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What Do Earth Scientists Do?
FIRST: Proofread this story and correct any errors.
SECOND: Answer the questions at the end and justify using QAR.
A scientists job is to find out about the universe we live in. There are many branches of science. Earth science
is one of them. But what do earth scientists do.
An earth scientist studies the earth, of course. He studies the history of the earth. He also reports on the
changes that are constant taking place. He studies the universe and the role the earth plays in it.
Earth science has some special branches. Astronomy is the study of the stars planets and other objects in space.
Astronomers measure the size of these objects. They find out what these objects are made of. They also
examine the behaviors of these objects.
Another Branch of earth science is oceanography. Oceanographers study the oceans of the earth. They find out
about the physical features of the ocean. They report on its life forms. Oceanographers keep track of the
natural resources found in the oceans.
Meteorology is a branch of earth science that deals with weather and climate. Meteorologists take
measurements of the atmosphere. They can make predictions about weather and climate in the future.
The last branch of earth sceince is geology. Geology is the study of the origin of the earth. Geologists examine
rocks and minerals to determine the history of the earth. They also study the structure of the earth.
In order to do this work, scientists perform experiments. During experiments they must take accurate
measurements. This data is communicated to other scientists. There must be a system of measurement that
everyone understands. Scientists around the world use the metric system.
The metric system is easy because it is based on the number ten. It is a decimal system that uses multiples of
ten. Each unnit in the metric system is ten times bigger or ten times smaller than the next. There is no need for
messy fractions!
The meter is the basic unit of length in the metric system. In The U.S. we use the English system of
measurement. A meter can be compared to an yard in the English system. You might measure a room in
meters.
Sometimes scientists need to measure longer distances. They can use the kilometer. A kilometer is equal to one
thousand meter . You might measure the distance from one city to another in kilometers. A kilometer is similar
to a mile in the English system.
Meters are also divided into smaller units. A centimeter can be compared to an inch in the English system. You
would probable measure your own height in centimeters. There are one hundred centimeters in a meter.
Meters can be divided into even smaller units. A millimeter is one-thousandth of a meter. Millimeters are like
fractions of an inch. They are used to measure very small lengths. They also help to make measurements more
precise.
In space, distances are very large. Astronomers use a measurement called a light- year. A light-year is the
distance light travels in one year. It is equal to about 9.5 trillion kilometers. This is a huge distance!
Think about this. The light from the most distant stars can take more than ten billion light-years to reach the
earth. Earth is only about 4.5 billion years old. So the light from those stars started moving toward the earth
before the earth existed!
Scientists must make other measurements besides length. they also measure volume, mass, and temperature.
Each of these measurements has a basic metric unit. Each of these basic units is also divided into smaller units
and multiplied into larger units based on the number ten.
Volume is a measure of the amount of space an object takes up. If you dunk a cookie into a glass of milk, the
level of the milk rises. This is because the cookie has volume. It takes up some of the space that used to be
occupied by the milk. It forces the milk to rise up into the top of the glass. The metric unit for volume is the
liter. It can be cumparud to a quart in the English system.
Mass is the amount of matter in an object. The mass of an object is constant. No matter where it is on earth or
in space, an object will have the same mass. The metric unit of mass is a gram. It is used to measure most
small units of mass. A kilogram is one Thousand grams and is used to measure the mass of larger objects.
Temperature, of course, is how warm or cold an object is. Scientists use the Celsius scale to measure
temperature. This scale is based on the freezing and boiling points of water. Water freezes at zero degrees and
boils at one hundred degrees. Room temperature in Celsius is about twenty degrees.
Earth scientists solve many of the mysteries of our planet and the universe. They use the metric system to
measure and gather data. They run experiments to find answers to the many questions we have.
Use QAR and show where you found the answers.
1. List the branches of science associated with Earth Science.
2. How do geologists study the earth? How is that different from geographers?
3. What does light moving from distant parts of the universe tell us about the age of the universe?
4. Do you think all scientists should use the metric system? Explain your answer.
What Do Earth Scientists Do? Answer
Key
A scientist's job is to find out about the universe we live in. There are many branches of
science. Earth science is one of them. But what do earth scientists do?
An earth scientist studies the earth, of course. He studies the history of the earth. He also reports
on the changes that are constantly taking place. He studies the universe and the role the earth
plays in it.
Earth science has some special branches. Astronomy is the study of the stars, planets, and other
objects in space. Astronomers measure the size of these objects. They find out what these objects
are made of. They also examine the behaviors of these objects.
Another branch of earth science is oceanography. Oceanographers study the oceans of the
earth. They find out about the physical features of the ocean. They report on its life forms.
Oceanographers keep track of the natural resources found in the oceans.
Meteorology is a branch of earth science that deals with weather and climate. Meteorologists
take measurements of the atmosphere. They can make predictions about weather and climate in
the future.
The last branch of earth science is geology. Geology is the study of the origin of the earth.
Geologists examine rocks and minerals to determine the history of the earth. They also study the
structure of the earth.
In order to do this work, scientists perform experiments. During experiments they must take
accurate measurements. This data is communicated to other scientists. There must be a system of
measurement that everyone understands. Scientists around the world use the metric system.
The metric system is easy because it is based on the number ten. It is a decimal system that uses
multiples of ten. Each unit in the metric system is ten times bigger or ten times smaller than the
next. There is no need for messy fractions!
The meter is the basic unit of length in the metric system. In the U.S. we use the English system
of measurement. A meter can be compared to a yard in the English system. You might measure a
room in meters.
Sometimes scientists need to measure longer distances. They can use the kilometer. A kilometer
is equal to one thousand meters. You might measure the distance from one city to another in
kilometers. A kilometer is similar to a mile in the English system.
Meters are also divided into smaller units. A centimeter can be compared to an inch in the
English system. You would probably measure your own height in centimeters. There are one
hundred centimeters in a meter.
Meters can be divided into even smaller units. A millimeter is one-thousandth of a meter.
Millimeters are like fractions of an inch. They are used to measure very small lengths. They also
help to make measurements more precise.
In space, distances are very large. Astronomers use a measurement called a light- year. A lightyear is the distance light travels in one year. It is equal to about 9.5 trillion kilometers. This is a
huge distance!
Think about this. The light from the most distant stars can take more than ten billion light-years
to reach the earth. Earth is only about 4.5 billion years old. So the light from those stars started
moving toward the earth before the earth existed!
Scientists must make other measurements besides length. They also measure volume, mass, and
temperature. Each of these measurements has a basic metric unit. Each of these basic units is also
divided into smaller units and multiplied into larger units based on the number ten.
Volume is a measure of the amount of space an object takes up. If you dunk a cookie into a glass
of milk, the level of the milk rises. This is because the cookie has volume. It takes up some of the
space that used to be occupied by the milk. It forces the milk to rise up into the top of the glass.
The metric unit for volume is the liter. It can be compared to a quart in the English system.
Mass is the amount of matter in an object. The mass of an object is constant. No matter where it
is on earth or in space, an object will have the same mass. The metric unit of mass is a gram. It is
used to measure smaller units of mass. A kilogram is one thousand grams and is used to
measure the mass of larger objects.
Temperature, of course, is how warm or cold an object is. Scientists use the Celsius scale to
measure temperature. This scale is based on the freezing and boiling points of water. Water
freezes at zero degrees and boils at one hundred degrees. Room temperature in Celsius is about
twenty degrees.
Earth scientists solve many of the mysteries of our planet and the universe. They use the metric
system to measure and gather data. They run experiments to find answers to the many questions
we have.