San Beda College Alabang

Alabang Hills Village, Muntinlupa City

College of Arts and Sciences

SC102 Physical Science

Quiz

Name: ALCANTARA, LORIELLA B._____________ Course/Year Level: BSLM-2A___

Essay. Answer the given question substantially and concisely.

1. How are planets kept on their orbits? (5 pts)

The planets all formed from this spinning disk-shaped cloud, and continued this rotating
course around the Sun after they were formed. The gravity of the Sun keeps the planets in
their orbits. They stay in their orbits because there is no other force in the Solar System which
can stop them.
2. Mercury, though it is the planet nearest to the sun, is not the hottest planet. What is
the hottest planet then? Why? (10 pts)
Venus is the hottest planet even though Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. The reason
that Venus is hotter than Mercury is because it has an atmosphere made of carbon dioxide; it also
has clouds of acid inside its atmosphere. This is called greenhouse effect. Its a never ending
cycle of heat being trapped inside due to the rising carbon dioxide levels. This is what happens
when an atmosphere absorbs too much carbon dioxide: the heat has nowhere to go. As the
temperature rises it effects the entire planet, creeping deep into the depths of the core.
3. What made Earth a habitable planet? (10 pts)
It is the right distance from the Sun, it is protected from harmful solar radiation by its
magnetic field, it is kept warm by an insulating atmosphere, and it has the right chemical
ingredients for life, including water and carbon.
4. Differentiate solar eclipse from lunar eclipse. Use illustration to aid your
explanation. (10 pts)
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth so that the Moon's
shadow falls on the Earth. On the other hand, a lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes
between the Sun and Moon and the Sun casts the Earth's shadow on the Moon. Both events
happen only when the Sun, Moon and Earth are aligned.

5. Earth is not the only planet that experiences seasons. What brought seasonal
changes on the planets? (5 pts)
Planetary seasons are caused by two factors: axial tilt and variable distance from the sun
(orbital eccentricity). Earth's orbit is nearly circular and so has little effect on climate. It's our
planet's axial tilt that causes almost all seasonal changes. When the north pole is tilted toward the
Sun, it's northern summer. Six months later the north pole tilts away from the Sun and we
experience northern winter.
6. Is water present on Mars? Cite evidences to support you answer. (10 pts)
Almost all water on Mars today exists as ice, though it also exists in small quantities as vapor
in the atmosphere and occasionally as low-volume liquid brines in shallow Martian soil. The
only place where water ice is visible at the surface is at the north polar ice cap.
7. Jupiter has vivid colors in thick bands on its atmosphere. Explain this unique
characteristic of the planet. (5 pts)
Jupiter is famous for its banded appearance, consisting of orange and brown intermixed with
bands of white. This is due to its composition and the weather patterns that are common to the
planet. As a gas giant, the outer layer of Jupiter is made up of swirling clouds of hydrogen,
helium and other trace elements that move at speeds of up to 100 m/s (360 km/h).
At the same time, the color patterns of orange and white are due to the upwelling of compounds
that change color when they are exposed to ultraviolet light from the Sun. These colorful
compounds known as chromophores, and which are likely made up of sulfur, phosphorus, or
hydrocarbons
8. The International Astronomical Union defined planet and excluded Pluto and
reclassified it as dwarf planet. Why?
For an object to be a planet, it needs to meet these three requirements defined by the IAU:
It needs to be in orbit around the Sun Yes, so maybe Pluto is a planet.
It needs to have enough gravity to pull itself into a spherical shape Plutocheck
It needs to have cleared the neighborhood of its orbit Uh oh. Heres the rule breaker.
According to this, Pluto is not a planet.
Any object that doesnt meet this 3rd criteria is considered a dwarf planet. And so, Pluto is a
dwarf planet. There are still many objects with similar size and mass to Pluto jostling around in
its orbit. And until Pluto crashes into many of them and gains mass, it will remain a dwarf planet.
Eris suffers from the same problem.