Earth and Life Science - Performance Task

Tree Planting

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Earth and Life Science - Lesson

VORTEX THEORY

In Cartesian cosmology, a vortex is a large circling band containing these planets or comets and other material particles. Our solar system and the entire universe consist of a network of interlocking vortices, which are subject to gravitational and centrifugal powers.

René Descartes devised a Theory of Vortices which postulated that the space was entirely filled with matter in various states, whirling about the sun.

Descartes attempted to figure out the enigma of gravity and the necessity of a medium in space for any function to happen with the "Vortex" Theory of colliding particles which hypothesized that the collisions supply the force that pushed the planets towards the Sun.

Bodies once in motion, remain in motion in a straight line unless and until they are deflected from this line by the impact of another body. All changes of motion are the result of such impacts.

He assumed that the universe is filled with matter which, due to some initial motion, has settled down into a system of vortices which carry the sun, the stars, the planets and comets in their paths.

Planets move around the Sun because they are swept around by whirlpools of a subtle matter filling all space.

Matter and motion were used by Descartes to explain every natural process by means of mechanical models. They provided merely the "most likely models" which seemed quite plausible if you try to apply basic laws of nature.

The vortex theory likewise provided a built-in explanation for the common direction of all planetary orbits. Additionally, the vortex theory allowed Descartes to endorse a form of Copernicanism heliocentrism (sun-centered world) without running afoul of Church censorship.

Descartes believed that God created the universe as a perfect clockwork mechanism of vortical motion that functioned deterministically thereafter without intervention.

In the long run, however, Descartes’ vortex theory failed because neither Descartes nor his followers ever developed a systematic mathematical treatment of the vortex theory that could match the accuracy and predictive scope of the (continuously improving) Newtonian theory;

Newton's law of universal gravitation states that every mass attracts every other mass in the universe, and the gravitational force between two bodies is proportional to the product of their masses, and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

Despite the problems with the vortex theory it was championed in France for nearly one hundred years even after Newton showed it was impossible as a dynamical system.

Earth and Life Science - Lesson

Types of Rocks

Igneous Rocks

-Ignis – “fire”

-Formed by volcanic activity

Types of Igneous Rocks

Extrusive Igneous Rocks or Volcanic -Solidifies at the surface

Intrusive Igneous Rocks or plutonic -Formed at depth

Characterized by:

Texture -size, shape and arrangement of interlocking crystals

Rate of cooling strongly influences crystal size. Slow cooling leads to formation of large crystals while rapid cooling results in smaller crystals:

Coarse-grained       Can be seen w/ bare eyes

Medium-grained    Can only be seen with hand lens

Fine-grained           Can only be seen through the microscope

Mineral composition -based of the chemical makeup of the parent magma

Sedimentary Rocks

Sediments result from uplifting and weathering, which are then transported and deposited into different areas.

Lithification -the process which the sediments are trans-formed into solid sedimentary rock

Compaction- as piles of sediments accumulate, the materials below are compacted by the weight of the overlying layers, as grains are pressed, pore space is greatly minimized, reducing the volume

Cementation-cement particles settle into sediment grains, fills the open spaces and then binds the particles together

As layer upon layer of sediments are accumulated, they carry with them the records of the nature of the environment as the time the sediments are deposited. These layers are called Strata. Fossils are only found in sedimentary rocks

Types of Sedimentary Rocks

Detrimental Sedimentary Rocks -these rocks came from weathered rocks such as igneous rocks

Chemical Sedimentary Rocks -these rocks came from soluble materials produced largely by chemical weathering

Metamorphic Rocks

-came from preexisting rocks called parent rocks

The preexisting rocks may undergo changes in the mineralogy, texture (grain size) & chemical composition.

Metamorphism -process of the transformation of the parent rocks

Agents of Metamorphism

Heat -heat causes chemical reactions that result in recrystallization of existing minerals &/or formation of new mineral

Pressure or stress-pressure causes space between mineral grains in the buried rocks to close, producing a more compact rock w/ higher density

Chemical agents -they act as catalyst to promote crystallization by enhancing ion migrations that may change the composition of the rock