Earth & Space Science Final 1

How many stars are in our solar system?

Many cities in the western US rely on snowpack to supply their reservoirs. What system is snowpack part of?

Sirius is the second-brightest star in the night sky. Antares, though much larger than Sirius, is less bright. Explain how this is possible.

How can we protect Earth's resources? Match the method with the sphere it most impacts:

Explain how the tree in the picture below contributes to each of Earth’s systems. Make sure to include all 4 spheres in your answer (biosphere, geosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere).

On an average week, Lara takes three 20-minute showers, uses the dishwasher two times, and brushes her teeth twice every day. Lara leaves the water running while she brushes her teeth. Mateo takes four 10-minute showers, washes his dishes by hand twice every day, and brushes his teeth twice every day, but he keeps the water off while brushing. During an average week, who uses more water?

What are some ways Lara and Mateo could reduce their water use during an average week? Use the graph in question 6 to think of some ways they could reduce their water use.

You toss a ball straight up in the air. As the ball moves into the air, gravity is acting on the ball. In what direction is gravity pulling the ball?

What causes half of Earth to experience nighttime while the other half is experiencing daytime?

Ms. Thomas’s class has been observing the flagpole at school and how its shadow changes during the day. They created a diagram of what they observed, but left out the labels for the position of the Sun in the sky.

Your community is going to build a second landfill, and some residents are concerned about waste contaminating the water supply. Your community has two main water supplies: a large lake reservoir that is fed by smaller streams, and an aquifer, which is an underground storage area for water. The three proposed locations for the landfill are listed below. In which location would the landfill be the least harmful to your community’s water supply? Explain.

Based on the graph, where is most of Earth’s water located?

Based on the graph, where is the least amount of freshwater found?

Mr. Brigg challenged his students to name one source of freshwater in the biosphere, the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and the geosphere. If you were in Mr. Brigg’s class, how would you complete this assignment? Use the chart in problem 12 to help you answer this question. You must identify ALL FOUR spheres.

Your family is on a vacation at the coast and is spending the day at the beach. Your brothers are setting up the umbrellas and beach chairs for the day. You notice that since the tide is low, they are setting everything up close to the water’s edge. Is this a good idea? Explain your answer.