Question 1

How does Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation explain Kepler's laws?

Accepted Answer

A) Universal gravitation implies that the orbits of the planets must be elliptical (Kepler's firstlaw). 
B) Universal gravitation implies that the planets will sweep out equal areas in equal times(Kepler's second law). 
C) Universal gravitation implies that the planets further from the Sun will move more slowlythan the planets closer to the Sun (Kepler's third law). 
D) Universal gravitation implies that when a planet is closer to the Sun in its orbit, it will movefaster than when it is farther from the Sun (Kepler's second law). 
E) Both C and D are correct. 
A) Universal gravitation implies that the orbits of the planets must be elliptical (Kepler's firstlaw). 
B) Universal gravitation implies that the planets will sweep out equal areas in equal times(Kepler's second law). 
C) Universal gravitation implies that the planets further from the Sun will move more slowlythan the planets closer to the Sun (Kepler's third law). 
D) Universal gravitation implies that when a planet is closer to the Sun in its orbit, it will movefaster than when it is farther from the Sun (Kepler's second law). 
E) Both C and D are correct. E

Question 2

How much stronger is the gravitational pull of the Sun on Earth, at 1 A.U., than it is onSaturn at 10 A.U.?

Accepted Answer

A) 5X 
B) 10X 
C) 25X 
D) 100X 
E) 250X 
A) 5X 
B) 10X 
C) 25X 
D) 100X 
E) 250X D

Question 3

Kepler's second law implies what about planetary motion?

Accepted Answer

A) A planet moves at a constant speed during its orbit of the Sun. 
B) A planet moves faster when it is farther from the Sun. 
C) A planet moves slower when it is closer to the Sun. 
D) A planet moves faster when it is closer to the Sun. 
E) This law implies nothing about a planet's motion. 
A) A planet moves at a constant speed during its orbit of the Sun. 
B) A planet moves faster when it is farther from the Sun. 
C) A planet moves slower when it is closer to the Sun. 
D) A planet moves faster when it is closer to the Sun. 
E) This law implies nothing about a planet's motion. D

Question 4

How would Ptolemy explain the rising of the Sun? Contrast this to Copernicus' explanation ofthe same event.

Accepted Answer

Ptolemy would say that the celestial sph

Question 5

The place in a planet's orbit that is closest to the Sun is called:

Accepted Answer

A) vernal equinox. 
B) aphelion. 
C) perihelion. 
D) crossing the ecliptic. 
E) None of these; a planet's distance from the Sun never changes. 
A) vernal equinox. 
B) aphelion. 
C) perihelion. 
D) crossing the ecliptic. 
E) None of these; a planet's distance from the Sun never changes.

Question 6

Of all his laws, Kepler was proudest of the third. Why was it so appealing in his search forcosmic harmony?

Accepted Answer

He found a simple math relatio

Question 7

Which of these was NOT a telescopic discovery of Galileo?

Accepted Answer

A) the moons of Saturn 
B) the craters and mare of the Moon 
C) sunspots and the rotation of the Sun 
D) the four largest moons of Jupiter 
E) the phases of Venus 
A) the moons of Saturn 
B) the craters and mare of the Moon 
C) sunspots and the rotation of the Sun 
D) the four largest moons of Jupiter 
E) the phases of Venus

Question 8

The eccentricity of a perfectly circular orbit is 1.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

A planet whose distance from the Sun is 3 A.U. would have an orbital period of how manyEarth-years?

Accepted Answer

A) 3 
B)  $\sqrt { 27 }$ 
C)  $\sqrt { 3 }$ 
D) 9 
E) 81 
A) 3 
B)  $\sqrt { 27 }$ 
C)  $\sqrt { 3 }$ 
D) 9 
E) 81

Question 10

According to Newton's third law, the Voyager probes pulled just as hard on Jupiter as it did onthem when they flew past it. Why were they accelerated enough to leave the solar system butJupiter still is in orbit about the Sun?

Accepted Answer

Jupiter was much more massive

Question 11

Explain how Copernicus would account for the retrograde loops of superior planets.

Accepted Answer

The Earth moves faster than th

Question 12

Like the Sun and the Moon, the planets appear to move from west to east from one day to thenext.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

What contribution to astronomy was made by Tycho Brahe?

Accepted Answer

A) The planets' orbits around the Sun are ellipses, not circles. 
B) The Earth is not the center of the Universe. 
C) His observations of planetary motion with great accuracy proved circular orbits could notwork. 
D) His telescope revealed the moons of Jupiter before Galileo noted them. 
E) Retrograde motion must be explained by epicycles larger than those of Ptolemy. 
A) The planets' orbits around the Sun are ellipses, not circles. 
B) The Earth is not the center of the Universe. 
C) His observations of planetary motion with great accuracy proved circular orbits could notwork. 
D) His telescope revealed the moons of Jupiter before Galileo noted them. 
E) Retrograde motion must be explained by epicycles larger than those of Ptolemy.

Question 14

Which of the following was NOT included in Copernicus' heliocentric model?

Accepted Answer

A) The planets of the solar system revolve around the Sun. 
B) The stars are much farther away than the Sun. 
C) Apparent retrograde motion is not the actual motion of the other planets. 
D) The orbits of the planets are ellipses. 
E) The Earth is not the center of everything. 
A) The planets of the solar system revolve around the Sun. 
B) The stars are much farther away than the Sun. 
C) Apparent retrograde motion is not the actual motion of the other planets. 
D) The orbits of the planets are ellipses. 
E) The Earth is not the center of everything.

