Reading

Read all of chapters 2 and 3.

Some questions to help you prepare for chapters 2 and 3 reading quiz. Don't forget to learn vocabulary that is new to you, especially the terms presented in bold face in the text.

Chapter 2: Orbits and Gravity

Planet orbits are almost circular, but not quite -- what are they?
How many laws did Kepler propose?
How many laws did Newton propose?
To what do Kepler's laws pertain, most generally?
To what do Newton's laws pertain, most generally?
How is gravity connected to orbits?
To what does a "planet's period" refer?
Which planet has the longer period, one near the Sun or one further away?
Approximately where is the asteroid belt?
What is "escape velocity"?
How is mathematics connected to the discovery of Neptune?

Chapter 3: Earth, Moon, and Sky

What system do we use to locate places on the Earth? How does it work?
What system do we use to locate places in the sky?
What's special about Greenwich England?
What is the reason we have seasons on Earth?
What is the season in Argentina when it is summer in Detroit?
Why is a sidereal day different from a solar day?
Approximately where is the international date line? What happens if you cross it?
What is the challenge in making a workable calendar?
Why does the Moon have phases?
Does the Moon rotate?
What are tides and what is the primary influence on them?
What is a solar eclipse? a lunar eclipse?