

How many protons would Chlorine need to gain to become a form of Calcium?

An isotope is an atom that has an unusual number of neutrons in the nucleus. Too many neutrons make the atom

unstable, or radioactive. In an effort to become more stable the atom will release alpha particles (made of 2 protons and

2 neutrons each). Remember, the loss of protons changes the identity of the atom!

For example, in nature Uranium-235 loses 10 protons and 10 neutrons to become more stable. By losing 10 protons

Uranium (atomic number 92) now has an atomic number of 82 (which is Lead).

It takes a long time for some radioactive atoms to decay. Scientists measure radioactive decay in half-lives. A half-life is

the amount of time required for one half of the atoms of a radioactive substance to disintegrate. Radioactive decay can

be graphed like this:

Carbon

Alpha Particle

Beryllium

7

0

25

50

75

100

1 2 3 4 5 6

Pe

rce

nt

of

Ato

ms

Radioactive Decay

Parent Atom

Daughter Atom

Number of Half Lives

Analyze the graph above by answering these questions:

What percentage of original material (parent atoms) remains after 1 half-life? ___________________

What percentage of parent atoms remains after 2 half-lives? _____________________

What percentage of new material (daughter atoms) exist after 1 half-life? ___________________

What percentage of daughter atoms exists after 3 half-lives? ___________________

How many half-lives does it take for a parent atom to decay 75% (so only 25% remains)? _______________

How many half-lives does it take for a parent atom to decay 50%? _______________

How many half-lives does it take a parent atom to decay 94% (so only 6% remains)? ______________

Each radioactive isotope has a different half-life (determined using mathematical models and experiments). Look over

the list of radioactive isotopes and their half-lives. Match each isotope to an item that might be dated using the known

half-life for that isotope. (You can draw lines to show which isotope might match each object)

Isotope Half-Life Object to be Dated

Carbon-14 (C-14) 5,730 years Metamorphic Rock (about 8 million years old)

Nickel-59 76,000 years Sedimentary Rock (about 125,000 years old)

Palladium-107 6.5 million years Solar System (4.4 to 4.6 billion years old)

Uranium-238 4.5 billion years Ancient Clothing (about 10,000 years old)

0 1 2 3 4 5

Number of Half-Lives

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Rad i oact i ve Decay Act i v ity

You will receive 6 samples representing radioactive material. You need to estimate the age of each sample based on the number of

parent and daughter atoms. Use the graphs on the next page. Be sure to pick the CORRECT graph! (HINT: You can use either the

“Percentage of Parent Atoms” OR the “Percentage of Daughter Atoms” to find your answer on the graph)

Color Key:

Blue Orange Red White

K-40 (Parent)

Ar-40 (Daughter)

U-238 (Parent)

Pb-206 (Daughter)

Data:

Sample Number Number of

Parent Atoms Percentage of Parent Atoms

Number of Daughter Atoms

Percentage of Daughter Atoms

Estimated Age of Sample

(from the graphs)

1 (Meteorite)

2 (Metamorphic

Rock)

3 (Meteorite)

4 (Metamorphic

Rock)

5 (Meteorite)

6 (Metamorphic

Rock)

Analysis:

1. Which sample (or samples) was the youngest in age?

2. Which sample (or samples) was the oldest in age?

3. Would it be better to date the age of our Solar System with metamorphic rocks or meteorites?

4. Explain the answer you gave to question 3:

5. How would our understanding of the Solar System change if scientists discovered a meteorite that was 10 billion

years old?

Use this number (y-value) to find this number (x-value)

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Nebu lar Theory—NOTES

Review:

1. Gas and dusts accumulate as a __________________

2. Part of the nebula shrinks to form a _________________________

3. ____________________ pulls gases to the center of the disk

4. Gas at the center of the disk becomes ___________ and ___________ enough for nuclear fusion to

begin

5. The ___________ is BORN!

This concept is called ______________________________ and explains how our Solar System formed.

Planet Formation:

During the early process of planet formation, while most of the material was still ______________________,

the ______________________ elements collected in the middle of the planets (the core of Earth, for

example), while the _____________________ elements stayed closer to the surface.

