Question 1

The age of the solar system can be established by radioactive dating of

Accepted Answer

A) the atmosphere of Mars. 
B) the oldest meteorites. 
C) the oldest rocks on the Moon. 
D) the oldest rocks on Earth. 
E) It hasn't been done yet, but the age of the solar system could be obtained from a sample of Io's surface. 
A) the atmosphere of Mars. 
B) the oldest meteorites. 
C) the oldest rocks on the Moon. 
D) the oldest rocks on Earth. 
E) It hasn't been done yet, but the age of the solar system could be obtained from a sample of Io's surface.

Question 2

Jupiter and the other gas giants formed close to the sun and migrated outward.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

What do meteorites reveal about the solar system?

Accepted Answer

A) They reveal that the age of the solar system is approximately 4.6 billion years. 
B) Nothing, because they come from other star systems. 
C) They reveal that the early solar system consisted mostly of hydrogen and helium gas. 
D) They reveal that meteorites are much older than the comets and planets. 
E) They reveal that the solar system once contained 10 planets. 
A) They reveal that the age of the solar system is approximately 4.6 billion years. 
B) Nothing, because they come from other star systems. 
C) They reveal that the early solar system consisted mostly of hydrogen and helium gas. 
D) They reveal that meteorites are much older than the comets and planets. 
E) They reveal that the solar system once contained 10 planets.

Question 4

Observations vs. Explanations. Which of the following statements is an explanation?

Accepted Answer

A) The orderly orbits of planets arose from their formation in a rotating cloud of gas. 
B) The farther a galaxy is, the faster it is moving away from us. 
C) All planets orbit the Sun in the same direction and nearly the same plane. 
D) The inner planets of the solar system are rocky and the outer planets are gas giants. 
E) Hydrogen and helium are important constituents of stars. 
A) The orderly orbits of planets arose from their formation in a rotating cloud of gas. 
B) The farther a galaxy is, the faster it is moving away from us. 
C) All planets orbit the Sun in the same direction and nearly the same plane. 
D) The inner planets of the solar system are rocky and the outer planets are gas giants. 
E) Hydrogen and helium are important constituents of stars.

Question 5

Outside the frost line, planetesimals could form more quickly due to the presence of both rock and ice.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Which of the following statements about our Sun is not true?

Accepted Answer

A) The Sun is made mostly of hydrogen and helium. 
B) The Sun is a star. 
C) The Sun contains more than 99% of all the mass in our solar system. 
D) The Sun's diameter is about 5 times that of Earth. 
A) The Sun is made mostly of hydrogen and helium. 
B) The Sun is a star. 
C) The Sun contains more than 99% of all the mass in our solar system. 
D) The Sun's diameter is about 5 times that of Earth.

Question 7

Which of the following is not an exception to the general patterns of motion in the solar system?

Accepted Answer

A) the extreme axis tilt of Uranus 
B) the large size of Earth's moon 
C) the counterclockwise rotation of Venus 
D) the rings of Saturn 
E) the "backward" orbit of Triton around Neptune 
A) the extreme axis tilt of Uranus 
B) the large size of Earth's moon 
C) the counterclockwise rotation of Venus 
D) the rings of Saturn 
E) the "backward" orbit of Triton around Neptune

Question 8

According to our theory of solar system formation, what three major changes occurred in the solar nebula as it shrank in size?

Accepted Answer

A) It gained energy, it gained angular momentum, and it flattened into a disk. 
B) It got hotter, its rate of rotation increased, and it flattened into a disk. 
C) Its mass, temperature, and density all increased. 
D) Its gas clumped up to form the terrestrial planets, nuclear fusion produced heavy elements to make the jovian planets, and central temperatures rose to more than a trillion Kelvin. 
A) It gained energy, it gained angular momentum, and it flattened into a disk. 
B) It got hotter, its rate of rotation increased, and it flattened into a disk. 
C) Its mass, temperature, and density all increased. 
D) Its gas clumped up to form the terrestrial planets, nuclear fusion produced heavy elements to make the jovian planets, and central temperatures rose to more than a trillion Kelvin.

Question 9

All the planets in the solar system have at least one moon.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

How do scientists estimate how old the solar system is?

Accepted Answer

A) They make a guess: no one really knows how old the solar system is. 
B) They measure the speeds and distances of galaxies, and calculate the time it took for them to travel that distance. 
C) They measure the abundances of radioactive elements in meteorites, and use their half- lives to calculate the age. 
D) They look up the answer in a book. 
E) They measure how fast the Sun is losing energy, and how much energy it has to lose. 
A) They make a guess: no one really knows how old the solar system is. 
B) They measure the speeds and distances of galaxies, and calculate the time it took for them to travel that distance. 
C) They measure the abundances of radioactive elements in meteorites, and use their half- lives to calculate the age. 
D) They look up the answer in a book. 
E) They measure how fast the Sun is losing energy, and how much energy it has to lose.

Question 11

A rock sample from the moon includes a mineral that contains small amounts of the radioactive isotope Potassium- 40 and its daughter element Argon- 40 (half- life of 1.3 billion years). This mineral would not form with any Argon- 40. Consider a crystal with 7 atoms of Argon- 40 for every 1 atom of Potassium- 40. How long ago did this crystal form?

Accepted Answer

A) 13.5 billion years ago 
B) 1)3 billion years ago 
C) 3)9 billion years ago 
D) 5)2 billion years ago 
A) 13.5 billion years ago 
B) 1)3 billion years ago 
C) 3)9 billion years ago 
D) 5)2 billion years ago

Question 12

If we were to re- run the formation of the solar system, what would likely be the same and what would likely be different?

