The Origin of the Moon
[ 24 minutes: low-resolution 2.9 MB, high resolution 11.4 MB ]

Time Stamp   HTML Slide
[00:00]   The Origin of the Moon   
[00:45]Solids, liquids, and gases   
[01:34]Heat is Energy   
[03:10]Gas Cooling   
[04:21]Angular Momentum (Spin). I    
[05:20]Angular Momentum (Spin). II   
[08:08]What is the Moon?   
[10:02]Computer Simulation of Impact. I    
[10:23]Computer Simulation of Impact. II   
[11:01]Key Observables   
[18:15]Gravity   

Learning Objectives

  1. Visualize the formation of the solar system.

  2. Understand the four hypotheses which attempt to explain the origin of the Moon.

    1. A sister planet to Earth

    2. A captured asteroid

    3. A spun-of fragment of the Earth

    4. A relic of a proto-planetary collision

  3. Evaluate the evidence in support of and against each hypothesis.

    1. How does the distribution of different isotopes of oxygen compare on the Earth and the Moon?

    2. Does the Moon have a large iron core?

    3. Was the Moon composed of heated, melted materials?

  4. Argue convincingly that the Moon was most probably created in a near-catastrophic collision.

  5. Understand how gravitational attraction scales with mass and distance.

  6. Differentiate between force and acceleration (weight and surface gravity).


Copyright © 2006–2013 Nicole P. Vogt. All rights reserved.