Meteor, Meteoroid, and Meteorite: What's The Difference?

Why hadn't I studied?

I ask myself this as I stare at the empty test on holoscreen.

Was a meteorite the thing that randomly floated, or was it the thing that landed on the planet Earth that we had been learning about?

I glance at the clock and see that there is only twelve metericmins left. My test was still blank!

Zaira is going to tell me that I should study instead of playing comp games when I tell her about this, but I don't care about that right now. I just want to know the flipping answers!

I dared to look around the room, my heart beating fast,and see that many students are looking worried. Phew. I'm not the only one that didn't study.

The meterictime measurer that Mrs. Angelo set for the test time went off, startling me and many others, almost making me slide out of my chair.

That would have been embarrassing.

The red haired, blue eyed instructor neatly gets out of her chair and stood at the front, making the M.M. stop its ghastly alarm mid-screech.

"Turn in the test now, please, students," Mrs. Angelo says to us in the calm voice of hers.

I grudgingly sent in my test, the only thing on it being my name and randomized answers I had put in at the beginning of the test in case I didn't recall anything.

Mrs. Angelo shook her head, disappointed, as she read the test results.

"Tsk, tsk. I see that most of us find it more enjoyable to not study or pay attention when I teach. I am disappointed in the results therefore, I am forced to re-teach everyone that information."

My fingers stop shaking as my mind finally recognizes that the stressful test is over.

Mrs. Angelo walks over to the infoscreen that hangs on the wall.

"Now, class, the difference between a meteor, meteoroid, and a meteorite is that it goes meteoroid, meteor, meteorite."

She taps each picture as she speaks. She then sighs when she looks back at us and sees our confused faces.

"Ok. First, the meteoroid. It floats randomly, and it is a piece from a comet or an asteroid. When the meteoroid goes into Earth's atmosphere, remember that's the planet we've been learning about, and vaporizes, that is what we called a meteor or the Eartherns used to call it a shooting star," She takes a breath and quickly glances around the room before continuing. "But, when a meteoroid enters Earth's atmosphere and lands on Earth, that, class, is what we call a meteorite."

She claps her hands together and looks at the M.M.

"Ok, good luck to everyone studying tonight because tomorrow we are re-taking this quiz. I will see you all tomorrow."

She says to us as we exit her room.

As I left, I put on my homework schedule that I was going to study. There was no way that I was going to mess this test up again. 

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Glossary:

Infoscreen- A large holoscreen that is used by instructors

Holoscreen- The equivalent to a ipad but thinner and more advanced

Metericmins- Equivalent to Earth's minutes

Meterictime Measurer- A clock with a timer/alarm feature; abbreviation is M.M.