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Assignment 5:
1. Mercury
2. There is no oxygen and no water on Mars. The atmosphere is also too thin to keep out harmful UV rays.
3. Venus has almost the same mass and size as the earth.
4. Venus (sulphuric acid)
5. The orbit of Mars is much closer to the Sun than Neptune’s.
6. The Moon.
7. There is iron in the ground that gives it the red colour.
8. Sufficient oxygen and water; climate is suitable for vegetation, atmosphere correct depth and density.
9. If emergency signals are sent they reach the earth only two hours later. Sometimes the reception is very bad.
Total: 10
Assignment 6:
Assignment 7:
1. Venus and the Moon.
2. 150 million km. This is the distance that the Earth is from the Sun and where we currently survive.
3. Mercury.
4. Venus and Mars lie on either side of the Earth, not too near or too far from the Sun.
5. Yes. The nearer the planet to the Sun, the higher the average speed.
6. Possible as a result of the gravity and energy of the Sun.
Four minutes.24 x 60 minutes = 1440 minutes (it takes the earth 24 hours to rotate on its own axis)1400 minutes divided by 360 degrees = 4 minutes.
Assignment 8.1:
Questions
1. Photographs show that there are dry river beds on Mars. All the water has frozen and is collected at the poles. We surmise that there were large seas and rivers. This water is now underground.
2. The average temperature is possibly higher.
3. Mars is further from the Sun and thus receives less energy from the Sun. Although the Sun is a huge source of energy it will one day shrink and weaken.
4. One would breathe with difficulty and take shallow breathes. One would die quickly as there is too much carbon dioxide in the air.
Assignment 8.2:
Questions
1. -60 degrees
2. Day 1 18:20
Day 2 10:45
3. Day 1 14:30
- 15 degrees
4. from 06:00
5. When there is a dust storm it absorbs heat from the Sun which causes the temperature to rise. There is also carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere and this can also raise the temperature.
This is the closet planet to the sun. Mercury has many craters on its surface caused by asteroids which have collided with the planet. Mercury has no atmosphere or any moons. The temperature at the equator is approximately 400 degrees Celsius and at the poles it is –150 degrees Celsius.
Venus has an atmosphere of carbon dioxide that is much thicker than the earth’s atmosphere. The surface is hidden beneath thick clouds of sulphuric acid. Temperatures at the surface reach approximately 480 degrees Celsius. Venus is about the same size as the earth and has about the same mass.
As far as we know the earth is the only place in the universe where life occurs. Temperatures on the surface vary between 60 degrees and –90 degrees Celsius. Approximately two thirds of the surface is covered by liquid water.
Mars is also called the Red Planet because the iron on its surface gives off a red glow. The atmosphere is about 100 times less dense than that of the earth. It consists of carbon dioxide with very small quantities of water vapour. Ice fields form at a temperature of –125 degrees Celsius in winter. Summer temperatures reach a maximum of 20 degrees Celsius.
| Illustration of the position of the planets in the solar system |
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THE OUTER PLANETS
Jupiter contains 300 times as much matter as the earth and is the largest planet in the solar system. Jupiter is a giant ball of liquid gas and possibly has no solid surface. The only features that can be seen through a telescope are coloured stripes of clouds stretching around Jupiter. Jupiter has a large red spot known as the Red Spot. It is a tornado (a storm) which rages permanently and covers an area greater than the earth’s surface.
Saturn is the second gas giant and is very much like Jupiter. It consists mainly of hydrogen and helium with a surface temperature of –170 degrees Celsius. Saturn’s spectacular rings make it one of the brightest objects in our solar system. The rings move around the equator of Saturn in a very thin band. They consist of millions of pieces of ice, almost like snowballs. Saturn has seventeen moons of which Titan is probably the largest in our solar system. Two Voyager spacecraft have already been dispatched to explore the outer planets. Saturn is eight times further from us than the sun. It takes the radio signals from the spacecraft more than an hour to reach the earth.
These three planets are very far from the earth and are known as the ice giants. Surface temperatures vary between –197 degrees Celsius to –233 degrees Celsius.
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TASK 5
Answer the following questions:
1. Which planet becomes so hot that lead would melt on its surface?
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2. Give two reasons why life as we know it is impossible on Mars.
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3. Why is Venus sometimes called Earth’s twin?
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4. On which planet is there a large amount of the material used in car batteries to be found?
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5. Why is the maximum temperature on Mars much higher than that on Neptune?
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6. On which other body besides Earth in our solar system have people walked?
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7. Why is Mars sometimes called the Red Planet?
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8. Why is life as we know it possible on Earth?
