Question 1. List the planets that make up the Solar System. Which of them receive more heat than our planet? Which ones are smaller?

There are 8 planets in the solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. Mercury and Venus receive more heat, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune receive less heat.

Question 2. What is the influence of the Sun on the nature of the Earth?

The sun has a multifaceted impact on both living and inanimate nature of the Earth. The main influence is that the Sun is a source of heat and light.

Question 3. What is an orbit?

Orbit is the path of a celestial body in the gravitational field of another body (star, planet, comet, asteroid).

Question 4. How long does it take for the Earth to complete a revolution around the Sun?

365 days 5 hours 48 minutes 46 seconds

Question 5. What is a day? Under what conditions can the length of the Earth's day change?

A day is the period of rotation of the Earth around its axis. A period of time equal to 24 hours, the length of day and night. When the Earth's rotation speed around its axis decreases or increases, the length of the day may change.

Question 6. What are geographic coordinates? What are the smallest and largest values ​​that geographic latitude and geographic longitude can have?

Geographic coordinates are angular values: latitude and longitude that determine the position of objects on the earth’s surface and on the map. The highest value of longitude: 180, latitude: 90 (at the pole). The smallest value of longitude: 0 - Greenwich meridian, latitude: 0 - equator.

Question 7. Are there points on Earth for which only one coordinate is sufficient to determine the geographic location?

There are two points on Earth that have a single coordinate: the North Pole is 90 degrees north latitude, and the South Pole is 90 degrees south latitude.

Question 8. Determine from the map of the hemispheres which of the objects have coordinates: a) 2° south. w. 78° W d.; b) 28° N. w. 77° east d.; c) 13° S. w. 26th century d.

Which of these objects is the northernmost, the southernmost, the westernmost and the easternmost?

a) Chimborazo (mountain in Ecuador) - the westernmost; b) Delhi (capital of India) - the northernmost and easternmost; c) In the Lusaka region (Zambia) - the southernmost.

Question 9: Since the equator is a circle, it contains 360°, which is approximately 40,000 km. Determine what the length of 1° arc of the equator is. If the distance between objects at the equator is 15°, what is this distance in kilometers?

40000/360= 111.1 km in one degree

15*111.1= 1666.5 km at 15 degrees

Question 10. How many meridians and parallels can be drawn on the globe?

You can draw as many parallels and meridians as you like on the earth's surface. However, through any one point you can only draw one parallel and one meridian (except for the poles).

Answer from Daria[guru]
Meridian, Equator
MERIDIAN - Half the circumference of a great circle [a], the plane of which passes through the axis [c] of rotation of the earth. That is, a line that runs from the north pole to the south [red line in the figure].
The prime meridian is the meridian from which longitude is measured. The prime meridian divides the earth into two hemispheres - western and eastern.
Now the zero meridian is considered to be the one that passes through the old observatory in the English city of Greenwich. And it's called Greenwich. Any point on the prime meridian will have a longitude value of 0°
In addition to the Greenwich Prime Meridian, there are others. For example, in old maps they used -
Pulkovo meridian, shifted from Greenwich by +30°19"39""
Parisian meridian, shifted from Greenwich by +2°20"14""
Ferro meridian, shifted from Greenwich to -17°39"46""
Equator
EQUATOR - The circumference of a great circle [a], the plane of which is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the earth [c].
The equator divides the earth into the northern and southern hemispheres. Latitude begins from the equator. The definition of the equator as the zero parallel is accepted. Any point on the equator has a latitude value of 0°.
Regardless of the prime meridian used on the map, the equator remains unchanged. That is, there is only one equator, but the prime meridians are different.
Parallels PARALLEL - Circles of small circles [a] parallel to the equator. In this case, the equator is the zero and longest parallel.
One can imagine parallel cables strung on an axis, which, as they move away from the equator, in one direction or another, decrease in diameter.
Meredians and parallels It turns out that in cartography the earth is divided into meridians [a] and parallels.
All meridians converge at the poles, all parallels are parallel to the equator.
Any point on the surface of the earth is the intersection of a meridian and a parallel [c].
In this case, the coordinate of a point on the surface is determined by the values ​​of latitude and longitude.
The point at the intersection of the prime meridian and the equator (zero parallel) will have a coordinate of 0° latitude and 0° longitude.
Longitude LONGITUDE - eng. Longitude Longitude icon
The angle between the plane of the prime meridian and the plane of the meridian passing through a given point [c]. Or in other words, the angle between the direction from the center of the earth to a point on the prime meridian and the direction from the center of the earth to a point on the surface.
In this example, the longitude of this point [c] will be equal to the angle [Longitude icon], and the longitude of the point is 0°, since the longitude of any point on the prime meridian is 0°. Longitude can be expressed in angular and linear quantities, as well as in time.
Longitude is divided into western and eastern. Counted from the prime meridian, in the range from 0° to 180°. Western longitude is considered negative (from 0° to -180°), eastern longitude is considered positive (from 0° to 180°).
Latitude LATITUDE - eng. Latitude Latitude icon
The angle between the plane of the equator and the plane that passes through the center of the earth [a], and a point on the surface of the earth [c]. Or in other words, the angle between the direction from the center of the earth to the equator and the direction from the center of the earth to a point on the surface. That is, the latitude of point [c] is equal to the angle [Latitude icon], the latitude of the point is 0°, like the latitude of any other point on the equator. Each parallel is at its own latitude. Latitude is divided into northern and southern, measured from the equator to the poles 0° to 90° (Examples: Top-North, Bottom-South)
It is generally accepted that points located in the southern hemisphere are negative from 0° to -90°, and in the northern hemisphere positive from 0° to +90°.

