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Standard Area - MST:
Math, Science & Technology
Math, Science & Technology
- Standard - MST4: Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.
- Key Idea Code - MST4.PS:
- Key Idea - MST4.PS1: The Earth and celestial phenomena can be described by principles of relative motion and perspective.
- Course - MST4.C.PS1.ES:
- Academic Level - MST4.C.PS1:
- Performance Indicator - MST4.C.PS1.ES.B: Students describe current theories about the origin of the universe and solar system.
- Major Understandings - 1.2a : The universe is vast and estimated to be over ten billion years old. The current theory is that the universe was created from an explosion called the Big Bang. Evidence for
this theory includes:
- cosmic background radiation
- a red-shift (the Doppler effect) in the light from very distant galaxies.
- Major Understandings - 1.2b : Stars form when gravity causes clouds of molecules to contract until nuclear fusion
of light elements into heavier ones occurs. Fusion releases great amounts of energy over
millions of years.
- The stars differ from each other in size, temperature, and age.
- Our Sun is a medium-sized star within a spiral galaxy of stars known as the Milky Way. Our galaxy contains billions of stars, and the universe contains billions of such galaxies.
- Major Understandings - 1.2c : Our solar system formed about five billion years ago from a giant cloud of gas and
debris. Gravity caused Earth and the other planets to become layered according to
density differences in their materials.
- The characteristics of the planets of the solar system are affected by each planet's location in relationship to the Sun.
- The terrestrial planets are small, rocky, and dense. The Jovian planets are large, gaseous, and of low density.
- Major Understandings - 1.2d : Asteroids, comets, and meteors are components of our solar system.
- Impact events have been correlated with mass extinction and global climatic change.
- Impact craters can be identified in Earth's crust.
- Major Understandings - 1.2e : Earth's early atmosphere formed as a result of the outgassing of water vapor,
carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and lesser amounts of other gases from its interior.
- Major Understandings - 1.2f : Earth's oceans formed as a result of precipitation over millions of years. The presence of an early ocean is indicated by sedimentary rocks of marine origin, dating back
about four billion years.
- Major Understandings - 1.2g : Earth has continuously been recycling water since the outgassing of water early in
its history. This constant recirculation of water at and near Earth's surface is described
by the hydrologic (water) cycle.
- Water is returned from the atmosphere to Earth's surface by precipitation. Water returns to the atmosphere by evaporation or transpiration from plants. A portion of the precipitation becomes runoff over the land or infiltrates into the ground to become stored in the soil or groundwater below the water table. Soil capillarity influences these processes.
- The amount of precipitation that seeps into the ground or runs off is influenced by climate, slope of the land, soil, rock type, vegetation, land use, and degree of saturation.
- Porosity, permeability, and water retention affect runoff and infiltration.
- Major Understandings - 1.2h : The evolution of life caused dramatic changes in the composition of Earth's
atmosphere. Free oxygen did not form in the atmosphere until oxygen-producing
organisms evolved.
- Major Understandings - 1.2i : The pattern of evolution of life-forms on Earth is at least partially preserved in the
rock record.
- Fossil evidence indicates that a wide variety of life-forms has existed in the past and that most of these forms have become extinct.
- Human existence has been very brief compared to the expanse of geologic time.
- Major Understandings - 1.2j : Geologic history can be reconstructed by observing sequences of rock types and
fossils to correlate bedrock at various locations.
- The characteristics of rocks indicate the processes by which they formed and the environments in which these processes took place.
- Fossils preserved in rocks provide information about past environmental conditions.
- Geologists have divided Earth history into time units based upon the fossil record.
- Age relationships among bodies of rocks can be determined using principles of original horizontality, superposition, inclusions, cross-cutting relationships, contact metamorphism, and unconformities. The presence of volcanic ash layers, index fossils, and meteoritic debris can provide additional information.
- The regular rate of nuclear decay (half-life time period) of radioactive isotopes allows geologists to determine the absolute age of materials found in some rocks.