In essence, the nebular theory holds that __________.
answer
our solar system formed from the collapse of an interstellar cloud of gas and dust
question
According to modern science, what was the approximate chemical composition of the solar nebula?
answer
98% hydrogen and helium, 2% everything else
question
The terrestrial planets are made almost entirely of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. According to modern science, where did the elements heavier than hydrogen and helium come from?
answer
They were produced by stars that lived and died before our solar system was born
question
According to our theory of solar system formation, what three major changes occurred in the solar nebula as it shrank in size?
answer
It got hotter, its rate of rotation increased, and it flattened into a disk.
question
Which of the following types of material can condense into what we call ice at low temperatures?
answer
hydrogen compounds
question
According to our present theory of solar system formation, which of the following lists the major ingredients of the solar nebula in order from the most abundant to the least abundant?
answer
hydrogen and helium gas; hydrogen compounds; rock; metal
question
In the context of the formation of planets in the solar nebula, the frost line marks the distance from the Sun beyond which __________.
answer
the temperature was low enough for hydrogen compounds to condense into ices
question
What do we mean by accretion in the context of planet formation?
answer
the growth of planetesimals from smaller solid particles that collided and stuck together
question
According to the nebular theory of solar system formation, why were solid planetesimals able to grow larger in the outer solar system than in the inner solar system?
answer
Because only metal and rock could condense in the inner solar system, whereas ice also condensed in the outer solar system.
question
According to our basic scenario of solar system formation, why do the jovian planets have numerous large moons?
answer
As the growing jovian planets captured gas from the solar nebula, the gas formed swirling disks around them, and moons formed from condensation accretion within these disks.
question
According to our theory of solar system formation, what are asteroids and comets?
answer
leftover planetesimals that never accreted into planets
question
What do we mean by the period of heavy bombardment in the context of the history of our solar system?
answer
The first few hundred million years after the planets formed, which is when most impact craters were formed.
question
What is the giant impact hypothesis for the origin of the Moon?
answer
The Moon formed from material blasted out of the Earth's mantle and crust by the impact of a Mars-size object.
question
Consider a radioactive substance with a half-life of 10 years. If you start with 1 kilogram of this substance, after 20 years, _____ of the radioactive substance will remain.
answer
0.25 kilogram
question
According to modern scientific dating techniques, approximately how long ago did Earth and the other planets of our solar system form?
answer
4.5 billion years
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