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9. Radio signals take more than an hour to reach the earth from Saturn. What dangers could this hold for spacecraft undertaking exploration?
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(10)
TASK 6: TRANSLATE FROM TABLE TO GRAPH
Show two of the columns of information below by means of graphs. Use columnar, circular or linear graphs.
| Planet | Distance from the sun in millions of kilometres | Radius in km | Number of moons | Average speed in km per second |
| Mercury | 58 | 4 878 | 0 | 48 |
| Venus | 108 | 12 104 | 0 | 35 |
| Earth | 150 | 12 756 | 1 | 30 |
| Mars | 228 | 6 794 | 2 | 24 |
| Jupiter | 778 | 142 800 | 16 | 13 |
| Saturn | 1 427 | 120 000 | 17 | 10 |
| Uranus | 2 870 | 52 000 | 15 | 7 |
| Neptune | 4 497 | 48 000 | 2 | 5 |
| Pluto | 5 900 | 2 400 | 1 | 5 |
| Criteria for Assessing Graphs | 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. |
| 1. Heading | ||||
| 2. Description of both axes | ||||
| 3. Scale correctly shown | ||||
| 4. Co-ordinates correctly shown | ||||
| 5. Completeness | ||||
| 6. Neatness and care taken |
Comment:
TASK 7
Use the information in the tables to make deductions and to answer the following questions:
1. Which two planets are the closest together?
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2. What is the ideal distance from the sun for human survival?
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3. Which planet has a radius about twice that of Pluto?
4. Which two planets besides Earth could possibly be a home for humans?
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5. Has the distance from the sun any influence on the average speed of a planet? Which rule could you make for this?
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6. Give a possible explanation for this.
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7. If the earth moves at a speed of 30 km per second, how long does it take the earth to move from one line of longitude to the next. Remember, there are 360 lines of longitude.
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| group assessment: making deductions | ||
| 1. We could make direct deductions. | Yes | No |
| 2. We could give a sensible explanation for human survival. | Yes | No |
| 3. We could formulate a rule about the distance of planets from the sun. | Yes | No |
| 4. We could give a sensible explanation for the above. | Yes | No |
| 5. We could calculate how long it takes the earth to move through one degree of longitude. | Yes | No |
| 6. We could answer most of the questions independently. | Yes | No |
| 7. Co-operation in the group was good. | Yes | No |
| 8. Each individual made a contribution. | Yes | No |
Group judges success of the exercise: ______________________________________
TASK 8
8.1 Mars – a rare planet
Read the facts below and discuss the questions in your groups.
QUESTIONS:
1. Why do scientists think that there was water on Mars long ago?
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2. If there was liquid water on Mars long ago, what can we deduce about the temperature on Mars at that time?
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3. Why is Mars so cold now?
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4. What would if feel like to breathe on Mars?
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8.2 Temperature on Mars
Robot vehicles measured the temperature on Mars over a two-day period.
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The horizontal axis shows us earth time. The 14 means 14:00 (2 pm) and 18 means 18:00 (6 pm).
Now answer the following questions:
1. What was the temperature at 21:00 on Day 1?
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2. At what time was the temperature –40 degrees Celsius?
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3. At what time was the temperature at its highest? What was the temperature at that time?
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4. At what time did the temperature begin to rise on Day 2?
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5. Give a possible reason for this rise in temperature.
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8.3 Life on Mars?
Life on Mars is not possible as there is no oxygen and also no water. If astronauts erect a base on Mars, obtaining sufficient water will be a one of their greatest problems. They could take water with them but it would quickly be exhausted.
One could argue that plants might be able to recover water as the leaves release water vapour, which condenses and runs down to the root as liquid water.
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Think about the following:
Each group now reports their findings briefly, motivating any statements that are made.
MAIN POINTS OF REPORT:
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Learning Outcome 1: The learner will be able to act confidently on curiosity about natural phenomena, and to investigate relationships and solve problems in scientific, technological and environmental contexts.
Assessment Standard 1.2: We know this when the learner conducts investigations and collects data: organises and uses equipment or source to gather and record information;
Assessment Standard 1.3: We know this when the learner evaluates data and communicates findings: generalises in terms of a relevant aspect and describes how the data supports the generalisation
Learning Outcome 2: The learner will know and be able to interpret and apply scientific, technological and environmental knowledge.
Assessment Standard 2.1: We know this when the learner categorises information: compares features of different categories of objects, organisms and events;
Assessment Standard 2.3: We know this when the learner interprets information: interprets information by identifying key ideas in text, finding patterns in recorded data, and making inferences from information in various forms (e.g. pictures, diagrams, text).
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Last edited by Siyavula Uploaders on Mar 17, 2009 6:14 am GMT-5.
