Earth Science Review 6 th Grade Scientific Inquiry/Methods Scientific inquiry refers to the many ways in which scientist study the natural world and propose explanation based on information gathered. A hypothesis is a possible explanation for a set of observations. Scientific Inquiry/Methods When you infer, you try to explain or interpret things you observe. A variable is a factor that is changed in an experiment. Solar System The solar system consists of eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. They are separated and commonly referred to as the inner and outer planets. Solar System The inner planets consist of Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. They are called the terrestrial planets because they are small dense and have rocky surfaces. The outer planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. They are much larger and more massive than the inner planets and are referred to as the Gas Giants. Heat Transfer There are three types of heat transfer: radiation, conduction and convection Radiation is the transfer of energy through space. Conduction is the transfer of heat within a material or between materials that touch. Convection is heat transfer by movement of currents in a fluid. Fresh Water Resources The water cycle is the continuous process by which water move from Earths surface to the atmosphere and back. Water is used for household purposes, industry, transportation and recreation. To conserve fresh water one can take shorter showers, turn faucet off when brushing teeth, run washing machine with full load of clothes. Picture provided by gpm.gsfc.nasa.gov Rock Cycle Rocks can be classified into three categories: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. Geologists study rocks based on mineral composition, color and texture. Texture is the look and feel of the rocks surface (grain size, shape and pattern). Data Analysis 1. What does the x-axis of the graph represent? The y-axis? 2. How much thickness did Stone A lose in 100 years? 3. Which stone weathered at a faster rate?