| Term | Definition |
|---|
| general law of relativity | there is no experiment that can tell the difference between acceleration and gravity. meaning -- there is a connection between mass and time. |
| special law of relativity | all observers measure the same speed for the speed of light. meaning -- time must 'tick' slower near a large mass. |
| equation of 4-space | x²+y²+z²-c²t² (sum of planes minus time) |
| geodesic | the shortest path in 4-space |
| list the experiments that support the theory of relativity | 1) Advance of the Periheleon of Mercury. Time slows as mass gets larger. 2) 'Fast' electron small small / E=MC² 3) Eddington experiment: No space / space is curved. |
| The Advance of the Perihelion of Mercury | since time 'ticks' slower near the Sun, Mercury appears to accelerate which moves the Perihelion point. |
| perihelion | closest point to the Sun. |
| eddington experiment | when light passes near the sun the time shift causes a curve that is greater near the sun. |
| Mercury Stats | Density - 5gmkm³, Moons - no, Atmosphere - no, magnetic field - no, probe - mariner, spin ~ 60 days, orbit ~ 90 days, special feature - caloris basin, scarp - a canyon-like feature. |
| why does Mercury have a 3:2 resonance | The scarps show the exterior and interior of mercury cooled at different times. thus mercury ended up looking like a pendulum. |
| postive feedback loop | when the result of an action makes the action more likely. |
| negative feedback look | when the result of an action makes the action less likely. |
| discuss the Deuterium/Hydrogen ratio of Venus | the amount of deuterium on venus is close to that of earth which suggests venus once had water. |
| major producers of greenhouse gases | 1) termites 2) herbivors 3) human fossil fuel use |
| discuss radar mapping and resolution | for radar mapping you need a good clock and antenna. at low resolution you get a quick look but little detail. at high resolution it takes " many" looks to see the entire planet. |
| discuss the pancake features on Venus | large domes on Venus resemble 'pancakes' this argues that venus has a rigid surface (unlike earth). |
| discuss what suggests Venus has a hot core | there are few craters and we observe electrical discharges simular to those found at Earth's volcanoes. |
| primary atmosphere | original atmosphere, H1He |
| secondary atmosphere | the heavy gases ejected by volcanoes. |
| discuss the landing system used for the 2000-2006 mars landers | 1st High-Speed Parachute, 2nd Rocket until ~ 100ft, 3rd Balloon shock asorbers. |
| Why should Phobos and Deimos not be considered moons? | 1) Too small to condense initially. 2) Crater density is off. 3) Phobos will impact Mars in ~ 250 million years. |
| Phobos | Moon around Mars |
| Deimos | Moon around Mars |
| Discuss the Data that suggests Mars once held water. | 1) Flow Plains 2) Water Vapor is Seasonally Moved 3) We have found sub-surface ice. |
| Discuss ' Dust Storms' on Mars. How does this relate to Earth? | 1) Axial Tilt = Atmosphere Shift 2) Thin Atmosphere = Dust stays up. 3) Dust blocks sunlight which causes global cooling -- This suggests Nuclear winter. |
| Kirkwood Gaps | Caused by "Gravitational Resonance" between an asteroid orbit and Jupiter's period. |
| Discuss the three body problem | It is impossible to predict the orbits of more than two bodies. Thus we can not predict the future position of any planet with absolute accuracy. |
| Coma | The recently evaporated material of a comet |
| Ion tail | The Charged material from a comet |
| Nucleus (of a Comet) | The Rock/Ice core of a comet. |
| Discuss Far Asteroids | Far asteroids sometimes emit gases. This coupled with comet data strongly suggest that comets/asteroids are basically the same. |
| Compare Meteors, Asteroids, and Comets | Meteors are broken up Asteroids. Asteroids are comets without gases. Comets are 'young' asteroids that have not lost their gases. |
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