Question 1

Which of the following statements about electrical charge is true?

Accepted Answer

A) Two positive charges will attract each other. 
B) A positive charge and a negative charge will repel each other. 
C) Two negative charges will attract each other. 
D) A positive charge and a negative charge will attract each other. 
A) Two positive charges will attract each other. 
B) A positive charge and a negative charge will repel each other. 
C) Two negative charges will attract each other. 
D) A positive charge and a negative charge will attract each other.

Question 2

Blue light hitting a red sweatshirt is an example of

Accepted Answer

A) absorption. 
B) emission. 
C) reflection or scattering. 
D) transmission. 
A) absorption. 
B) emission. 
C) reflection or scattering. 
D) transmission.

Question 3

Suppose you see two stars: a blue star and a red star. Which of the following can you conclude about the two stars? Assume that no Doppler shifts are involved. (Hint: Think about the laws of thermal radiation.)

Accepted Answer

A) The red star has a hotter surface temperature than the blue star. 
B) The blue star is farther away than the red star. 
C) The blue star is more massive than the red star. 
D) The blue star has a hotter surface temperature than the red star. 
E) The red star is more massive than the blue star. 
A) The red star has a hotter surface temperature than the blue star. 
B) The blue star is farther away than the red star. 
C) The blue star is more massive than the red star. 
D) The blue star has a hotter surface temperature than the red star. 
E) The red star is more massive than the blue star.

Question 4

Currently, the largest optical telescope mirrors have a diameter of

Accepted Answer

A) 5 m. 
B) 1 m. 
C) 10 m. 
D) 100 m. 
E) 2 m. 
A) 5 m. 
B) 1 m. 
C) 10 m. 
D) 100 m. 
E) 2 m.

Question 5

Which of the following statements is true of green grass?

Accepted Answer

A) It absorbs red light and emits green light. 
B) It means the lawn is healthy. 
C) It absorbs red light and reflects green light. 
D) It transmits all colors of light except green. 
A) It absorbs red light and emits green light. 
B) It means the lawn is healthy. 
C) It absorbs red light and reflects green light. 
D) It transmits all colors of light except green.

Question 6

Which of the following wavelength regions cannot be studied with telescopes on the ground?

Accepted Answer

A) radio waves 
B) X- rays 
C) ultraviolet 
D) both B and C 
E) both A and C 
A) radio waves 
B) X- rays 
C) ultraviolet 
D) both B and C 
E) both A and C

Question 7

Suppose that Star X and Star Y both have redshifts, but Star X has a larger redshift than Star Y. What can you conclude?

Accepted Answer

A) Star X is moving away from us and Star Y is moving toward us. 
B) Star X is coming toward us faster than Star Y. 
C) Star X is moving away from us faster than Star Y. 
D) Star X is hotter than Star Y. 
E) Star Y is moving away from us faster than Star X. 
A) Star X is moving away from us and Star Y is moving toward us. 
B) Star X is coming toward us faster than Star Y. 
C) Star X is moving away from us faster than Star Y. 
D) Star X is hotter than Star Y. 
E) Star Y is moving away from us faster than Star X.

Question 8

Which of the following objects would be most likely to produce an emission- line spectrum?

Accepted Answer

A) a star like our Sun 
B) the Earth 
C) a neon light 
D) a light bulb 
A) a star like our Sun 
B) the Earth 
C) a neon light 
D) a light bulb

Question 9

The simplified spectra for four stars is shown here. Which star has the lowest temperature?

Accepted Answer

A) star B (orange line) 
B) star D (purple line) 
C) star C (yellow line) 
D) star A (green line) 
A) star B (orange line) 
B) star D (purple line) 
C) star C (yellow line) 
D) star A (green line)

Question 10

The most common isotope of oxygen has atomic number 8 and atomic mass number 16. Another isotope has two extra neutrons. What are the atomic number and atomic mass number of this isotope?

Accepted Answer

The atomic number would still

Question 11

Visible light from a distant star can be spread into a spectrum by using a glass prism or .

Accepted Answer

A) a diffraction grating 
B) a flat glass mirror 
C) adaptive optics 
D) a telescope 
A) a diffraction grating 
B) a flat glass mirror 
C) adaptive optics 
D) a telescope

Question 12

The wavelength of a wave is

Accepted Answer

A) how strong the wave is. 
B) the distance between where the wave is emitted and where it is absorbed. 
C) equal to the speed of the wave times the wave's frequency. 
D) the distance between a peak of the wave and the next trough. 
E) the distance between two adjacent peaks of the wave. 
A) how strong the wave is. 
B) the distance between where the wave is emitted and where it is absorbed. 
C) equal to the speed of the wave times the wave's frequency. 
D) the distance between a peak of the wave and the next trough. 
E) the distance between two adjacent peaks of the wave.

Question 13

Which of the following best describes the fundamental difference between two different chemical elements (such as oxygen and carbon)?

Accepted Answer

A) They have different numbers of protons in their nucleus. 
B) They have different names. 
C) They have different atomic mass numbers. 
D) They have different numbers of electrons. 
A) They have different numbers of protons in their nucleus. 
B) They have different names. 
C) They have different atomic mass numbers. 
D) They have different numbers of electrons.

Question 14

If we say that a material is opaque to ultraviolet light, we mean that it .