Almost all of you have paid attention to the “mysterious lines” on maps and globes representing latitude (parallels) and longitude (meridians). They form a grid system of coordinates by which any place on Earth can be precisely located - and there is nothing mysterious or complicated about it. Parallels and meridians are imaginary lines on the surface of the Earth, and latitude and longitude are their coordinates that determine the position of points on the surface of the Earth. Any point on Earth is the intersection of a parallel and a meridian with latitude and longitude coordinates. This can be most clearly studied using a globe, where these lines are indicated.
But first things first. Two places on Earth are determined by its rotation around its own axis - these are North and South Poles. On globes, the axis is the rod. The North Pole is located in the Arctic Ocean, which is covered with sea ice, and explorers in the old days reached this pole on sleds with dogs (the North Pole is officially believed to have been discovered in 1909 by the American Robert Perry). However, since the ice moves slowly, the North Pole is not an actual, but rather a mathematical object. The South Pole, on the other side of the planet, has a permanent physical location on the continent of Antarctica, which was also discovered by land explorers (a Norwegian expedition led by Roald Amundsen in 1911).

Halfway between the poles at the “waist” of the Earth there is a large line of a circle, which is represented on the globe as a seam: the junction of the northern and southern hemispheres; this circle line is called - equator. The equator is a line of latitude with a value of zero (0°). Parallel to the equator, above and below it, there are other lines of the circle - these are other latitudes of the Earth. Each latitude has a numerical value, and the scale of these values ​​is measured not in kilometers, but in degrees north and south from the equator to the poles. The poles have the following values: North +90°, and South -90°. Latitudes located above the equator are called northern latitudes, and below the equator - southern latitudes. Lines with degrees of latitude are called parallels, since they run parallel to the Equator and are parallel to each other. If parallels are measured in kilometers, then the lengths of different parallels will be different - they increase when approaching the equator and decrease towards the poles. All points of the same parallel have the same latitude, but different longitude (longitude is described below). The distance between two parallels that differ by 1° is 111.11 km. On the globe, as well as on many maps, the distance (interval) from latitude to another latitude is usually 15° (this is approximately 1,666 km). In Figure 1, the interval is 10° (this is approximately 1,111 km). The equator is the longest parallel, its length is 40,075.7 km.

The points of intersection of the earth's axis with the surface of the globe are called poles (North and South). The Earth makes one revolution around this axis in 24 hours.

A circle is drawn at the same distance from the poles, which is called the equator.

Parallel - lines conditionally drawn along the surface of the Earth parallel to the equator. The parallels on the map and globe are directed to the west and east. They are not equal in length. The longest parallel is the equator. The equator is an imaginary line on the earth's surface, obtained by mentally dissecting the ellipsoid into two equal parts (Northern and Southern Hemisphere). With such a dissection, all points of the equator turn out to be equidistant from the poles. The plane of the equator is perpendicular to the Earth's axis of rotation and passes through its center. There are 180 meridians on Earth, 90 of them north of the equator, 90 to the south.

The parallels of 23.5° north and south latitude are called tropical circles or simply the tropics. On each of them, once a year the midday Sun is at its zenith, that is, the sun's rays fall vertically.

The parallels of 66.5° north and south latitude are called the polar circles.

Circles are drawn through the North and South poles, meridians are the shortest lines conventionally drawn on the surface of the Earth from one pole to another.

The prime or prime meridian is drawn at the Greenwich Observatory (London, UK). All meridians have the same length and semicircular shape. There are 360 ​​meridians on Earth, 180 to the west of the zero, 180 to the east. The meridians on the map and globe are directed from north to south.

