NOVA Origins Question Sheets Episodes ONE & FOUR (1) (1)

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SCI 110 | NOVA/Origins Question Sheet, Episodes 1 & 4 Instructions: The following questions relate to the NOVA program that has been assigned for your viewing. No other resources are necessary outside of the program and our lectures. Each answer requires no more than one or two well written sentences, some only one word. Do not add in extra “fluff” to fill space. ALL questions must be answered including any “secondary” questions to receive credit. This assignment must be submitted via email by the due date specified in class. USE THIS SHEET ONLY. DO NOT CREATE A NEW DOCUMENT. DO NOT COPYPASTE THIS SHEET INTO AN EMAIL. DO NOT CHANGE THE FORMATTING. ANY CHANGES WILL RESULT IN NO CREDIT GIVEN FOR SUBMISSION. TYPE ANSWERS WHERE INDICATED BELOW EACH QUESTION. QUESTIONS FOR EPISODE ONE: EARTH IS BORN 1. Explain how Earth’s history can be “condensed” into a 24-hour clock. When on this scale was Earth born? a. Earth's formation would occur at midnight on this scale. 2. What is happening in the center of the solar nebula? What kind of elements are closest to the center? a. 3. What does gravity do in regards to the shaping of planets? Was this a fast or slow process? a. Gravity plays a slow process in shaping planets by attracting matter together over long periods of time. 4. How do we “reconstruct” the story of Earth’s infancy? Where do we look to find information? a. Earth infancy can be reconstructed with Geological Records, Meteorites, Fossils , Laboratory experiments, Climate Models and Scientific Collaboration. Information about Earth's early history is found in rocks, minerals, and isotopic dating methods. 5. Fragments of what were collected from where to find clues about Earth’s formation? a. Fragments of meteorites are collected to learn about the conditions in the early solar system. 6. How does dating meteorites tell you about the age of the Earth? The solar system? a. Dating meteorites helps estimate the age of both Earth and the solar system by analyzing isotopes. 7. Was early Earth hot or cool? Why? a. Early Earth was hot due to intense meteorite bombardment and heat from the planet's formation. 8. What’s going on with Earth’s core? What does it have to do with the planet’s poles? a. The Earth's core is responsible for generating its magnetic field, which influences the planet's magnetic poles. 9. Is magnetic North always in the same place? How do you determine its location? a. Magnetic North is not always in the same place and is determined by the movement of Earth's molten iron core. 10. Why do we need a magnetic field to protect the Earth? a. A magnetic field protects Earth from harmful solar radiation and helps maintain a stable climate. 11. What would happen if we had no magnetic field? a. Without a magnetic field, Earth's atmosphere could be stripped away, leading to inhospitable conditions. 12. What did NASA hope to find and learn by going to the Moon? a. NASA aimed to study the Moon's geology, gather data on the solar system's formation, and prepare for future space exploration. 13. What unexpected things did Moon rocks tell us? What was the controversial theory about the Moon that developed from this information? a. Moon rocks revealed that the Moon was formed from Earth's material, leading to the Giant Impact Hypothesis.

