Question 1

When a planet retrogrades, it appears to move westward for weeks at a time.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

Newton's modification of Kepler's Third Law lets us measure the mass of the Sun.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

Transits of Venus were critical in early determinations of the A.U.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

We are at ________ in January, when we are closest to the Sun in our elliptical orbit.

Accepted Answer

The answer of We are at ________ in January, when...

Question 5

Galileo found the rotation period of the Sun was approximately:

Accepted Answer

A) a day. 
B) a week. 
C) a month. 
D) three months. 
E) a year. 
A) a day. 
B) a week. 
C) a month. 
D) three months. 
E) a year.

Question 6

According to Newton's second law, if you double the force acting on a body, the accelerationwill double.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

Which of these was a contribution of Newton to astronomy?

Accepted Answer

A) Artificial satellites could be put into orbit about the Earth. 
B) The Sun's gravity is greatest on a planet at perihelion, so the planet must speed up. 
C) The Moon pulls as strongly on us as we do on it. 
D) His differential calculus lets us calculate planetary motions more accurately. 
E) All of these were due to Newton's work. 
A) Artificial satellites could be put into orbit about the Earth. 
B) The Sun's gravity is greatest on a planet at perihelion, so the planet must speed up. 
C) The Moon pulls as strongly on us as we do on it. 
D) His differential calculus lets us calculate planetary motions more accurately. 
E) All of these were due to Newton's work.

Question 8

Upon which point do Copernicus and Kepler disagree?

Accepted Answer

A) The Moon orbits the Earth. 
B) The Earth orbits the Sun. 
C) Retrograde motion occurs when one planet overtakes another. 
D) The orbits of the planets are ellipses, with one focus at the Sun. 
E) Venus will appear as a crescent when she retrogrades between us and the Sun. 
A) The Moon orbits the Earth. 
B) The Earth orbits the Sun. 
C) Retrograde motion occurs when one planet overtakes another. 
D) The orbits of the planets are ellipses, with one focus at the Sun. 
E) Venus will appear as a crescent when she retrogrades between us and the Sun.

Question 9

Galileo's discovery of four moons orbiting ________ provided new support for the ideas ofCopernicus.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Galileo's discovery of four moons orbiting ________...

Question 10

While the orbits of planets are nearly circular, the eccentricities of the orbits of ________ arenear one.

Accepted Answer

The answer of While the orbits of planets are nearly...

Question 11

A planet (or comet)will speed up as it approaches the Sun.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

The heliocentric model was actually first proposed by:

Accepted Answer

A) Aristotle. 
B) Archimedes. 
C) Aristarchus. 
D) Alexander the Great. 
E) Hipparchus. 
A) Aristotle. 
B) Archimedes. 
C) Aristarchus. 
D) Alexander the Great. 
E) Hipparchus.

Question 13

Jupiter lies about 5 A.U. from the Sun, so at its distance:

Accepted Answer

A) the Sun's gravity is just as strong as it is here at Earth. 
B) the Sun's gravity must be five times stronger to hold massive Jupiter in orbit. 
C) the Sun's gravity is five times weaker there than at one A.U. distance. 
D) the Sun's gravity is 25 times weaker than its pull on the Earth. 
E) the Sun's gravity is so weak that ultimately Jupiter will escape the solar system. 
A) the Sun's gravity is just as strong as it is here at Earth. 
B) the Sun's gravity must be five times stronger to hold massive Jupiter in orbit. 
C) the Sun's gravity is five times weaker there than at one A.U. distance. 
D) the Sun's gravity is 25 times weaker than its pull on the Earth. 
E) the Sun's gravity is so weak that ultimately Jupiter will escape the solar system.

