Geography 101 Exam 1

Front 1

First Law of Planetary Motion

Back 1

Planets orbit the sun in elliptical, not circular, orbits

Front 2

Second Law of Planetary Motion

Back 2

A line connecting the Earth and Sun sweeps out equal areas in equal time periods

Front 3

Revolution

Back 3

Movement of Earth about the Sun

Front 4

Rotation

Back 4

movement of the Earth about its axis

Front 5

North and South Poles

Back 5

intersection of the Earth's axis with the surface

Front 6

Latitude

Back 6

-measure of the north-south dimension
-are parallel

Front 7

Equator

Back 7

a line around the Earth's surface that is equidistant from the two poles

Front 8

Great Circle

Back 8

Any line that divides the earth into two hemispheres

Front 9

Nautical Mile

Back 9

one minute of arc length at the equator

Front 10

Longitude

Back 10

measure of the east-west dimension

Front 11

Prime Meridian

Back 11

0 degrees on longitude, passes trhough Greenwich Observatory

Front 12

International Date Line

Back 12

180 degrees longitude, opposite the Prime Meridian

Front 13

Perihelion

Back 13

When the Earth is nearest to the sun, on Jan 4, 147 million km

Front 14

Aphelion

Back 14

Whent he Earth is furthest from the sun, July 4, 153 million km

Front 15

Plane of the Ecliptic

Back 15

imaginary plane in which the Earth's orbit lies

Front 16

Polar angle

Back 16

-angle between the Plane of the Ecliptic and the Earth's axis
-66.5 degrees

Front 17

Axial Tilt

Back 17

-the angle from being perpendicular to the Plane of the Ecliptic
-23.5 degrees

Front 18

Circle of Illumination

Back 18

separates the Earth into a sunlit hemisphere and a dark hemisphere

Front 19

Equinox

Back 19

one of two times during the year when the sun's rays are directly overhead at the equator

Front 20

Solstice

Back 20

one of two times during the year when the sun's rays are directly overhead at a point furthest from the equator

Front 21

Tropics

Back 21

latitudes where the sun's rays are directly overhead at noon during a solstice

Front 22

Tropic of Cancer

Back 22

-Northern Hemisphere
-locateda t 23.5 degrees N lat

Front 23

Tropic of Capricorn

Back 23

-Southern Hemisphere
-located at 23.5 degrees south latitude

Front 24

Circles

Back 24

latitudes where the sun's rays are on the horizon at midnight during a solstice

Front 25

Arctic Circle

Back 25

-Northern Hemisphere
-located at 66.5 degrees N lat

Front 26

Antarctic Circle

Back 26

-Southern Hemisphere
-located at 66.5 degrees S lat

Front 27

Perigee

Back 27

-moon is closest to Earth
-354,00 km

Front 28

Apogee

Back 28

-moon is furthest from Earth
-404,000 km

Front 29

Node

Back 29

occurs when the moon crosses the Plane of the Ecliptic

Front 30

Syzygy

Back 30

occurs when the earth, sun, and moon are aligned to form a straight line

Front 31

Conjunction

Back 31

-Sun-Moon-Earth
-when moon blocks out earth
-Solar Eclipse

Front 32

Opposition

Back 32

-Sun-Earth-Moon
-Earth bloks out moon
-Lunar eclipse

Front 33

Quadrature

Back 33

-occurs when the earth, sun, and moon form a right angle
-occurs every 14 and 3/4 days

Front 34

Perigean Tide

Back 34

-greater than normal tide at Perigee
-tidal range is 20% greater (higher high, lower low)

Front 35

Apogean Tide

Back 35

-lesser than normal tide at apogee
-tidal range is 20% less (lower high, higher low)

Front 36

Spring Tide

Back 36

-greater than normal tide at syzygy
-tidal range is 20% greater (higher high, lowerl ow)

Front 37

Neap Tide

Back 37

-lesser than normal tide at quadrature
-tidal range is 20% less (lower high, high low)

Front 38

Electromagnetic Radiation

Back 38

-series of waves of light having different wavelengths
-can be absorbed, reflected, or transmitted (like through a pane of glass)

Front 39

Albedo

Back 39

percent of solar/shortwave radiation that is reflected from a surface

Front 40

Solar constant

Back 40

-Energy recieved at the top of the atmoshpere
-1376 Wm^2

Front 41

Conduction

Back 41

Energy exchange between objects by physical contact

Front 42

Convection

Back 42

Energy exchange between objects by flow of a fluid (atmosphere)

Front 43

Latent Heat

Back 43

-Energy stored by changing water from solid or liquid to a gas
-no change in temperature, but change in phase of water molecules

Front 44

Evaporation

Back 44

Liquid to gas

Front 45

Sublimation

Back 45

Solid to Gas