← Earth and Environmental Science syllabus

VirginiaEarth and Environmental Science

Reporting Category: Oceanography, the Atmosphere, Meteorology and Astronomy

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

Why does Earth have seasons, and how do the tilt and revolution control the angle of sunlight?

Explain that Earth's seasons are caused by the tilt of its axis (about 23.5 degrees) as it revolves around the Sun, which changes the directness of sunlight and the length of daylight (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.11).
A SOL-level answer on the seasons for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: why the tilt of Earth's axis, not its distance from the Sun, causes the seasons, how the directness of sunlight (insolation) and daylight length change, the solstices and equinoxes, and why the hemispheres have opposite seasons, with worked exam questions.
12 min answer →

How do stars produce energy, and how does the H-R diagram organize them?

Explain that stars produce energy by nuclear fusion, describe the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram and the relationship between a star's color, temperature and luminosity, and outline the life cycle of a star (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.12).
A SOL-level answer on stars for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: how stars produce energy by nuclear fusion, what the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram shows about color, temperature and luminosity, the main sequence, and how a star's life cycle depends on its mass, with worked exam questions.
12 min answer →

How do the motions of the Earth, Moon and Sun cause day and night, Moon phases and eclipses?

Explain how Earth's rotation causes day and night, how the Moon's orbit causes its phases, and how the alignment of the Sun, Earth and Moon causes solar and lunar eclipses (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.11).
A SOL-level answer on the Earth-Moon-Sun system for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: how rotation causes day and night, the cause and sequence of Moon phases, why eclipses happen only at certain alignments, the difference between a solar and a lunar eclipse, and why eclipses are not monthly, with worked exam questions.
13 min answer →

What is in the solar system, and what keeps the planets in orbit?

Describe the structure of the solar system (the Sun, terrestrial and gas-giant planets, and small bodies), explain that orbits are elliptical (Kepler), and explain how gravity and inertia keep planets in orbit (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.2 and ES.11).
A SOL-level answer on the solar system for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: the Sun and the inner terrestrial versus outer gas-giant planets, asteroids, comets and other small bodies, the nebular hypothesis, Kepler's elliptical orbits, and how gravity and inertia combine to keep planets orbiting, with worked exam questions.
13 min answer →

How big is the universe, and what is the evidence that it began with the Big Bang?

Describe galaxies and the scale of the universe, explain the Big Bang theory and its evidence (redshift and the cosmic microwave background), and outline how the electromagnetic spectrum and telescopes are used to study space (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.12).
A SOL-level answer on the universe for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: galaxies and their types, the vast scale measured in light-years, the Big Bang theory and its evidence (the redshift of distant galaxies and the cosmic microwave background), and how the electromagnetic spectrum and telescopes let us study space, with worked exam questions.
13 min answer →