Introduction to Earth Science
Branches of Earth Science
 Geology- _______________________________________________________________________
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Volcanoes, earthquakes, fossils
 Oceanography- _________________________________________________________________
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Waves, currents, ocean floor
 Meteorology- ___________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
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weather, hurricanes, tornadoes
 Astronomy- ____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
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Stars, asteroids, planets
 Specialized branches of Earth Science

Ecology- ________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
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Geochemistry- ___________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
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Environmental Science- ____________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
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Geography- ______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
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Cartography- _____________________________________________________________
The Scientific Method
 Scientific Method- _______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
 Observation- ___________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
 Ask a Question: What would you like to have answered?

Do plants grow better with music or no music?
 Form a Hypothesis: Educated guess, possible answer to your question

I believe the plants exposed to music will grow at a faster rate than the plants not
exposed to music.
 Test the Hypothesis: Controlled experiment-tests one factor, Earth science typically uses
observations

Plant seeds, put one set in a quiet room, place the others in a room with music playing
24/7
 Analyze the Results: Use of tables and graphs to record data

Measure the plant growth, make a table/graph to compare the growth
 Draw Conclusions: Do the results support your hypothesis

Look at your graph, was there a difference in the growth? Was your hypothesis correct?
 Communicate Results: Share what you learned

Write a paper, give a presentation
Scientific Models
 Model- ________________________________________________________________________
Three Types of Models
 Physical Models- ______________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

Cars, airplanes, toys
 Mathematical Models- __________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

Global warming
 Mathematical model designed to help scientists predict future
temperature changes of Earth’s atmosphere
 The temperature of Earth has risen 1.4°F since 1880
 Conceptual Models- ____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
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Theory- _______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
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 Atomic theory, big bang theory
Measurement and Safety
 International System of Units (SI)- __________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
 Meter- _____________________________________________________________________
 Volume- ____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
 Mass-______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
 Temperature- _______________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
International System of Units
 Length- measured in meters (m)

 Volume

Liquid- measured in liters (L)

 Meniscus- curve in fluid, must read at the bottom of the meniscus

Solid- measured in cubic centimeters (cm³)
 Regular shape- length x width x height

 Irregular shape- measure water displacement

 1mL = 1 cm³
 Mass- measured in kilograms (kg)
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 Density- mass ÷ volume (g/cm³)
 Temperature- measured in degrees Celcius (ºC)

Scientific Notation
 Short way of representing very large and very small numbers without using all the place holding
zeros
 Ex: 653,000,000

We want a number greater than 1 and less than 10 so we move the decimal point after
the first digit (6)

Find the exponent by counting the number of places that you moved the decimal point

We moved 8 places so our answer is: 6.53 x 10⁸
 Practice

789,000,000

6,450,000,000

23,700,000,000

.00000000682.

.000000269

.00000000975