Question 1

When white light passes from the air into a different medium such as glass, it:

Accepted Answer

A)  is dispersed into different colors 
B)  is reflected backwards 
C)  is refracted (bent) 
D)  is Doppler shifted 
E)  more than one of the above 
A)  is dispersed into different colors 
B)  is reflected backwards 
C)  is refracted (bent) 
D)  is Doppler shifted 
E)  more than one of the above E

Question 2

A fashion designer decides to bring out a new line of clothing which reflects the longest wavelength of visible light. What color will these articles of clothing be to the human eye?

Accepted Answer

A)  yellow-green 
B)  blue 
C)  violet 
D)  red 
E)  black 
A)  yellow-green 
B)  blue 
C)  violet 
D)  red 
E)  black C

Question 3

One of the great triumphs of spectroscopy was when astronomers identified a new element in the Sun (one that was only later found on Earth). Today, this element is called:

Accepted Answer

A)  Solarium 
B)  Hydrogen 
C)  Einsteinium 
D)  Helium 
E)  Astronomium
Section 5.4: The Structure of the Atom 
A)  Solarium 
B)  Hydrogen 
C)  Einsteinium 
D)  Helium 
E)  Astronomium
Section 5.4: The Structure of the Atom D

Question 4

Which of the following has the highest frequency?

Accepted Answer

A)  visible light 
B)  gamma rays 
C)  radio waves 
D)  ultraviolet waves 
E)  you can't fool me, all these have the same frequency 
A)  visible light 
B)  gamma rays 
C)  radio waves 
D)  ultraviolet waves 
E)  you can't fool me, all these have the same frequency

Question 5

Christian Doppler discovered what we now call the "Doppler Effect" by measuring:

Accepted Answer

A)  the wavelengths of the Balmer lines of hydrogen 
B)  the intensity of the red and blue light from the same star 
C)  the changes in the radar gun used by his local police officers when they pointed at speeding cars 
D)  the changes in the colors of a rainbow when the clouds were moving fast 
E)  the properties of sound waves coming from a group of musicians on a moving, open railroad car 
A)  the wavelengths of the Balmer lines of hydrogen 
B)  the intensity of the red and blue light from the same star 
C)  the changes in the radar gun used by his local police officers when they pointed at speeding cars 
D)  the changes in the colors of a rainbow when the clouds were moving fast 
E)  the properties of sound waves coming from a group of musicians on a moving, open railroad car

Question 6

An artist who likes working with sources of light decides to make a modern sculpture out of electrified glass tubes that contain very thin (rarified) neon gas. When the sculpture is finished, and the electricity is turned on, the tubes glow with a rich red color. What we are seeing is:

Accepted Answer

A)  a continuous spectrum 
B)  an absorption spectrum 
C)  an emission spectrum 
D)  a Doppler shift 
E)  all of the above 
A)  a continuous spectrum 
B)  an absorption spectrum 
C)  an emission spectrum 
D)  a Doppler shift 
E)  all of the above

Question 7

After a nice dinner around the campfire on a camping trip, you and a friend decide to get away from the fire to observe the stars. As you get farther and farther away, you see the brightness of the fire:

Accepted Answer

A)  increase with distance 
B)  remain the same 
C)  decrease as the distance squared 
D)  change more and more in color (becoming redder) 
E)  this can't be answered without having more information 
A)  increase with distance 
B)  remain the same 
C)  decrease as the distance squared 
D)  change more and more in color (becoming redder) 
E)  this can't be answered without having more information

Question 8

Why is an absorption spectrum especially useful for astronomers?

Accepted Answer

A)  It has dark lines in it that allow astronomers to determine what elements are in the star 
B)  It has bright lines in it which allow astronomers to determine how bright the star is 
C)  It helped astronomers to understand the rainbows we see on Earth after storms 
D)  It shows that the stars are transparent; we can see right through them 
E)  An absorption spectrum is not useful to astronomers at all. When they see one, it means they cannot learn anything about the stars that produced the annoying absorption. 
A)  It has dark lines in it that allow astronomers to determine what elements are in the star 
B)  It has bright lines in it which allow astronomers to determine how bright the star is 
C)  It helped astronomers to understand the rainbows we see on Earth after storms 
D)  It shows that the stars are transparent; we can see right through them 
E)  An absorption spectrum is not useful to astronomers at all. When they see one, it means they cannot learn anything about the stars that produced the annoying absorption.