Question 14

Geosynchronous satellites orbit at about four Earth radii, where the Earth's gravitational pullis:

Accepted Answer

A) 2 g. 
B) 1 g. 
C)  $\text { 1/2 g. }$ 
D)  $\text { 1/4 g. }$ 
E)  $1 / 16 \mathrm {~g}$ 
A) 2 g. 
B) 1 g. 
C)  $\text { 1/2 g. }$ 
D)  $\text { 1/4 g. }$ 
E)  $1 / 16 \mathrm {~g}$

Question 15

The force of gravity between two objects:

Accepted Answer

A) increases with the masses of the bodies, but decreases with their separations. 
B) increases with the masses of the bodies, but decreases with the square of the distancesbetween them. 
C) increases with the square of their masses, but decreases with the cube of their periods of orbitabout the Sun. 
D) depends on the density, not the mass of the bodies. 
E) depends on the temperature, density, and size of the bodies. 
A) increases with the masses of the bodies, but decreases with their separations. 
B) increases with the masses of the bodies, but decreases with the square of the distancesbetween them. 
C) increases with the square of their masses, but decreases with the cube of their periods of orbitabout the Sun. 
D) depends on the density, not the mass of the bodies. 
E) depends on the temperature, density, and size of the bodies.

Question 16

What did Galileo discover when looking at the Sun with his telescope, and how did thissupport Copernicus?

Accepted Answer

Sunspots, which rotated across

Question 17

According to Copernicus, retrograde motion for Venus must occur around:

Accepted Answer

A) inferior conjunction, when it passes between us and the Sun. 
B) quadrature, when the planet is 90 degrees away from the Sun. 
C) greatest elongation, when the planet is farthest from the Sun. 
D) superior conjunction, when the planet is on the far side of the Sun. 
E) opposition, when the planet lies opposite the Sun in the sky. 
A) inferior conjunction, when it passes between us and the Sun. 
B) quadrature, when the planet is 90 degrees away from the Sun. 
C) greatest elongation, when the planet is farthest from the Sun. 
D) superior conjunction, when the planet is on the far side of the Sun. 
E) opposition, when the planet lies opposite the Sun in the sky.

Question 18

The most accurate Greek attempt to explain planetary motion was the model of:

Accepted Answer

A) Aristotle. 
B) Pythagoras. 
C) Hipparchus. 
D) Ptolemy. 
E) Erastothenes. 
A) Aristotle. 
B) Pythagoras. 
C) Hipparchus. 
D) Ptolemy. 
E) Erastothenes.

Question 19

Which of the following was NOT a contribution of Galileo to astronomy?

Accepted Answer

A) Sunspots showed the Sun was rotating on its axis, like the Earth does. 
B) The four moons of Jupiter are a model for the solar system motions in general. 
C) The phases of Venus prove it orbits completely around the Sun. 
D) The changing appearance of Saturn's rings corresponds to our seasons. 
E) The craters and mare of the Moon prove it a world in its own right. 
A) Sunspots showed the Sun was rotating on its axis, like the Earth does. 
B) The four moons of Jupiter are a model for the solar system motions in general. 
C) The phases of Venus prove it orbits completely around the Sun. 
D) The changing appearance of Saturn's rings corresponds to our seasons. 
E) The craters and mare of the Moon prove it a world in its own right.

Question 20

How did Galileo's observations of Venus disprove the Ptolemaic model?

Accepted Answer

Ptolemy said that the epicycles for both

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

When a planet retrogrades, it appears to move westward for weeks at a time.

Newton's modification of Kepler's Third Law lets us measure the mass of the Sun.

Transits of Venus were critical in early determinations of the A.U.

We are at ________ in January, when we are closest to the Sun in our elliptical orbit.

Galileo found the rotation period of the Sun was approximately:

According to Newton's second law, if you double the force acting on a body, the accelerationwill double.

Which of these was a contribution of Newton to astronomy?

Upon which point do Copernicus and Kepler disagree?

Galileo's discovery of four moons orbiting ________ provided new support for the ideas ofCopernicus.

While the orbits of planets are nearly circular, the eccentricities of the orbits of ________ arenear one.

A planet (or comet)will speed up as it approaches the Sun.

The heliocentric model was actually first proposed by:

Jupiter lies about 5 A.U. from the Sun, so at its distance:

Geosynchronous satellites orbit at about four Earth radii, where the Earth's gravitational pullis:

The force of gravity between two objects:

What did Galileo discover when looking at the Sun with his telescope, and how did thissupport Copernicus?

According to Copernicus, retrograde motion for Venus must occur around:

The most accurate Greek attempt to explain planetary motion was the model of:

Which of the following was NOT a contribution of Galileo to astronomy?

How did Galileo's observations of Venus disprove the Ptolemaic model?

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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