Study sheet: Earth, Society and Economics

📋 Course Outline

1. Forces Shaping Earth’s Surface
2. Oceans and Marine Life
3. Atmosphere, Weather and Climate
4. From Early Humans to Civilizations
5. Branches of Social Science
6. Principles of Democracy
7. How Elections Work
8. Economic Choices and Production
9. Demand, Supply and Prices

📖 1. Forces Shaping Earth’s Surface

★ Must-know

📌 Internal forces originate inside the Earth and include tectonic plate movements, earthquakes, and volcanic activity, whereas external forces act on the Earth’s surface.

📌 Weathering is the breaking down of rocks, whereas erosion is the removal and transportation of weathered material.

• The main agents of erosion include:
  • rivers
  • wind
  • glaciers
  • waves

Further detail

• Earthquakes occur because of sudden movements in the Earth’s crust, while volcanic eruptions occur when molten material from inside the Earth reaches the surface.

💡 Memory Hook

Internal forces build landforms; external forces break down, move, and deposit material.

📖 2. Oceans and Marine Life

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Oceans : large bodies of salt water that cover most of the Earth’s surface and support a huge variety of organisms

★ Must-know

• Oceans regulate the Earth’s temperature by absorbing, storing, and distributing heat.

• Ocean currents transport warm and cold water from one region to another and influence the climate of coastal areas.

Further detail

• Oceans provide food, minerals, and other resources, while marine ecosystems contain organisms ranging from tiny plankton to large marine animals.

• Human activities that can damage marine ecosystems include:

  • pollution
  • overfishing
  • other human activities

💡 Memory Hook

A vast ocean stores heat, carries currents, feeds life, and supplies resources.

📖 3. Atmosphere, Weather and Climate

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Atmosphere : the layer of gases surrounding the Earth, composed mostly of nitrogen and oxygen with smaller amounts of other gases

★ Must-know

📌 Weather describes short-term atmospheric conditions at a particular place and time, whereas climate refers to the average pattern of weather in a place over a long period.

• The atmosphere protects life from harmful radiation and helps maintain a suitable temperature.

Further detail

• Important elements of weather are:

  • temperature
  • air pressure
  • humidity
  • wind
  • precipitation

• Latitude, altitude, distance from the sea, and relief influence the climate of a region.

💡 Memory Hook

Weather is short-term; climate is the long-term pattern.

📖 4. From Early Humans to Civilizations

★ Must-know

• Early human subsistence included:

  • hunting
  • gathering
  • fishing
  • other natural resources

• The controlled use of fire provided:

  • warmth
  • protection
  • help in preparing food

• Agriculture and animal domestication led to permanent settlements because people no longer needed to move constantly in search of food.

• As farming became established, villages developed and some settlements grew into towns and cities through trade, specialised occupations, organised societies, and writing.

Further detail

• Early humans made simple tools from stone and other materials.

💡 Memory Hook

Hunting and gathering → fire → farming → settlements → towns and cities.

📖 5. Branches of Social Science

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Social Science : the systematic study of human society, relationships, and activities

★ Must-know

• History studies events, people, and societies of the past.

• Geography studies the Earth, places, environments, and the relationship between humans and nature.

Further detail

• Political Science studies:

  • government
  • democracy
  • rights
  • political institutions

• Economics studies how people use limited resources to satisfy their needs and wants.

💡 Memory Hook

H-G-P-E: History, Geography, Political Science, Economics.

📖 6. Principles of Democracy

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Democracy : a form of government in which people help choose their representatives and participate in public decision-making

★ Must-know

• Important features of democracy include:
  • free and fair elections
  • equality
  • the rule of law
  • citizen participation
  • protection of rights

📌 In a democracy, elected representatives are expected to be accountable to the people.

Further detail

📌 A healthy democracy allows citizens to express opinions, choose between political alternatives, respect different viewpoints, and participate peacefully.

💡 Memory Hook

E-E-R-C-R: elections, equality, rule of law, participation, rights.

📖 7. How Elections Work

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Elections : a major way citizens participate in democracy by voting to choose their representatives

★ Must-know

• An election generally involves:
  • constituencies
  • candidates
  • voters
  • campaigning
  • voting
  • counting of votes

📌 Free and fair elections require voters to make choices without intimidation or unfair influence.

Further detail

• Candidates and political parties present their ideas and programmes to voters during campaigns.

• Elections give citizens an opportunity to select representatives and hold governments accountable.

💡 Memory Hook

Constituencies → candidates → campaigning → voting → counting.

📖 8. Economic Choices and Production

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Economics : the study of how people make choices when resources are limited but human wants are numerous

★ Must-know

• Because resources are scarce, individuals, businesses, and governments must decide how to use them.

• The main factors of production are:

  • land
  • labour
  • capital
  • entrepreneurship

• Land includes natural resources, labour is human effort used in production, capital includes tools and machinery used to produce goods and services, and entrepreneurship involves organising resources and making production decisions.

📌 Goods are physical objects that satisfy wants, whereas services are activities provided to satisfy needs and wants.

Further detail

• Important economic activities include:
  • production
  • consumption
  • distribution
  • exchange

💡 Memory Hook

LLCE: land, labour, capital, entrepreneurship.

📖 9. Demand, Supply and Prices

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Market : a system where buyers and sellers interact to exchange goods and services
• Demand : the quantity of a good or service that consumers are willing and able to buy at a particular price
• Supply : the quantity of a good or service that producers are willing and able to sell

★ Must-know

📌 When demand rises while supply remains unchanged, prices may increase.

📌 When supply increases while demand remains unchanged, prices may decrease.

Further detail

• Factors that can affect markets include:
  • income
  • preferences
  • production costs
  • availability of resources
  • competition

💡 Memory Hook

Demand comes from buyers; supply comes from producers.

📊 Synthesis Tables

Weather and Climate

Dimension	Weather	Climate
Time scale	Short-term	Average pattern over a long period
Scope	Atmospheric conditions at a particular place and time	Weather pattern in a place
Examples of related factors	Temperature, air pressure, humidity, wind, precipitation	Latitude, altitude, distance from the sea, relief