SCI 110 | NOVA/Origins Question Sheet, Episodes 1 & 4 Instructions: The following questions relate to the NOVA program that has been assigned for your viewing. No other resources are necessary outside of the program and our lectures. Each answer requires no more than one or two well written sentences, some only one word. Do not add in extra “fluff” to fill space. ALL questions must be answered including any “secondary” questions to receive credit. This assignment must be submitted via email by the due date specified in class. USE THIS SHEET ONLY. DO NOT CREATE A NEW DOCUMENT. DO NOT COPYPASTE THIS SHEET INTO AN EMAIL. DO NOT CHANGE THE FORMATTING. ANY CHANGES WILL RESULT IN NO CREDIT GIVEN FOR SUBMISSION. TYPE ANSWERS WHERE INDICATED BELOW EACH QUESTION. 14. How long was a day on early Earth? Why? Why did this change? a. A day on early Earth was much shorter, possibly around 6 hours, due to the rapid rotation caused by the Giant Impact. 15. At what rate is the Moon moving away from the Earth? a. The Moon's rate of moving away from the Earth: The Moon is receding from the Earth at a rate of about 1.5 inches (3.8 centimeters) per year. 16. Why do we have seasons? a. Seasons on Earth are caused by the tilt of the planet's axis, which results in varying angles and durations of sunlight at different times of the year. 17. Why are Zircons important? How did it change our thoughts about Earth’s cooling? a. Zircons are important because they can be used for radiometric dating, helping to provide more accurate insights into Earth's cooling history. 18. What kind of oxygen was found in zircon and what does that tell us? a. Zircons contain a type of oxygen called O-18, which is associated with a specific type of rock formation and provides valuable information about Earth's geological history. 19. How did volcanoes contribute to the formation of Earth’s oceans? a. Volcanic activity released water vapor into the early Earth's atmosphere, which eventually condensed and contributed to the formation of Earth's oceans. 20. Where else may water have come from? a. Water may have also come from comets and the icy material in the outer solar system. 21. What does the gravitational pull of early Earth and the early Moon make happen? a. The gravitational interaction between Earth and the early Moon led to tidal forces, creating friction and generating heat within the Earth, influencing its geological processes. 22. What atmospheric conditions may have shaped the watery landscape of Earth? a. Earth's early atmosphere was rich in carbon dioxide, which contributed to a greenhouse effect, trapping heat and allowing for liquid water to exist on the surface. 23. How do comets formed closer to the Sun differ from comets formed farther away from the Sun? a. Comets formed closer to the Sun tend to have less ice and more rocky material, while those formed farther from the Sun contain more ice, making them appear brighter and exhibit different behaviors. 24. How do you measure water on objects that are millions of miles away?

SCI 110 | NOVA/Origins Question Sheet, Episodes 1 & 4 Instructions: The following questions relate to the NOVA program that has been assigned for your viewing. No other resources are necessary outside of the program and our lectures. Each answer requires no more than one or two well written sentences, some only one word. Do not add in extra “fluff” to fill space. ALL questions must be answered including any “secondary” questions to receive credit. This assignment must be submitted via email by the due date specified in class. USE THIS SHEET ONLY. DO NOT CREATE A NEW DOCUMENT. DO NOT COPYPASTE THIS SHEET INTO AN EMAIL. DO NOT CHANGE THE FORMATTING. ANY CHANGES WILL RESULT IN NO CREDIT GIVEN FOR SUBMISSION. TYPE ANSWERS WHERE INDICATED BELOW EACH QUESTION. a. Scientists can measure the presence of water on distant objects using spectroscopy, which analyzes the wavelengths of light emitted or absorbed by molecules to identify their composition. 25. Do we know if life was around 4.3 billion years ago? a. There is no direct evidence of life on Earth 4.3 billion years ago, but studies of ancient zircons suggest that conditions for life may have been present on the early Earth. QUESTIONS FOR EPISODE FOUR: BACK TO THE BEGINNING 1. What is the “steady state theory?” Is this theory correct? If not, how was this discovered? a. The steady-state theory was a cosmological model that posited the universe is eternal and unchanging, with matter continuously created to maintain a constant density as the universe expands. This theory has been largely discredited in favor of the Big Bang theory, which has more empirical support. 2. Explain how telephones work. What was the problem with the early satellites used for tele-communication? a. Telephones work by converting sound waves (your voice) into electrical signals that can be transmitted over a network of wires or wireless connections to another telephone. The problem with early satellites for telecommunication was limited bandwidth and capacity. 3. Tell me about the electromagnetic spectrum. What kind of waves do we use for communication? a. The electromagnetic spectrum includes a wide range of waves, from radio waves to gamma rays. For communication, we use radio waves, microwaves, and sometimes infrared and visible light. 4. When we photograph space using wavelengths of light outside of the visible spectrum, are the images more or less detailed? a. Images taken in wavelengths outside the visible spectrum can provide different details about space, such as infrared revealing heat sources. The level of detail depends on the specific wavelength used. 5. How did we discover the microwaves that are present in otherwise empty space? What are these indicative of? How can we observe these in our own homes? a. It is indicative of the afterglow of the Big Bang. We can observe it with microwave receivers or antennas, such as those in microwave ovens. 6. What’s “wrong” with the “shape” of the microwave glow that we observe in space? What would this indicate about us (something we obviously know isn’t true)? a. The uniformity of the microwave glow in space was a significant discovery. It indicates a level of isotropy in the universe, contradicting early expectations of uneven distribution. 7. What did the COBE satellite mission reveal about the universe? What did it not reveal? a. COBE provided evidence for the cosmic microwave background radiation and revealed temperature fluctuations. However, it couldn't resolve small-scale variations, which were later detected by other missions. 8. How did NASA decide to solve the problems that COBE presented? a. The Cosmic Background Imager aimed to create high-resolution maps of cosmic microwave background radiation, providing a more detailed picture of the early universe. 9. What is the goal of the Cosmic Background Imager?

