Earth's Grid, Heat Zones & Time Systems: 25 flashcards
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1. What are the four overlapping spheres of the Earth?
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Lithosphere (rocky shell), hydrosphere (all water), atmosphere (gas envelope), and biosphere (all living things).
2. What is an ocean current?
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A large, continuous, directed movement of seawater driven by winds and density differences.
3. What causes the Coriolis effect?
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Earth's rotation, which bends moving water and air to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.
4. How do warm ocean currents affect nearby coasts?
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They raise coastal temperatures and add moisture, giving warmer, wetter air and milder winters.
5. How do cold ocean currents affect nearby coasts?
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They cool and dry the air, often producing fog and helping form coastal deserts.
6. What does latitude measure?
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Distance north or south of the Equator, from $0^\circ$ at the Equator to $90^\circ$ at the poles.
7. What does longitude measure?
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Distance east or west of the Prime Meridian, from $0^\circ$ to $180^\circ$ each way.
8. Why are lines of latitude called parallels?
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Because they run east–west and never meet, staying parallel to each other.
9. Why do lines of longitude converge?
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Because meridians run north–south and meet at the North and South Poles.
10. At what latitude is the Tropic of Cancer?
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$23.5^\circ\text{N}$ — the northern limit where the sun can be directly overhead.
11. At what latitude is the Tropic of Capricorn?
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$23.5^\circ\text{S}$ — the southern limit where the sun can be directly overhead.
12. What are the five heat zones of the Earth?
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The Torrid Zone, two Temperate Zones, and two Frigid Zones.
13. Why does $15^\circ$ of longitude equal 1 hour of time difference?
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Because Earth rotates $360^\circ$ in 24 hours, so it turns $15^\circ$ every hour.
14. What is local time?
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The time based on the sun's position at a place, where noon is when the sun is highest in the sky.
15. What is GMT or UTC?
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The reference time at $0^\circ$ longitude (the Prime Meridian), used as the world's standard time.
16. What happens to the date when you cross the International Date Line heading west?
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You add one day to the calendar.
17. What happens to the date when you cross the International Date Line heading east?
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You subtract one day from the calendar.
18. Why does the International Date Line zig-zag?
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To avoid splitting countries and islands across two different dates.
19. Which meridian is Indian Standard Time based on?
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The meridian $82.5^\circ\text{E}$, which passes near Mirzapur.
20. What is IST in relation to UTC?
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IST is UTC + 5:30 — five and a half hours ahead of GMT.
21. Why does India use a single standard time despite its wide spread?
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India spans about $68^\circ\text{E}$ to $97^\circ\text{E}$ (roughly two hours of local time), so one national clock keeps the country coordinated.
22. What is the maximum value of latitude and of longitude?
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Latitude never exceeds $90^\circ$; longitude never exceeds $180^\circ$.
23. What causes the heat zones and the seasons?
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Earth's axial tilt, which makes the sun's rays strike different latitudes at different angles through the year.
24. Which heat zone receives the most direct sunlight through the year?
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The Torrid Zone, centred on the Equator.
25. How is a place located on Earth's grid?
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By a coordinate pair of latitude and longitude, such as $(28^\circ\text{N},\ 77^\circ\text{E})$ for Delhi.
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