Question 9

Which of the following statements about photons is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

A)  photons always travel at the speed of light 
B)  photons each carry a specific amount of energy 
C)  a photon of visible light cannot pass through the atmosphere of the Earth, and thus cannot be seen at the Earth's surface 
D)  high energy photons have a high frequency (when thought of as waves) 
E)  a gamma-ray photon carries more energy than a visible light photon 
A)  photons always travel at the speed of light 
B)  photons each carry a specific amount of energy 
C)  a photon of visible light cannot pass through the atmosphere of the Earth, and thus cannot be seen at the Earth's surface 
D)  high energy photons have a high frequency (when thought of as waves) 
E)  a gamma-ray photon carries more energy than a visible light photon

Question 10

If I were to scale up an atom until it were the size of a sports arena, the space filled by the positive charges inside the atom (according to the work of Ernest Rutherford early in this century) would be:

Accepted Answer

A)  as big as the entire stadium (and very thinly spread out) 
B)  as big as the space filled by all the negative charges (that's why the atom is neutral) 
C)  very small (perhaps the size of a soccer ball) and in the middle 
D)  an extremely thin layer spread completely around the outer walls of the stadium 
E)  this question cannot be answered (even roughly) without knowing how many electrons the atom has 
A)  as big as the entire stadium (and very thinly spread out) 
B)  as big as the space filled by all the negative charges (that's why the atom is neutral) 
C)  very small (perhaps the size of a soccer ball) and in the middle 
D)  an extremely thin layer spread completely around the outer walls of the stadium 
E)  this question cannot be answered (even roughly) without knowing how many electrons the atom has

Question 11

Which of the following has the longest wavelength?

Accepted Answer

A)  radio waves 
B)  visible light waves 
C)  ultraviolet waves 
D)  x-rays 
E)  you can't fool me, all these have the same wavelength 
A)  radio waves 
B)  visible light waves 
C)  ultraviolet waves 
D)  x-rays 
E)  you can't fool me, all these have the same wavelength

Question 12

To go from a lower level in an atom to a higher level, an electron must

Accepted Answer

A)  give off a photon of energy 
B)  lose its electric charge 
C)  absorb a photon of energy 
D)  wait until the atom has changed into another atom with more protons 
E)  get a permission slip from Niels Bohr 
A)  give off a photon of energy 
B)  lose its electric charge 
C)  absorb a photon of energy 
D)  wait until the atom has changed into another atom with more protons 
E)  get a permission slip from Niels Bohr

Question 13

This chapter discusses that light sometimes acts like a photon. What is a photon?

Accepted Answer

A)  a charged particle in the nucleus of every atom 
B)  a kind of magnetic substance found in reflective minerals 
C)  a self-contained "packet" of electro-magnetic energy 
D)  a kind of sound that is too high frequency for the human ear to hear 
E)  you can't fool me. Einstein showed that photons were a mistake - they don't exist. 
A)  a charged particle in the nucleus of every atom 
B)  a kind of magnetic substance found in reflective minerals 
C)  a self-contained "packet" of electro-magnetic energy 
D)  a kind of sound that is too high frequency for the human ear to hear 
E)  you can't fool me. Einstein showed that photons were a mistake - they don't exist.

Question 14

Which of the following statements about infrared radiation is TRUE?

Accepted Answer

A)  it is the band of the electromagnetic spectrum where each wave or photon has the greatest energy 
B)  it was first discovered in 1800 in an experiment using sunlight and thermometers 
C)  unlike light, infrared can never travel as fast as the speed of light 
D)  while many stars give off infrared, there is nothing on Earth at the right temperature to emit it 
E)  it is the radiation responsible for giving sunburns (or in large doses, skin cancer) 
A)  it is the band of the electromagnetic spectrum where each wave or photon has the greatest energy 
B)  it was first discovered in 1800 in an experiment using sunlight and thermometers 
C)  unlike light, infrared can never travel as fast as the speed of light 
D)  while many stars give off infrared, there is nothing on Earth at the right temperature to emit it 
E)  it is the radiation responsible for giving sunburns (or in large doses, skin cancer)

Question 15

How do astronomers learn what elements are present in a given star?

Accepted Answer

A)  look at what color light dominates its continuous spectrum 
B)  listen for coded signals in the radio waves it gives off in the FM band 
C)  look at the absorption lines in its spectrum 
D)  send spacecraft like Voyager to examine its make-up from close-up 
E)  compare visible-light photographs of the star (taken with large telescopes) to those of the Sun. 
A)  look at what color light dominates its continuous spectrum 
B)  listen for coded signals in the radio waves it gives off in the FM band 
C)  look at the absorption lines in its spectrum 
D)  send spacecraft like Voyager to examine its make-up from close-up 
E)  compare visible-light photographs of the star (taken with large telescopes) to those of the Sun.

