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IGCSE Physics Notes Earth and the solar system

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IGCSE Physics Notes / The Earth and the Solar System

 

6.1 The Earth and the Solar System

Summary Fill in the Blanks

Click the blanks to reveal the key answers.

1The Earth

The Earth rotates on its
_______axis
approximately once every
_______24 hours
.
This rotation causes the cycle of
_______day
and
_______night
.
The Earth orbits the
_______Sun
once every
_______365 days
.
The tilt of the Earth's
_______axis
explains the changing
_______seasons
.

2The Moon

The Moon orbits the
_______Earth
in approximately
_______one month
.
The changing appearance of the Moon is called its
_______phases
.

3The Solar System

The Solar System contains one star called the
_______Sun
.
There are
_______eight
planets orbiting the Sun.
The four planets closest to the Sun are
_______rocky
planets.
The four outer planets are
_______gas
giants.
Smaller bodies in the Solar System include
_______asteroids
and
_______comets
.

4Gravity and Orbits

Planets orbit the Sun due to the force of
_______gravity
.
The Sun contains most of the
_______mass
in the Solar System.
This strong gravitational field keeps the planets in
_______orbit
.
The strength of a gravitational field decreases as
_______distance
from the object increases.

5Exam Summary

Earth rotates once every
_______24 hours
causing day and night.
Earth orbits the Sun in about
_______365 days
causing the seasons.
The Moon orbits the Earth in about
_______one month
creating the Moon’s phases.
Planets stay in orbit because of the Sun’s
_______gravitational attraction
.

Key Exam Points

Earth rotates every 24 hours ? day and night.

Earth orbits the Sun every 365 days ? seasons.

Moon orbits Earth every month ? Moon phases.

Gravity keeps planets in orbit around the Sun.

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Syllabus Objectives

6.1.1 The Earth

CORE OBJECTIVES:

  •  Know that the Earth is a planet that rotates on its axis, which is tilted, once in approximately 24 hours, and use this to explain observations of the apparent daily motion of the Sun and the periodic cycle of day and night
  •  Know that the Earth orbits the Sun once in approximately 365 days and use this to explain the periodic nature of the seasons
  •  Know that it takes approximately one month for the Moon to orbit the Earth and use this to explain the periodic nature of the Moon’s cycle of phases Supplement
  •  Define average orbital speed from the equation v = 2??r T where r is the average radius of the orbit and T is the orbital period; recall and use this equation

6.1.2 The Solar System

CORE OBJECTIVES:

  • Describe the Solar System as containing:
  • (a) one star, the Sun
  • (b) the eight named planets and know their order from the Sun
  • (c) minor planets that orbit the Sun, including dwarf planets such as Pluto and asteroids in the asteroid belt
  • (d) moons, that orbit the planets
  • (e) smaller Solar System bodies, including comets and natural satellites
  • Know that, in comparison to each other, the four planets nearest the Sun are rocky and small and the four planets furthest from the Sun are gaseous and large, and explain this difference by referring to an accretion model for Solar System formation, to include:
  • (a) the model’s dependence on gravity
  • (b) the presence of many elements in interstellar clouds of gas and dust
  • (c) the rotation of material in the cloud and the formation of an accretion disc  
  • Know that the strength of the gravitational field
  • (a) at the surface of a planet depends on the mass of the planet
  • (b) around a planet decreases as the distance from the planet increases
  • Calculate the time it takes light to travel a significant distance such as between objects in the Solar System
  • Know that the Sun contains most of the mass of the Solar System and this explains why the planets orbit the Sun
  •  Know that the force that keeps an object in orbit around the Sun is the gravitational attraction of the Sun

EXTENDED/SUPPLEMENT OBJECTIVES:

  • Know that planets, minor planets and comets have elliptical orbits, and recall that the Sun is not at the centre of the elliptical orbit, except when the orbit is approximately circular
  • Analyse and interpret planetary data about orbital distance, orbital duration, density, surface temperature and uniform gravitational field strength at the planet’s surface.
  • Know that the strength of the Sun’s gravitational field decreases and that the orbital speeds of the planets decrease as the distance from the Sun increases 10 Know that an object in an elliptical orbit travels faster when closer to the Sun and explain this using the conservation of energy

Revision Notes

IGCSE Physics Notes The Earth and the Solar System

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