Question 1

Mercury, with a higher eccentricity orbit, should change its orbital speed more than doVenus or Earth.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

Combining Newton's and Kepler's laws, we can weigh the Sun, provided we know:

Accepted Answer

A) its density as found by spectroscopy. 
B) its temperature as found by Wien's Law. 
C) the size of the A.U. and exact length of the year. 
D) the Earth's mass and circumference. 
E) the exact timings of the transits of Venus and its diameter. 
A) its density as found by spectroscopy. 
B) its temperature as found by Wien's Law. 
C) the size of the A.U. and exact length of the year. 
D) the Earth's mass and circumference. 
E) the exact timings of the transits of Venus and its diameter.

Question 3

What is meant by the Astronomical Unit?

Accepted Answer

The Astronomical uni

Question 4

According to Kepler's third law, the square of the planet's period in years is:

Accepted Answer

A) equal to its perihelion distance from the Sun in A.U. 
B) inversely proportional to its mass in kilograms. 
C) equal to the fourth power of its average temperature in degrees Kelvin. 
D) proportional to the cube of its semimajor axis in A.U. 
E) equal to the square of its aphelion distance in A.U. 
A) equal to its perihelion distance from the Sun in A.U. 
B) inversely proportional to its mass in kilograms. 
C) equal to the fourth power of its average temperature in degrees Kelvin. 
D) proportional to the cube of its semimajor axis in A.U. 
E) equal to the square of its aphelion distance in A.U.

Question 5

Which of the following is a contribution to astronomy made by Galileo?

Accepted Answer

A) The astronomical telescope can show us far more detail than the eye can. 
B) Jupiter has four moons orbiting it. 
C) The Moon has craters, mountain, valleys, and dark flat areas on its surface. 
D) Venus appears almost fully lit when it lies on the far side of the Sun. 
E) All of the above. 
A) The astronomical telescope can show us far more detail than the eye can. 
B) Jupiter has four moons orbiting it. 
C) The Moon has craters, mountain, valleys, and dark flat areas on its surface. 
D) Venus appears almost fully lit when it lies on the far side of the Sun. 
E) All of the above.

Question 6

What did Galileo discover about Jupiter that supported Copernicus?

Accepted Answer

Its four moons were a model so

Question 7

Kepler found the orbits of planets are ellipses, not circles.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

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

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

According to Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation, if the Moon were three times furtherfrom Earth, the force by Earth on the Moon would:

Accepted Answer

A) increase by a factor of 3. 
B) decrease by a factor of 3. 
C) increase by a factor of 9. 
D) decrease by a factor of 9. 
E) stay the same. 
A) increase by a factor of 3. 
B) decrease by a factor of 3. 
C) increase by a factor of 9. 
D) decrease by a factor of 9. 
E) stay the same.

Question 10

Tycho Brahe's contribution to Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion was:

Accepted Answer

A) his detailed and accurate observations of the planet's position. 
B) his observations of Jupiter's moons. 
C) a mathematical explanation of epicycles. 
D) a precise lunar calendar. 
E) the correct explanation of lunar phases. 
A) his detailed and accurate observations of the planet's position. 
B) his observations of Jupiter's moons. 
C) a mathematical explanation of epicycles. 
D) a precise lunar calendar. 
E) the correct explanation of lunar phases.

Question 11

What relationship did Newton find between orbital and escape velocities? Relate this to thestaging of the Apollo missions, first to a parking orbit about the Earth, and then on to the Moon.

Accepted Answer

The escape velocity is greater than the

Question 12

The planet with the most eccentric orbit is:

Accepted Answer

A) Mercury. 
B) Earth. 
C) Mars. 
D) Neptune. 
E) All planets orbit in circles, so have the same eccentricity. 
A) Mercury. 
B) Earth. 
C) Mars. 
D) Neptune. 
E) All planets orbit in circles, so have the same eccentricity.

Question 13

Newton's modification of Kepler's Laws allows us to find the ________ of the planets, if wecan observe satellites in orbit about them.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Newton's modification of Kepler's Laws allows us...