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SCI 110 | NOVA/Origins Question Sheet, Episodes 1 & 4 Instructions: The following questions relate to the NOVA program that has been assigned for your viewing. No other resources are necessary outside of the program and our lectures. Each answer requires no more than one or two well written sentences, some only one word. Do not add in extra “fluff” to fill space. ALL questions must be answered including any “secondary” questions to receive credit. This assignment must be submitted via email by the due date specified in class. USE THIS SHEET ONLY. DO NOT CREATE A NEW DOCUMENT. DO NOT COPYPASTE THIS SHEET INTO AN EMAIL. DO NOT CHANGE THE FORMATTING. ANY CHANGES WILL RESULT IN NO CREDIT GIVEN FOR SUBMISSION. TYPE ANSWERS WHERE INDICATED BELOW EACH QUESTION. a. The Cosmic Background Imager aimed to create high-resolution maps of cosmic microwave background radiation, providing a more detailed picture of the early universe. 10. In order to make very precise measurements of cosmic background radiation from Earth, what kind of environment must you be in? Are these easy conditions to deal with? a. To make precise measurements of cosmic background radiation, one must be in a remote, noise-free environment with minimal interference. These conditions are challenging to achieve. 11. What advantage does the Cosmic Background Imager team have over NASA? a. The CBI team had more control and flexibility over their project compared to NASA's larger missions. 12. Is creating an image of space a quick process once the necessary equipment is up and running? a. Creating images of space is not a quick process; it requires extensive data collection and analysis over a significant period. 13. When did the CBI team start working and when did they produce their first detailed images? a. The CBI team started working in the early 2000s and produced their first detailed images in the mid-2000s. 14. When was WMAP launched? How long is the mission? When did we receive its first images? Are we still receiving images from WMPA? a. The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) was launched in 2001, had a mission duration of several years, and transmitted its first images soon after launch. It's no longer in operation. 15. WMAP has what kind of trajectory to reach its destination? How did this benefit the CBI team? a. WMAP followed a specific trajectory to reach its destination, which minimized interference from Earth. 16. What information does the “topographic” type images that WMAP provides tell us about space? a. Topographic images from WMAP provide information about the variations in the cosmic microwave background radiation, shedding light on the early universe's structure. 17. What triggered the enlarging or expansion of the universe? Is this a quick process or a slow one? a. The universe's expansion was triggered by the Big Bang,which was a rapid process. 18. Does the WMAP image represent a complex universe or one composed of simple structures? a. The WMAP image reveals a universe with simple structures, such as temperature fluctuations that seeded the formation of galaxies. 19. Tell me about what happens with hydrogen in space. How are heavier elements made? a. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. Heavier elements are produced through nucleosynthesis in stars, and elements heavier than iron are formed during supernova explosions. 20. What happens when iron builds up in a star? a. When iron builds up in a star's core, it can no longer support itself against gravitational collapse. This often leads to a supernova explosion. 21. What’s special about the Eagle Nebula? a. The Eagle Nebula is known for its "Pillars of Creation," which are massive columns of gas and dust where new stars are forming. 22. What is the goal of the Keck Telescope? a. The Keck Telescope aims to study distant galaxies and their spectroscopy to understand their composition, age, and motion.