To accurately determine the location of any object on the surface of the earth, one equator line is not enough. Therefore, the hemispheres are mentally separated by many more planes parallel to the equatorial plane - these are parallels. All of them, like the equatorial plane, are perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the planet. You can draw as many parallels as you like, but usually they are made with an interval of 10-20°. The parallels are always oriented from west to east. The circumference of the parallels decreases from the equator to the poles. At the equator it is greatest, and at the poles it is zero:

Length of parallel arcs

When the globe is crossed by imaginary planes passing through the Earth’s axis perpendicular to the equatorial plane, great circles are formed - meridians. Translated into Russian, the word “meridian” means “noon line.” Indeed, their direction coincides with the direction of the shadow from objects at noon. If you keep walking in the direction of this shadow, you will definitely come to the North Pole. Meridians are the shortest line, conventionally drawn from one pole to another. All meridians are semicircles. They can be drawn through any points on the surface of the Earth. They all intersect at the pole points. The meridians are oriented from north to south. The average arc length of 1° meridian is calculated as follows:

40,008.5 km: 360° = 111 km

The length of all meridians is the same. The direction of the local meridian at any point can be determined at noon by the shadow of any object. In the Northern Hemisphere, the end of the shadow always points north, in the Southern Hemisphere it always points south.

The image of lines of meridians and parallels on the globe and geographical maps is called a degree grid.

Geographic latitude is the distance of any point on the earth's surface north or south of the equator, expressed in degrees. Latitude is northern (if the point is located north of the equator) and southern (if south of it).

Geographic longitude is the distance of any point on the earth's surface from the prime meridian, expressed in degrees. To the east of the prime meridian there will be eastern longitude (abbreviated: E.L.), to the west - western longitude (W.L.).

Geographic coordinates - geographic latitude and geographic longitude of a given object.

If our planet is “cut” through the axis of rotation and perpendicular to it by many planes, then vertical and horizontal circles - meridians and parallels - will appear on the surface.


The meridians will converge at two points - at the North and South Poles. Parallels, as the name suggests, are parallel to each other. Meridians serve to measure longitude, parallels - latitude.

An action so simple at a superficial glance - “ruling out” the Earth - became the greatest discovery in the study of the planet. It made it possible to use coordinates and accurately describe the location of any object. Without parallels and meridians it is impossible to imagine a single map or a single globe. And they were invented... in the 3rd century BC by the Alexandrian scientist Eratosthenes.

Reference. Eratosthenes had encyclopedic knowledge in all areas at that time. He was in charge of the legendary Library of Alexandria, wrote the work “Geography” and became the founder of geography as a science, compiled the first map of the world and covered it with a degree grid of verticals and horizontals - he invented a coordinate system. He also introduced names for lines - parallel and meridian.

Meridian

In geography, a meridian is half a sectional line of the earth's surface drawn through any point on the surface. All imaginary meridians, of which there can be an infinite number, connect at the poles - North and South. The length of each of them is 20,004,276 meters.

Although you can mentally draw as many meridians as you like, for ease of movement and mapping, their number and location have been regulated by international treaties. In 1884, at the International Meridian Conference in Washington, it was decided that the prime meridian (zero) would be the one that passes through Greenwich, a county in southeast London.

However, not everyone immediately agreed with this decision. For example, in Russia, even after 1884 until the beginning of the twentieth century, the zero meridian was considered to be its own - Pulkovsky: it “passes” through the Round Hall of the Pulkovo Observatory.

Prime Meridian

The prime meridian is the starting point of geographic longitude. He himself, accordingly, has zero longitude. This was the case before the creation of the world's first satellite navigation system, Transit.


With its appearance, the prime meridian had to be shifted slightly - 5.3" relative to Greenwich. This is how the International Reference Meridian appeared, which is used as a reference point for longitude by the International Earth Rotation Service.

Parallel

In geography, parallels are lines of an imaginary section of the surface of the planet by planes that are parallel to the equatorial plane. The parallels depicted on the globe are circles parallel to the equator. They are used to measure geographic latitude.

By analogy with the Greenwich prime meridian, there is also a zero parallel - this is the equator, one of the 5 main parallels, which divides the Earth into hemispheres - southern and northern. Other main parallels are the tropics North and South, the polar circles - North and South.

Equator

The longest parallel is the equator - 40,075,696 m. The rotation speed of our planet at the equator is 465 m/s - this is much greater than the speed of sound in air - 331 m/s.

Southern and Northern tropics

The Tropic of the South, also called the Tropic of Capricorn, lies south of the equator and is the latitude above which the midday sun is at its zenith on the winter solstice.

The Northern Tropic, also known as the Tropic of Cancer, is located north of the equator and, similar to the southern Tropic, represents the latitude above which the midday sun is at its zenith on the day of the summer solstice.

Arctic Circle and Antarctic Circle

The Arctic Circle is the boundary of the polar day region. To the north of it, in any place at least once a year the sun is visible above the horizon 24 hours a day or not visible for the same amount of time.

The Southern Arctic Circle is similar to the Northern Circle in every way, only it is located in the southern hemisphere.

Degree grid

The intersections of meridians and parallels form a degree grid. Meridians and parallels are spaced at intervals of 10° - 20°; smaller divisions, as in angles, are called minutes and seconds.


Using a degree grid, we determine the exact location of geographic objects - their geographic coordinates, calculating longitude using meridians, and latitude using parallels.