Question 16

In 1911 Ernest Rutherford did a famous experiment using fast-moving alpha particles as bullets and very thin gold foil as a target. The results of this experiment showed that:

Accepted Answer

A)  the negative and positive charges were all spread out throughout the volume of each atom 
B)  that the absorption spectrum of gold atoms had more lines than scientists could explain 
C)  that alpha particles were neutral (demonstrating the existence of neutrons) 
D)  that the nucleus of an atom was tiny compared to the size of the whole atom 
E)  it was far better to use cheaper materials than gold for physics experiments 
A)  the negative and positive charges were all spread out throughout the volume of each atom 
B)  that the absorption spectrum of gold atoms had more lines than scientists could explain 
C)  that alpha particles were neutral (demonstrating the existence of neutrons) 
D)  that the nucleus of an atom was tiny compared to the size of the whole atom 
E)  it was far better to use cheaper materials than gold for physics experiments

Question 17

Two stars are giving off electromagnetic radiation. The hotter star will:

Accepted Answer

A)  give off more radiation at all wavelengths 
B)  will have a higher average frequency of radiation 
C)  will radiate energy at more than one wavelength 
D)  will give off a continuous spectrum of waves 
E)  all of the above 
A)  give off more radiation at all wavelengths 
B)  will have a higher average frequency of radiation 
C)  will radiate energy at more than one wavelength 
D)  will give off a continuous spectrum of waves 
E)  all of the above

Question 18

A Hertz is

Accepted Answer

A)  a unit of wavelength 
B)  a unit of frequency 
C)  a unit of velocity 
D)  a unit of loudness 
E)  a well-known car-rental company 
A)  a unit of wavelength 
B)  a unit of frequency 
C)  a unit of velocity 
D)  a unit of loudness 
E)  a well-known car-rental company

Question 19

Wien's Law relates the wavelength at which a star gives off the greatest amount of energy to the star's

Accepted Answer

A)  motion toward us or away from us 
B)  overall color 
C)  magnetic field 
D)  temperature 
E)  none of the above 
A)  motion toward us or away from us 
B)  overall color 
C)  magnetic field 
D)  temperature 
E)  none of the above

Question 20

How could you make an ordinary atom that is minding its own business into an ion?

Accepted Answer

A)  send an electron from the ground state to an excited state 
B)  have all the electrons in the atom drop down to the lowest available orbits 
C)  add more neutrons to its nucleus 
D)  remove one or more electrons from the atom 
E)  send the atom to Bayonne, New Jersey
Section 5.6: The Doppler Effect 
A)  send an electron from the ground state to an excited state 
B)  have all the electrons in the atom drop down to the lowest available orbits 
C)  add more neutrons to its nucleus 
D)  remove one or more electrons from the atom 
E)  send the atom to Bayonne, New Jersey
Section 5.6: The Doppler Effect

Exam 5: Radiation and Spectra

When white light passes from the air into a different medium such as glass, it:

A fashion designer decides to bring out a new line of clothing which reflects the longest wavelength of visible light. What color will these articles of clothing be to the human eye?

One of the great triumphs of spectroscopy was when astronomers identified a new element in the Sun (one that was only later found on Earth). Today, this element is called:

Which of the following has the highest frequency?

Christian Doppler discovered what we now call the "Doppler Effect" by measuring:

An artist who likes working with sources of light decides to make a modern sculpture out of electrified glass tubes that contain very thin (rarified) neon gas. When the sculpture is finished, and the electricity is turned on, the tubes glow with a rich red color. What we are seeing is:

After a nice dinner around the campfire on a camping trip, you and a friend decide to get away from the fire to observe the stars. As you get farther and farther away, you see the brightness of the fire:

Why is an absorption spectrum especially useful for astronomers?

Which of the following statements about photons is FALSE?

If I were to scale up an atom until it were the size of a sports arena, the space filled by the positive charges inside the atom (according to the work of Ernest Rutherford early in this century) would be:

Which of the following has the longest wavelength?

To go from a lower level in an atom to a higher level, an electron must

This chapter discusses that light sometimes acts like a photon. What is a photon?

Which of the following statements about infrared radiation is TRUE?

How do astronomers learn what elements are present in a given star?

In 1911 Ernest Rutherford did a famous experiment using fast-moving alpha particles as bullets and very thin gold foil as a target. The results of this experiment showed that:

Two stars are giving off electromagnetic radiation. The hotter star will:

A Hertz is

Wien's Law relates the wavelength at which a star gives off the greatest amount of energy to the star's

How could you make an ordinary atom that is minding its own business into an ion?

Science and the Universe: a Brief Tour

Observing the Sky: the Birth of Astronomy

Orbits and Gravity

Earth, Moon, and Sky

Astronomical Instruments

Other Worlds: an Introduction to the Solar System

Earth As a Planet

Cratered Worlds: the Moon and Mercury

Earthlike Planets: Venus and Mars

The Giant Planets

Rings, Moons, and Pluto

Comets and Asteroids: Debris of the Solar System

Cosmic Samples and the Origin of the Solar System

The Sun: a Garden-Variety Star

The Sun: a Nuclear Powerhouse

Analyzing Starlight

The Stars: a Celestial Census

Celestial Distances

Between the Stars

The Birth of Stars and the Discovery of Planets Outside the Solar System

Stars From Adolescence to Old Age

The Death of Stars

Black Holes and Curved Space-Time

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Active Galaxies, Quasars, and Supermassive Black Holes

The Evolution and Distribution of Galaxies

The Big Bang

Life in the Universe

Filters