NCERT Solutions Science Chapter 15 (Some Natural Phenomena)

Keywords-

1. Crust- The outermost layer of earth is called crust. The crust of earth is made of
many huge pieces of flat rocks.

2. Discharge- When negative and positive charges meet, producing streaks of bright
light and sound. This process is called an electric discharge.
3. Earth’s plates - The crust of earth is made of many huge pieces of flat rocks. Each
piece of the earth's crust is called a plate.
4. Earthquake- An earthquake is a sudden shaking (or trembling) of the earth which
lasts for a very short time. An earthquake is caused by the violent movements of
rocks deep inside the earth's crust
5. Electroscope- It is a device that can be used to test whether an object is carrying
charge or not.
6. Lighting - Lightning is an electric discharge in the atmosphere between oppositely
charged clouds (or between charged cloud and the earth).
7. Lighting conductor - Lightning conductor is a device used to protect a building from
the effects of lightning. A lightning conductor is made of a thick strip of metal (usually
of copper).
8. Negative charge - A negative charge is an electrical property of a particle at the
subatomic scale. Electrons have a negative charge on them.
9. Positive charge - A positive charge is an electrical property of a particle at the
subatomic scale. Protons carry positive charge on them.
10. Richter scale - The Richter Scale is a series of numbers from 1 to 12 used to
express the magnitude (or size) of an earthquake.
11. Seismograph - An instrument used in the measurement of seismic waves is called
seismograph.
12. Thunder – Thunder is a loud noise in the sky that you can hear when there is a
storm and that usually comes after a flash of lightning.
13. Thunderstorm- A thunderstorm is a storm with lightning and thunder. It's produced
by thunder cloud, usually producing gusty winds, heavy rain and sometimes hail.
14. Transfer of charge- When certain objects are rubbed against another
object, electrons may get transferred from one object to another. If an object loses
some electron, it is left with surplus number of protons, this is called transfer of
charge.
15. Tsunami - A tsunami is a very large and powerful wave. It is caused by
earthquakes under the sea.
16. Tremor- Tremors on the earth can also be caused when a volcano erupts, or a
meteor hits the earth etc.
Questions and Answers-

Ques 1. Sometimes, a crackling sound is heard while taking off a sweater during
winters. Explain.

Answer-Sometimes a crackling sound is heard while taking off sweater during

winters because the woollen sweater gets charged because of the friction between
the sweater and the body.
Ques 2. Explain why a charged body loses its charge if we touch it with our hand.
Answer- Human body is a conductor of electricity. So, when we touch a charged
object, our body conducts its charges to the Earth. That is why a charged body loses
its charge, if we touch it with our hand. This phenomenon is known as earthing.

Ques 3. Name the scale on which the destructive energy of an earthquake is

measured. An earthquake measures 3 on this scale. Would it be recorded by a
seismograph? Is it likely to cause much damage?
Answer- The Richter scale measures the energy of an earthquake. Yes,
seismograph can measure an earthquake of magnitude 3 on the Richter scale. An
earthquake of magnitude 3 won’t cause any damage; sometimes it won’t be even
felt.

Ques 4. Suggest three measures to protect ourselves from lightning.

Answer- Some of the measures to protect ourselves from lightning are as follows:
(i) We should stay in a completely closed place.
(ii) We should avoid standing in open during thunderstorm
(iii) If moving in a car, we should remain there until the lightning is over and close
the windows.
Ques 5. Explain why a charged balloon is repelled by another charged balloon
whereas an uncharged balloon is attracted by another charged balloon?
Answer- The surface charge on the balloons are of the same nature hence they get
repelled. When a charged balloon is brought near an uncharged balloon due to the
induction of charges, it acquires charges which are opposite in nature with that of a
charged balloon. As unlike charges attract each other, the uncharged balloon gets
attracted by the charged balloon.
Ques 6. Describe with the help of a diagram an instrument which can be used
detect a charged body.
Answer-
An electroscope can be used to detect whether a body is charged or not. In an
electroscope, two metal foils are hanged with the help of a conductor in the glass jar
with lid. When a charged body touches this conductor then its charges get
transferred to the metal foil and they separates due to like charges.
Ques 7. List three states in India where earthquakes are more likely to strike.
Answer- Gujarat, Assam and Jammu & Kashmir are the three states where an
earthquake is more likely to strike.

Ques 8. Suppose you are outside your home and an earthquake strikes. What
precaution would you take to protect yourself?

Answer- The following precautions should be taken when earthquake strikes

(a) Find and go to an open field and stay away from buildings, trees, electric wire
and poles.

(b) If you are in a car, then drive to an open field and do not come out of your car.

(c) We will try to avoid staying near any glass made structures which can also cause
harm during earthquake.

Ques 9. The weather department has predicted that a thunderstorm is likely to occur on a
certain day. Suppose you have to go out on that day. Would you carry an umbrella?
Explain.
Answer- No, we should not carry an umbrella in a thunderstorm because
thunderstorms are generally accompanied by lightning. Electric discharge from the
clouds can travel through the metallic rod of the umbrella during lightning. This may
give an electric shock to the person who is carrying it. Hence, it is not safe to carry
an umbrella during lightning.

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