The Cosmic Perspective (9th Edition)
9th Edition
ISBN: 9780134874364
Author: Jeffrey O. Bennett, Megan O. Donahue, Nicholas Schneider, Mark Voit
Publisher: PEARSON
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Chapter 8, Problem 49EAP
Lunar Rocks. You are dating Moon rocks based on their proportions of uranium-238 (half-life of about 4.5 billion years) and its ultimate decay product, lead. Find the age for each of the following.
- A rock for which you determine that 55% of the original uranium-238 remains, while the other 45% has decayed into lead
- A rock for which you determine that 63% of the original uranium-238 remains, while the other 37% has decayed into lead
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How many impacts would you expect to strike a 100m2 region in one hour during Earth’s formation, assuming that Earth grew to its present size in 10 million years from particles averaging 100 grams each? (Hint: Assume that Earth had its current radius of 6378km.) (Notes: The surface area of a sphere is 4pir2 ; 1yr=3.2x107 .)
a. About 1300.
b. About 13 .
c. About 13,000.
d. About 130
Activity #1. Compare and Contrast. Similarities and differences of Venus, Earth and Mars.
Do this on a separate sheet of paper.
1. Compare and contrast the three (3) terrestrial planets using table 1.
2. Provide explanations for your observations using table 2.
3. Answer the following guide questions.
Guide questions:
1. Does planet size affect gravity?
2. Why do you think Venus has the highest mean temperature among the three planets?
3. Is presence of water a primary factor for a planet to sustain life? Why or why not?
4. Based on your observations using table 2, what are the notable features that makes the
earth the only habitable planet among the three terrestrial planets?
5. What conclusions can you make?
We think the terrestrial planets formed around solid “seeds” that later grew over time through the accretion of rocks and metals.
a) Suppose the Earth grew to its present size in 1 million years through the accretion of particles averaging 100 grams each. On average, how many particles did the Earth capture per second, given that the mass of the Earth is = 5.972 × 10 ^24 kg ?
b) If you stood on Earth during its formation and watched a region covering 100 m^2, how many impacts would you expect to see in one hour. Use the impact rate you calculated in part a. You’ll need the following as well: the radius of the Earth is = 6.371 × 10 ^6 m and the surface area of the Earth is 4??^2Earth
Chapter 8 Solutions
The Cosmic Perspective (9th Edition)
Ch. 8 - Prob. 1VSCCh. 8 - Prob. 2VSCCh. 8 - Prob. 3VSCCh. 8 -
Briefly describe the four major features of our...Ch. 8 - What is the nebular theory, and why is it widely...Ch. 8 - What do we mean by the solar nebula? What was it...Ch. 8 -
4. Describe the three key processes that led the...Ch. 8 - List the approximate condensation temperature and...Ch. 8 - What was the frost line? Which ingredients...Ch. 8 - Briefly describe the process by which terrestrial...
Ch. 8 - How was the formation of jovian planets similar to...Ch. 8 - What is the solar wind, and what roles did it play...Ch. 8 - How did planet formation lead to the existence of...Ch. 8 - What was the heavy bombardment, and when did it...Ch. 8 - What is the leading hypothesis for the Moon’s...Ch. 8 - Prob. 13EAPCh. 8 - How old is the solar system, and how do we know?Ch. 8 - Surprising Discoveries? Suppose we found a solar...Ch. 8 - Prob. 16EAPCh. 8 - Surprising Discoveries? Suppose we found a solar...Ch. 8 - Prob. 18EAPCh. 8 - Prob. 19EAPCh. 8 - Prob. 20EAPCh. 8 - Prob. 21EAPCh. 8 - Prob. 22EAPCh. 8 - Prob. 23EAPCh. 8 - Prob. 24EAPCh. 8 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 8 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 8 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 8 - Prob. 28EAPCh. 8 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 8 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 8 - Prob. 31EAPCh. 8 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 8 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 8 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 8 - Explaining the Past. Is it really possible for...Ch. 8 - Prob. 37EAPCh. 8 - Prob. 38EAPCh. 8 - An Early Solar Wind. Suppose the solar wind had...Ch. 8 - Angular Momentum. Suppose our solar nebula had...Ch. 8 - Two Kinds of Planets. The jovian planets differ...Ch. 8 - Prob. 43EAPCh. 8 - Prob. 44EAPCh. 8 - Prob. 45EAPCh. 8 - Prob. 46EAPCh. 8 - Lucky to Be Here? Considering the overall process...Ch. 8 - Radiometric Dating. You are dating rocks by their...Ch. 8 - Lunar Rocks. You are dating Moon rocks based on...Ch. 8 - Carbon-14 Dating. The half-life of carbon-14 is...Ch. 8 - Prob. 51EAPCh. 8 - Icy Earth. How massive would Earth have to have...Ch. 8 - What Are the Odds? The fact that all the planets...Ch. 8 - Spinning Up the Solar Nebula. The orbital speed of...
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- Impact Energy. Consider a comet about 2 kilometers across with a mass of 4 × 1012 kg. Assume that it crashes into Earth at a speed of 30,000 meters per second (about 67,000 miles per hour). a. What is the total energy of the impact, in joules? (Hint: The kinetic energy formula tells us that the impact energy in joules will be 1 × m × v2, where 2 m is the comet’s mass in kilograms and v is its speed in meters per second.) b. A 1-megaton nuclear explosion releases about 4 × 1015 joules of energy. How many such nuclear bombs would it take to release as much energy as the comet impact? c. Based on your answers, comment on the degree of devastation the comet might cause.arrow_forwardYou analyze a sample of a meteorite that landed on Earth and find that 7/8 of the uranium-238 radioactive atoms have decayed into lead-206. What is the age of the sample (in years) if the half-life of uranium-238 is 4.5 billion years?arrow_forwardDescribe how we use radioactive elements and their decay products to find the age of a rock sample. Is this necessarily the age of the entire world from which the sample comes? Explain.arrow_forward
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