Down on a Round Earth

Question 1

A student in Kenya and a student in New Zealand each let a marble go at the same moment. In which direction does each marble move?

Accepted Answer

Each marble moves toward Earth's center.

Answer

Both marbles move the same direction in space.

Answer

The marble in New Zealand moves upward off the ground.

Answer

Both marbles move toward the North Pole.

Question 2

People live and work near the South Pole, on the part of Earth drawn at the bottom of a globe. Why do they stay on the ground there?

Accepted Answer

Gravity pulls them toward Earth's center, and that is the direction they call down.

Answer

People near the South Pole would fall off if they did not hold on.

Answer

Earth's spin presses them against the surface there.

Answer

There is no gravity that far south, so nothing moves.

Question 3

A class marks four widely separated places on a globe and draws an arrow at each place showing which way is down there. What do the four arrows have in common?

Accepted Answer

They all point toward the center of the globe.

Answer

They all point the same direction in space.

Answer

They all point toward the North Pole.

Answer

They all point straight out away from the globe.

Question 4

A scientist claims that gravity pulls objects toward Earth's center. Which observation best supports that claim?

Accepted Answer

Objects released at places all over Earth fall toward the ground beneath them.

Answer

Objects released anywhere on Earth move the same direction in space.

Answer

Objects released anywhere on Earth fall toward the North Pole.

Answer

Objects released in the far south fall sideways toward the Equator.

Question 5

A boy sticks small model people onto a globe at four separated places. He wants each one to stand the way a real person stands there. How should he place them?

Accepted Answer

Feet on the globe, with each head pointing straight out away from the globe's center

Answer

Feet on the globe, with all four heads pointing toward the top of the globe

Answer

Lying flat on the globe, with heads pointing toward the North Pole

Answer

Right side up on the top half, and upside down on the bottom half

Question 6

When a ball rolls down a slanted ramp, gravity pulls it along the slant of the ramp instead of toward Earth's center.

Accepted Answer

False

Answer

True

Question 7

Why does 'down' point a different way in space in Brazil than it does in Japan?

Accepted Answer

Down always points toward Earth's center, and Brazil and Japan are in different positions relative to that center.

Answer

Down points straight out away from the surface in both countries.

Answer

Down points toward the equator in every country.

Answer

Gravity is stronger in Japan than in Brazil, so it pulls a different way.

Question 8

A male builder in Canada and a female builder in Chile each hang a small weight on a string to find down. What do the two hanging strings show?

Accepted Answer

Each string points toward Earth's center from its own city.

Answer

Both strings point the same direction in space.

Answer

Both strings lean toward the North Pole.

Answer

The string in Chile hangs upward instead of downward.

Question 9

Rain falls straight down onto rooftops in Canada, and rain also falls straight down onto rooftops in Australia. What does this pattern show about gravity?

Accepted Answer

It pulls the raindrops toward Earth's center at both places.

Answer

It pulls everything toward one fixed direction in space.

Answer

It acts only on the northern half of Earth.

Answer

It pushes rain in Australia away from Earth's surface.

Question 10

A climber high on a mountain in Peru and a farmer in the valley below each drop a set of keys. How do the two sets of keys move?

Accepted Answer

Both sets move toward Earth's center.

Answer

Both sets move toward the bottom of the valley.

Answer

The climber's keys move away from Earth's surface.

Answer

Only the farmer's keys move downward.

Question 11

A student says that people on the far side of Earth must be upside down and should fall off into space. What is the best reply?

Accepted Answer

Gravity pulls each of them toward Earth's center, so that is down for them.

Answer

Down is the same everywhere, so they truly are upside down and falling.

Answer

Earth spins quickly enough to hold them onto the surface.

Answer

They would fall off, but the air keeps pushing them back down.

Question 12

For a person standing anywhere on Earth's surface, what does the word down name?

Accepted Answer

The direction from that person toward Earth's center.

Answer

The direction from that person toward the South Pole.

Answer

One fixed direction in space that is the same for everyone.

Answer

The direction from that person toward the nearest ocean.

Question 13

On most globes the North Pole is drawn at the top. What does that drawing tell you about the direction gravity pulls people who live in the far north?