Inner Planets:

• The inner four planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) were smaller and formed primarily from

_______________________________.

• This is because all of the gases and light elements that the planets started with could not withstand the

______________and ________________ that was put out by the sun.

Outer Planets:

Materials such as ______________________ and _____________ collected on the next four planets (Jupiter,

Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) and they came to be known as the gas giants.

Summary:

The __________________ from the sun is primarily responsible for the four inner “terrestrial” planets and the

four outer “gaseous” planets.

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Pla

ne

t

Len

gth

O

f D

ay

Len

gth

of

year

Atm

osp

her

e

Tem

per

atu

re

# o

f M

oo

ns

Rin

gs

(Yes

or

No

)

Life

as

we

kno

w it

?

Other Characteristics

M E R C U R Y

0 X

V E N U S

0 X

E A R T H

Perfect combination of gases for life (CO2, O2,

N2, H2)

X

M A R S

Cold! -80˚C

X

J U P I T E R

67

S A T U R N

-150˚C

U R A N U S

-224 °C X

N E P T U N E

Mostly hydrogen and

Helium X

Neptune has a great dark spot at the center left and a small dark

spot at the bottom center.

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S o l a r Sy stem Obje ct s--H omewo rk

1. Explain how gravity affects the place of Earth in our Solar System:

2. Cut the objects out (sun, ceres, galaxy, solar system, and earth) and tape or paste them into the box

that matches their correct diameter.

950 km 1.3 x 104 km 1.4 x 106 km 9 x 109 km 9.5 x 1017 km

Sun

Ceres (Asteroids)

Milky Way Galaxy

Solar System

Earth

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3. Describe how the formation of the Universe (Big Bang Theory) led to the formation of our Solar System

(Nebular Theory). Use complete sentences and make your handwriting neat.

4. The Virgo Cluster of galaxies holds our Milky Way galaxy and many other galaxies. Using the scale on the other side of the page, estimate the size of the Virgo Cluster.

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I S THERE L IFE BEYOND EARTH?—NOTES

Three conditions required for life (as we know it):

1.

2.

3.

How do these things contribute to life on Earth?

Liquid Water:

Habitable Zone:

Atmospheric Pressure:

Sunlight:

Gravity:

Plate Tectonics:

Is There Life Beyond Earth?

1. How do the atmospheres of the planets compare?

2. Do any moons have an atmosphere?

3. Which planets have an atmosphere that is similar to Earth's?

4. On which of the planets has water been discovered?

5. What would be needed to determine the presence or absence of water on each of the planets and moons?

6. How would you relate the solar energy that a planet receives in comparison to its distance from the sun?

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Extremophiles

Extremophiles are ____________________ that live in conditions that would kill other creatures. They can survive in the harshest

and strangest of __________________________.

Examples:

Mars:

Europa:

Titan:

How about Intelligent Life?

Dr. Frank Drake determined how to estimate how many technologically advanced civilizations might be in our galaxy

Just for Fun…

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Aterra4 Exp l orer—Act i v ity

The Aterra4 deep-space probe has entered GSL383, a distant galaxy with several stars much like our sun. Aterra4 has encountered roughly 6 different planets in the habitable zones of these stars. Data from the probe indicates that the conditions and terrain on the planets are varied. Is it possible that life exists somewhere in GSL383? Read the description of the environment assigned to you, and fill in the following:

1. Planet and environment:

2. Resources that would support life in the environment: a. Liquid Medium: ___________________

b. Raw Materials: ____________________

c. Energy Source: ____________________

3. Environmental challenges an organism would face (ex. Extreme heat, pressure, toxic gases):

4. In the box above, draw an organism that might survive in this environment. Below, describe the special features (adaptations) that help it survive.

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Chang ing V i ews of the So l ar System—NOTES

As you read your article, answer the following questions:

1. When did this Astronomer live?

2. What contributions did this Astronomer make to our understanding of the Universe?

3. Do we still believe this Astronomer’s theories? (Explain why or why not)

4. Did this Astronomer build on the works of others? Was there someone who inspired this Astronomer?

5. Summarize this Astronomer’s theory in 2-3 sentences:

Scientist When? Discovery or Theory