Accepted Answer

A) emits ultraviolet light 
B) absorbs ultraviolet light 
C) transmits ultraviolet light 
D) reflects ultraviolet light 
A) emits ultraviolet light 
B) absorbs ultraviolet light 
C) transmits ultraviolet light 
D) reflects ultraviolet light

Question 15

When an electron drops to a lower energy level in an atom,

Accepted Answer

A) the extra energy disappears. 
B) the atom moves more slowly. 
C) light at a wavelength specific to the change in energy levels is emitted. 
D) the electron becomes more massive. 
A) the extra energy disappears. 
B) the atom moves more slowly. 
C) light at a wavelength specific to the change in energy levels is emitted. 
D) the electron becomes more massive.

Question 16

When considering light as made up of individual "pieces," each characterized by a particular amount of energy, the pieces are called .

Accepted Answer

A) photons 
B) gamma rays 
C) frequencies 
D) wavicles 
A) photons 
B) gamma rays 
C) frequencies 
D) wavicles

Question 17

Spectra from neutral atoms compared with spectra from ionized atoms of the same element

Accepted Answer

A) are slightly blueshifted. 
B) have different sets of spectral lines. 
C) have the same sets of spectral lines but different widths for those lines. 
D) are slightly redshifted. 
E) are the same. 
A) are slightly blueshifted. 
B) have different sets of spectral lines. 
C) have the same sets of spectral lines but different widths for those lines. 
D) are slightly redshifted. 
E) are the same.

Question 18

A blue camera filter appears blue because it transmits blue light, absorbing all other colors.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

An isotope of fluorine has 9 protons and 10 neutrons. What are the atomic number and atomic mass number of this fluorine? If we added a proton to this fluorine nucleus, would the result still be fluorine? What if we added a neutron instead? Explain.

Accepted Answer

The atomic number of fluorine is equal t

Question 20

Briefly explain how we can use spectral lines to determine an object's radial motion (toward or away from us). Can we also learn the object's tangential motion (across our line of sight)from its spectral lines?

Accepted Answer

By comparing the wavelength of the spect

Which of the following statements about electrical charge is true?

Blue light hitting a red sweatshirt is an example of

Suppose you see two stars: a blue star and a red star. Which of the following can you conclude about the two stars? Assume that no Doppler shifts are involved. (Hint: Think about the laws of thermal radiation.)

Currently, the largest optical telescope mirrors have a diameter of

Which of the following statements is true of green grass?

Which of the following wavelength regions cannot be studied with telescopes on the ground?

Suppose that Star X and Star Y both have redshifts, but Star X has a larger redshift than Star Y. What can you conclude?

Which of the following objects would be most likely to produce an emission- line spectrum?

The simplified spectra for four stars is shown here. Which star has the lowest temperature?

The most common isotope of oxygen has atomic number 8 and atomic mass number 16. Another isotope has two extra neutrons. What are the atomic number and atomic mass number of this isotope?

Visible light from a distant star can be spread into a spectrum by using a glass prism or .

The wavelength of a wave is

Which of the following best describes the fundamental difference between two different chemical elements (such as oxygen and carbon)?

If we say that a material is opaque to ultraviolet light, we mean that it .

When an electron drops to a lower energy level in an atom,

When considering light as made up of individual "pieces," each characterized by a particular amount of energy, the pieces are called .

Spectra from neutral atoms compared with spectra from ionized atoms of the same element

A blue camera filter appears blue because it transmits blue light, absorbing all other colors.

An isotope of fluorine has 9 protons and 10 neutrons. What are the atomic number and atomic mass number of this fluorine? If we added a proton to this fluorine nucleus, would the result still be fluorine? What if we added a neutron instead? Explain.

Briefly explain how we can use spectral lines to determine an object's radial motion (toward or away from us). Can we also learn the object's tangential motion (across our line of sight)from its spectral lines?

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

Formation of the Solar System

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

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Exam 5: Light: the Cosmic Messenger

Which of the following statements about electrical charge is true?

Blue light hitting a red sweatshirt is an example of

Suppose you see two stars: a blue star and a red star. Which of the following can you conclude about the two stars? Assume that no Doppler shifts are involved. (Hint: Think about the laws of thermal radiation.)

Currently, the largest optical telescope mirrors have a diameter of

Which of the following statements is true of green grass?

Which of the following wavelength regions cannot be studied with telescopes on the ground?

Suppose that Star X and Star Y both have redshifts, but Star X has a larger redshift than Star Y. What can you conclude?

Which of the following objects would be most likely to produce an emission- line spectrum?

The simplified spectra for four stars is shown here. Which star has the lowest temperature?

The most common isotope of oxygen has atomic number 8 and atomic mass number 16. Another isotope has two extra neutrons. What are the atomic number and atomic mass number of this isotope?

Visible light from a distant star can be spread into a spectrum by using a glass prism or .

The wavelength of a wave is

Which of the following best describes the fundamental difference between two different chemical elements (such as oxygen and carbon)?

If we say that a material is opaque to ultraviolet light, we mean that it .

When an electron drops to a lower energy level in an atom,

When considering light as made up of individual "pieces," each characterized by a particular amount of energy, the pieces are called .

Spectra from neutral atoms compared with spectra from ionized atoms of the same element

A blue camera filter appears blue because it transmits blue light, absorbing all other colors.

An isotope of fluorine has 9 protons and 10 neutrons. What are the atomic number and atomic mass number of this fluorine? If we added a proton to this fluorine nucleus, would the result still be fluorine? What if we added a neutron instead? Explain.

Briefly explain how we can use spectral lines to determine an object's radial motion (toward or away from us). Can we also learn the object's tangential motion (across our line of sight)from its spectral lines?

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

Formation of the Solar System

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