Accepted Answer

Nothing about it, because gravity there still pulls toward Earth's center.

Answer

It shows that gravity there pulls people toward the top of the globe.

Answer

It shows that gravity there pulls people toward the South Pole.

Answer

It shows that gravity there pulls people sideways along the surface.

Question 14

Two towns sit on opposite sides of Earth. Picture the down direction for each town from far out in space. How do those two directions compare?

Accepted Answer

They point toward each other and meet at Earth's center.

Answer

They point the same way, both toward the top of Earth.

Answer

They point away from each other, out into space.

Answer

They both point toward the North Pole.

Question 15

A student weighs herself on a bathroom scale in Norway. Then she flies to Argentina and weighs herself on the same scale. How do the two readings compare?

Accepted Answer

They are about the same, because gravity pulls her toward Earth's center about equally in both places

Answer

The reading in Argentina is much less, because Argentina is on the bottom half of Earth

Answer

The reading in Argentina is zero, because she is upside down there

Answer

The reading in Argentina is much more, because gravity pulls harder on the southern half of Earth

Question 16

Two astronauts stand far apart on the Moon, and each one drops a tool. Which way does each tool fall?

Accepted Answer

Toward the middle of the Moon, from where each astronaut stands

Answer

Toward Earth, because Earth's gravity pulls on everything

Answer

The same direction in space for both tools

Answer

Away from the Moon, out into space

Question 17

A child asks why Australia is not shown upside down on maps of the world. What is the best reply?

Accepted Answer

There is no up or down in space, and people in Australia have their own down, toward the middle of Earth

Answer

Australia really is upside down, and maps hide it

Answer

Australia is at the bottom, so its down points toward the South Pole

Answer

Maps are drawn wrongly, and Australia should be at the top

Question 18

Water is poured from a jug in a kitchen in Iceland and from an identical jug in a kitchen in Peru. What do the two streams of water have in common?

Accepted Answer

Each stream travels toward the middle of Earth from where it is poured

Answer

Both streams travel the same direction in space

Answer

Both streams lean toward the nearer pole

Answer

The stream in Peru travels upward out of the jug

Question 19

Earth's gravity pulls the air on every side of the planet toward Earth's center, which is why air surrounds the whole Earth instead of collecting on one side.

Accepted Answer

True

Answer

False

Question 20

A model of Earth has small arrows glued at eight places around it, all pointing straight up off the surface. What is wrong with the model?

Accepted Answer

The arrows should point inward toward the middle, because that is the direction of down at each place

Answer

The arrows should all point toward the North Pole

Answer

The arrows should all point the same direction in space

Answer

Nothing is wrong, because up is the same everywhere on Earth

BLASTROOM

BLASTROOM

Down on a Round Earth

Ways to Play

Device Games: Students play on their phones

BLASTROOM

BLASTROOM

Down on a Round Earth

Ways to Play

Device Games: Students play on their phones

Blast Go

Zombie Escape

Avalanche

Maze Blast

Cave Climb

Blast Out

Mystery Auction

Tour Guide

Food Truck Rush

Tug of War

Bug Blast

Alien Blast

Glacier Rush

BlastRace

BlastQuiz

Board Games: Teacher-led, projected to the class

BlastBoard

Seek & Destroy

Texas Hold 'Em

Hot Potato

Market Mayhem

Bank Heist

Top Corner

Like what you see?

Mystery Blast

Checkers

Da Bomb

Castle Siege

King of the Hill

Down on a Round Earth

Ways to Play

Device Games: Students play on their phones

Down on a Round Earth

Ways to Play

Device Games: Students play on their phones

Blast Go

Zombie Escape

Avalanche

Maze Blast

Cave Climb

Blast Out

Mystery Auction

Tour Guide

Food Truck Rush

Tug of War

Bug Blast

Alien Blast

Glacier Rush

BlastRace

BlastQuiz

Board Games: Teacher-led, projected to the class

BlastBoard

Seek & Destroy

Texas Hold 'Em

Hot Potato

Market Mayhem

Bank Heist

Top Corner

Like what you see?

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Mystery Blast

Checkers

Da Bomb

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