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Standard Area - TECH: Learning Standards for Technology
(see MST standards under Previous Standard Versions)-
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Introduction - MST4.C.ES.PS1.Introduction:
People have observed the stars for thousands of years, using them to find direction, note the passage of time, and to express their values and traditions. As our technology has progressed, so has understanding of celestial objects and events.
Theories of the universe have developed over many centuries. Although to a casual observer celestial bodies appeared to orbit a stationary Earth, scientific discoveries led us to the understanding that Earth is one planet that orbits the Sun, a typical star in a vast and ancient universe. We now infer an origin and an age and evolution of the universe, as we speculate about its future.
As we look at Earth, we find clues to its origin and how it has changed through nearly five billion years, as well as the evolution of life on Earth.
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Major Understandings - MST4.C.ES.PS1.1a:
Most objects in the solar system are in regular and predictable motion.- These motions explain such phenomena as the day, the year, seasons, phases of the moon, eclipses, and tides.
- Gravity influences the motions of celestial objects. The force of gravity between two objects in the universe depends on their masses and the distance between them.
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Major Understandings - MST4.C.ES.PS1.1b:
Nine planets move around the Sun in nearly circular orbits.- The orbit of each planet is an ellipse with the Sun located at one of the foci.
- Earth is orbited by one moon and many artificial satellites.
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Major Understandings - MST4.C.ES.PS1.1c:
Earth's coordinate system of latitude and longitude, with the equator and prime meridian as reference lines, is based upon Earth's rotation and our observation of the Sun and stars. -
Major Understandings - MST4.C.ES.PS1.1d:
Earth rotates on an imaginary axis at a rate of 15 degrees per hour. To people on Earth, this turning of the planet makes it seem as though the Sun, the moon, and the stars are moving around Earth once a day. Rotation provides a basis for our system of local time; meridians of longitude are the basis for time zones. -
Major Understandings - MST4.C.ES.PS1.1e:
The Foucault pendulum and the Coriolis effect provide evidence of Earth's rotation. -
Major Understandings - MST4.C.ES.PS1.1f:
Earth's changing position with regard to the Sun and the moon has noticeable effects.- Earth revolves around the Sun with its rotational axis tilted at 23.5 degrees to a line perpendicular to the plane of its orbit, with the North Pole aligned with Polaris.
- During Earth's one-year period of revolution, the tilt of its axis results in changes in the angle of incidence of the Sun's rays at a given latitude; these changes cause variation in the heating of the surface. This produces seasonal variation in weather.
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Major Understandings - MST4.C.ES.PS1.1g:
Seasonal changes in the apparent positions of constellations provide evidence of Earth's revolution. -
Major Understandings - MST4.C.ES.PS1.1h:
The Sun's apparent path through the sky varies with latitude and season. -
Major Understandings - MST4.C.ES.PS1.1i:
Approximately 70 percent of Earth's surface is covered by a relatively thin layer of water, which responds to the gravitational attraction of the moon and the Sun with a daily cycle of high and low tides.
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