Question 15

Which of the statements below is part of both the Ptolemaic and Copernican models?

Accepted Answer

A) The Earth orbits the Sun once a year. 
B) The Sun lies in the center of the Cosmos. 
C) The Moon orbits the Earth once a month. 
D) Epicycles are needed to explain retrograde motion of the planets. 
E) Venus's epicycle must always lie between us and the Sun. 
A) The Earth orbits the Sun once a year. 
B) The Sun lies in the center of the Cosmos. 
C) The Moon orbits the Earth once a month. 
D) Epicycles are needed to explain retrograde motion of the planets. 
E) Venus's epicycle must always lie between us and the Sun.

Question 16

Which was a contribution to astronomy made by Copernicus?

Accepted Answer

A) The planets move around the Sun in elliptical orbits. 
B) His theory of gravity accounted for the variable speeds of the planets. 
C) He laid out the order and relative motion of the known solar system. 
D) He discovered the Sun was not at the center of the Milky Way. 
E) His telescope revealed the four moons of Jupiter, a model solar system. 
A) The planets move around the Sun in elliptical orbits. 
B) His theory of gravity accounted for the variable speeds of the planets. 
C) He laid out the order and relative motion of the known solar system. 
D) He discovered the Sun was not at the center of the Milky Way. 
E) His telescope revealed the four moons of Jupiter, a model solar system.

Question 17

Orbital speed is the speed with which a planet moves around the Sun. This speed isdetermined by:

Accepted Answer

A) the mass of the planet only. 
B) the mass of the Sun only. 
C) both the mass of the planet and the mass of the Sun. 
D) the mass of the planet and its distance from the Sun. 
E) the mass of both the planet and the Sun and the distance between the two. 
A) the mass of the planet only. 
B) the mass of the Sun only. 
C) both the mass of the planet and the mass of the Sun. 
D) the mass of the planet and its distance from the Sun. 
E) the mass of both the planet and the Sun and the distance between the two.

Question 18

Relate Kepler's Second Law to the speeds of the planets.

Accepted Answer

In equal time intervals, the lines that

Question 19

A fatal flaw with Ptolemy's model is its inability to predict the observed phases of:

Accepted Answer

A) the Sun during an eclipse. 
B) the Moon in its monthly cycle. 
C) Mercury and Venus. 
D) Mars and Jupiter. 
E) Jupiter and Saturn. 
A) the Sun during an eclipse. 
B) the Moon in its monthly cycle. 
C) Mercury and Venus. 
D) Mars and Jupiter. 
E) Jupiter and Saturn.

Question 20

How did Ptolemy explain the retrograde motion of Mars?

Accepted Answer

Mars will retrograde on the in

Exam 2: The Copernican Revolution: The Birth of Modern Science

How does Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation explain Kepler's laws?

How much stronger is the gravitational pull of the Sun on Earth, at 1 A.U., than it is onSaturn at 10 A.U.?

Kepler's second law implies what about planetary motion?

How would Ptolemy explain the rising of the Sun? Contrast this to Copernicus' explanation ofthe same event.

The place in a planet's orbit that is closest to the Sun is called:

Of all his laws, Kepler was proudest of the third. Why was it so appealing in his search forcosmic harmony?

Which of these was NOT a telescopic discovery of Galileo?

The eccentricity of a perfectly circular orbit is 1.

A planet whose distance from the Sun is 3 A.U. would have an orbital period of how manyEarth-years?

According to Newton's third law, the Voyager probes pulled just as hard on Jupiter as it did onthem when they flew past it. Why were they accelerated enough to leave the solar system butJupiter still is in orbit about the Sun?

Explain how Copernicus would account for the retrograde loops of superior planets.

Like the Sun and the Moon, the planets appear to move from west to east from one day to thenext.

What contribution to astronomy was made by Tycho Brahe?

Which of the following was NOT included in Copernicus' heliocentric model?

Which of the statements below is part of both the Ptolemaic and Copernican models?

Which was a contribution to astronomy made by Copernicus?

Orbital speed is the speed with which a planet moves around the Sun. This speed isdetermined by:

Relate Kepler's Second Law to the speeds of the planets.

A fatal flaw with Ptolemy's model is its inability to predict the observed phases of:

How did Ptolemy explain the retrograde motion of Mars?

Charting the Heavens: The Foundations of Astronomy

Radiation: Information From the Cosmos

Spectroscopy: the Inner Workings of Atoms

Telescopes: The Tools of Astronomy

The Solar System: Comparative Planetology and Formation Models

Earth: Our Home in Space

The Moon and Mercury: Scorched and Battered Worlds

Venus: Earths Sister Planet

Mars: a Near Miss for Life

Jupiter: Giant of the Solar System

Saturn: Spectacular Rings and Mysterious Moons

Uranus and Neptune: The Outer Worlds of the Solar System

Solar System Debris: Keys to Our Origin

Exoplanets: Planetary Systems Beyond Our Own

The Sun: Our Parent Star

The Stars: Giants, Dwarfs, and the Main Sequence

The Interstellar Medium: Gas and Dust Among the Stars

Star Formation: a Traumatic Birth

Stellar Evolution: The Life and Death of a Star

Stellar Explosions: Novae, Supernovae, and the Formation of the Elements

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

The Milky Way Galaxy: a Spiral in Space

Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Galaxies and Dark Matter: The Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: The Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

The Early Universe: Toward the Beginning of Time

Life in the Universe: Are We Alone

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