Accepted Answer

As with our solar system, planets would

Question 13

Briefly describe the two main lines of evidence for the modern theory of the moon's formation, wherein the Earth was hit by an approximately Mars- sized object.

Accepted Answer

The moon's composition is simi

Question 14

The jovian planets have no solid surface.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Which planet (besides Earth)has been visited by the largest number of robotic spacecraft?

Accepted Answer

A) Mars 
B) Jupiter 
C) Saturn 
D) Venus 
A) Mars 
B) Jupiter 
C) Saturn 
D) Venus

Question 16

What percentage of the solar nebula's mass consisted of hydrogen and helium gases?

Accepted Answer

A) 98 percent 
B) 5 percent 
C) 0)5 percent 
D) 100 percent 
E) 50 percent 
A) 98 percent 
B) 5 percent 
C) 0)5 percent 
D) 100 percent 
E) 50 percent

Question 17

Which of the following observations indicates that conditions on Mars may have been suitable for life in the past?

Accepted Answer

A) There are very large extinct volcanoes on Mars. 
B) Mars has two small moons. 
C) There are dried- up riverbeds on Mars. 
D) Mars has polar caps made of "dry ice." 
E) There is a very deep and long canyon that extends across Mars. 
A) There are very large extinct volcanoes on Mars. 
B) Mars has two small moons. 
C) There are dried- up riverbeds on Mars. 
D) Mars has polar caps made of "dry ice." 
E) There is a very deep and long canyon that extends across Mars.

Question 18

Observations of young stars (as well as theory)tell us that when the Sun was young, the solar wind

Accepted Answer

A) blew outward only along the Sun's poles. 
B) was about the same strength as it is today. 
C) was nonexistent. 
D) was weaker than it is today. 
E) was stronger than it is today. 
A) blew outward only along the Sun's poles. 
B) was about the same strength as it is today. 
C) was nonexistent. 
D) was weaker than it is today. 
E) was stronger than it is today.

Question 19

Briefly describe the modern theory of how our Moon formed.

Accepted Answer

The Moon formed from a giant i

Question 20

If a radioactive isotope that was injected into your bloodstream has a half- life of 5 hours, how many hours do you have to wait before the amount of this isotope in your body is 1 its original 16
Amount?

Accepted Answer

A) 25 
B) 15 
C) 20 
D) 5 
E) 10 
A) 25 
B) 15 
C) 20 
D) 5 
E) 10

The age of the solar system can be established by radioactive dating of

Jupiter and the other gas giants formed close to the sun and migrated outward.

What do meteorites reveal about the solar system?

Observations vs. Explanations. Which of the following statements is an explanation?

Outside the frost line, planetesimals could form more quickly due to the presence of both rock and ice.

Which of the following statements about our Sun is not true?

Which of the following is not an exception to the general patterns of motion in the solar system?

According to our theory of solar system formation, what three major changes occurred in the solar nebula as it shrank in size?

All the planets in the solar system have at least one moon.

How do scientists estimate how old the solar system is?

If we were to re- run the formation of the solar system, what would likely be the same and what would likely be different?

Briefly describe the two main lines of evidence for the modern theory of the moon's formation, wherein the Earth was hit by an approximately Mars- sized object.

The jovian planets have no solid surface.

Which planet (besides Earth)has been visited by the largest number of robotic spacecraft?

What percentage of the solar nebula's mass consisted of hydrogen and helium gases?

Which of the following observations indicates that conditions on Mars may have been suitable for life in the past?

Observations of young stars (as well as theory)tell us that when the Sun was young, the solar wind

Briefly describe the modern theory of how our Moon formed.

If a radioactive isotope that was injected into your bloodstream has a half- life of 5 hours, how many hours do you have to wait before the amount of this isotope in your body is 1 its original 16 Amount?

A Modern View of the Universe

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

The Science of Astronomy

Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity

Light: the Cosmic Messenger

Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet System

Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts

Other Planetary Systems: the New Science of Distant Worlds

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Stuff

The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

A Universe of Galaxies

The Birth of the Universe

Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe

Filters

Exam 6: Formation of the Solar System

The age of the solar system can be established by radioactive dating of

Jupiter and the other gas giants formed close to the sun and migrated outward.

What do meteorites reveal about the solar system?

Observations vs. Explanations. Which of the following statements is an explanation?

Outside the frost line, planetesimals could form more quickly due to the presence of both rock and ice.

Which of the following statements about our Sun is not true?

Which of the following is not an exception to the general patterns of motion in the solar system?

According to our theory of solar system formation, what three major changes occurred in the solar nebula as it shrank in size?

All the planets in the solar system have at least one moon.

How do scientists estimate how old the solar system is?

If we were to re- run the formation of the solar system, what would likely be the same and what would likely be different?

Briefly describe the two main lines of evidence for the modern theory of the moon's formation, wherein the Earth was hit by an approximately Mars- sized object.

The jovian planets have no solid surface.

Which planet (besides Earth)has been visited by the largest number of robotic spacecraft?

What percentage of the solar nebula's mass consisted of hydrogen and helium gases?

Which of the following observations indicates that conditions on Mars may have been suitable for life in the past?

Observations of young stars (as well as theory)tell us that when the Sun was young, the solar wind

Briefly describe the modern theory of how our Moon formed.

If a radioactive isotope that was injected into your bloodstream has a half- life of 5 hours, how many hours do you have to wait before the amount of this isotope in your body is 1 its original 16 Amount?

A Modern View of the Universe

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

The Science of Astronomy

Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity

Light: the Cosmic Messenger

Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet System

Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts

Other Planetary Systems: the New Science of Distant Worlds

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Stuff

The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

A Universe of Galaxies

The Birth of the Universe

Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe

Filters