Solar System B

[slytherin]

Does anyone have any good books or online websites or anything particularly useful for this event. By the way please don't say NASA or anything on the rules sheet listed because I've already studied those websites..

[slytherin]

Does anyone know what the rules sheet means by phase diagrams? Also any good websites for crystalline forms of water ice

[syo_astro]

Just for future reference, you can edit posts rather than double posting.

I guess I can't answer your first question because honestly I would just link to soinc.org, aavso.org, and the webinars. There's honestly A LOT of good stuff and tests from that alone, and it really prepares you well combined with extra google searching of images, around NASA, etc. I can't tell actually whether you fully looked through those sites because phase diagrams are *definitely* in some tests I was skimming. For example, you can take a look at the nats test from last year at: http://www.ig.utexas.edu/research/planetary/outreach/ (among the other resources at http://soinc.org/solar_b and the 2014 AAVSO science olympiad section).

A quick summary of phase diagrams. They are essentially a graph of temperature on the y-axis and pressure on the x-axis. That may seem random, but those two properties alone can effectively be used to plot out lines and areas for different phases of matter. If you think about it, temperature you know can do stuff like melt ice into liquid water, and pressure can compress liquid water into ice. Both can work in the opposite ways too. But you should be aware that you can do it with other compounds/elements on other planets or moons, a great example to look up is with methane on Titan. Wikipedia goes into fair depth on it, but I recommend actually using other sources for more comprehensible explanations. But even then, I think for water you are looking for http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase_diag ... e_diagrams. Even googling "crystalline forms of water ice phase diagram" gets exactly what you want in images.

Example sites you can find by googling "phase diagram" outside wikipedia:
http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/t ... /phase.php
http://chemwiki.ucdavis.edu/Physical_Ch ... e_Diagrams
http://www.chemguide.co.uk/physical/pha ... diags.html

If there's something unclear here, then please ask. They're essentially important because, after determining pressure and temperature on a planet or moon, one can find what phase certain compounds may be in very easily with phase diagrams. This is very powerful when trying to figure out whether water or something else even exists in all three phases of matter (I emphasize water because people tend to link water with life and search for that I think). Major other lesson here is if you don't know something in the rules, then google is a powerful friend. Hope that helps!

[slytherin]

Just for future reference, you can edit posts rather than double posting.

I guess I can't answer your first question because honestly I would just link to soinc.org, aavso.org, and the webinars. There's honestly A LOT of good stuff and tests from that alone, and it really prepares you well combined with extra google searching of images, around NASA, etc. I can't tell actually whether you fully looked through those sites because phase diagrams are *definitely* in some tests I was skimming. For example, you can take a look at the nats test from last year at: http://www.ig.utexas.edu/research/planetary/outreach/ (among the other resources at http://soinc.org/solar_b and the 2014 AAVSO science olympiad section).

A quick summary of phase diagrams. They are essentially a graph of temperature on the y-axis and pressure on the x-axis. That may seem random, but those two properties alone can effectively be used to plot out lines and areas for different phases of matter. If you think about it, temperature you know can do stuff like melt ice into liquid water, and pressure can compress liquid water into ice. Both can work in the opposite ways too. But you should be aware that you can do it with other compounds/elements on other planets or moons, a great example to look up is with methane on Titan. Wikipedia goes into fair depth on it, but I recommend actually using other sources for more comprehensible explanations. But even then, I think for water you are looking for http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase_diag ... e_diagrams. Even googling "crystalline forms of water ice phase diagram" gets exactly what you want in images.

Example sites you can find by googling "phase diagram" outside wikipedia:
http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/t ... /phase.php
http://chemwiki.ucdavis.edu/Physical_Ch ... e_Diagrams
http://www.chemguide.co.uk/physical/pha ... diags.html

If there's something unclear here, then please ask. They're essentially important because, after determining pressure and temperature on a planet or moon, one can find what phase certain compounds may be in very easily with phase diagrams. This is very powerful when trying to figure out whether water or something else even exists in all three phases of matter (I emphasize water because people tend to link water with life and search for that I think). Major other lesson here is if you don't know something in the rules, then google is a powerful friend. Hope that helps!

Thanks so much!

[Panda Weasley]

I have 3 or 4 small random spots on my cheat sheet that I need to fill with something. Does anyone have any recommendations for things that you normally put on your cheat sheet that is helpful?

[boomvroomshroom]

I have 3 or 4 small random spots on my cheat sheet that I need to fill with something. Does anyone have any recommendations for things that you normally put on your cheat sheet that is helpful?

Random trivia and history, if you haven't done it yet.

[slytherin]

Does anyone have any websites for missions?

[acornbob]

Does anyone have any studying tips for solar system in states? What kind of questions will they ask? I live in Michigan. Can you guys provide any links or tools that you know are good?
Thanks

[John Richardsim]

Does anyone have any studying tips for solar system in states? What kind of questions will they ask? I live in Michigan. Can you guys provide any links or tools that you know are good?
Thanks

Here is my teammate's account of last year's Solar System test at the state competition:

Um, it was a mix of multiple choice and written questions. Most questions consisted of a picture or diagram that you were supposed to analyze and answer questions about. I believe there were a few general short answer questions at the end

[coprolite_dipstick]

Does anyone have any studying tips for solar system in states? What kind of questions will they ask? I live in Michigan. Can you guys provide any links or tools that you know are good?
Thanks

This is from prior knowledge from last year (I didn't go to state, but two of my friends did and talked about the test a lot).
Basically, general knowledge from what you've done in Regionals. Probably go a bit more in depth with everything you've already learned, make sure you have a phase diagram on your cheat sheet, stuff like that. They sometimes ask really random questions -- for example, at the SoCal state test, they asked "Where is JPL located?" (for future knowledge, Pasadena). Go more in depth on everything you already know and know the locations of major organizations having to do with Solar System. The types of questions they ask really depend on the test writers... good luck!