1 Our changing universe
2 Our changing planet
3 Materials our planet provides
4 Using materials from our planet to make products
Additional guidance 2. Knowledge of telescopes should be limited to their use: no working details are required.
4. Treatment of red-shift should be limited to a study of the black lines within the spectrum.
Our changing universe Candidates need to understand that: For many centuries, our ancestors thought the Earth was the centre of the universe. Science has since taught us that this is incorrect. We know that the Earth lies within the Milky Way galaxy (a group of stars), which is located somewhere within the universe. Scientists have discovered that the Sun is one star in the Milky Way. Even smaller in scale than a galaxy is a solar system. Our solar system comprises one star (the Sun) and planets orbiting it. Scientists use many different techniques to observe and search for patterns in the universe in an attempt to understand and gather evidence concerning how it began, what it is like and how it is changing. They have gathered much evidence from the use of telescopes, both on Earth and in space, and from the study of light reaching us from stars in distant galaxies.
Candidates need to:
1. Know that observations of the solar system and the galaxies in the universe can be carried out on the Earth or from space.
2. Know that observations are made with telescopes that may detect visible light or other electromagnetic radiations such as radio waves or X-rays from space, and that these observations provide evidence for changes taking place in the universe.
3. Understand that if a wave source is moving relative to an observer there will be a change in