Question 14

Escape velocity is the speed required to:

Accepted Answer

A) orbit an object. 
B) overcome the gravitational pull of an object. 
C) overtake an object in orbit and pass it. 
D) keep from falling out of orbit around an object. 
E) maintain a constant distance from an object. 
A) orbit an object. 
B) overcome the gravitational pull of an object. 
C) overtake an object in orbit and pass it. 
D) keep from falling out of orbit around an object. 
E) maintain a constant distance from an object.

Question 15

In what geometric way can we determine the absolute distances to the planets?

Accepted Answer

The parallax for some nearby p

Question 16

Scientists today do not accept the Ptolemaic model because:

Accepted Answer

A) it is ancient history. 
B) it was too complicated, compared to Copernicus' heliocentric model. 
C) it has been shown that Ptolemy faked his data. 
D) it had no explanation for retrograde motion. 
E) the work of Tycho and Kepler showed the heliocentric model was more accurate. 
A) it is ancient history. 
B) it was too complicated, compared to Copernicus' heliocentric model. 
C) it has been shown that Ptolemy faked his data. 
D) it had no explanation for retrograde motion. 
E) the work of Tycho and Kepler showed the heliocentric model was more accurate.

Question 17

It took two centuries for the Copernican model to replace the Ptolemaic model because:

Accepted Answer

A) in Copernicus' time, there were no telescopes. 
B) the Church wouldn't let anyone talk about Copernicus' model for 200 years. 
C) there was no scientific evidence to support either model until Galileo made his observations. 
D) the Ptolemaic model was simpler and more aesthetically pleasing. 
E) the Copernican model required complicated new terms to explain it correctly. 
A) in Copernicus' time, there were no telescopes. 
B) the Church wouldn't let anyone talk about Copernicus' model for 200 years. 
C) there was no scientific evidence to support either model until Galileo made his observations. 
D) the Ptolemaic model was simpler and more aesthetically pleasing. 
E) the Copernican model required complicated new terms to explain it correctly.

Question 18

Which of these was NOT seen telescopically by Galileo?

Accepted Answer

A) sunspots 
B) Venus's phase cycle 
C) four moons around Jupiter 
D) stellar parallax 
E) craters and mare on the Moon 
A) sunspots 
B) Venus's phase cycle 
C) four moons around Jupiter 
D) stellar parallax 
E) craters and mare on the Moon

Question 19

Astronomical alignments in antiquity on solstice and equinox sunrises and sunsets show usthese builders had developed a(n)________ for farming.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Astronomical alignments in antiquity on solstice and...

Question 20

It was the Chinese who provided critical ancient data on supernovae and comets.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

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

Mercury, with a higher eccentricity orbit, should change its orbital speed more than doVenus or Earth.

Combining Newton's and Kepler's laws, we can weigh the Sun, provided we know:

What is meant by the Astronomical Unit?

According to Kepler's third law, the square of the planet's period in years is:

Which of the following is a contribution to astronomy made by Galileo?

What did Galileo discover about Jupiter that supported Copernicus?

Kepler found the orbits of planets are ellipses, not circles.

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

According to Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation, if the Moon were three times furtherfrom Earth, the force by Earth on the Moon would:

Tycho Brahe's contribution to Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion was:

What relationship did Newton find between orbital and escape velocities? Relate this to thestaging of the Apollo missions, first to a parking orbit about the Earth, and then on to the Moon.

The planet with the most eccentric orbit is:

Newton's modification of Kepler's Laws allows us to find the ________ of the planets, if wecan observe satellites in orbit about them.

Escape velocity is the speed required to:

In what geometric way can we determine the absolute distances to the planets?

Scientists today do not accept the Ptolemaic model because:

It took two centuries for the Copernican model to replace the Ptolemaic model because:

Which of these was NOT seen telescopically by Galileo?

Astronomical alignments in antiquity on solstice and equinox sunrises and sunsets show usthese builders had developed a(n)________ for farming.

It was the Chinese who provided critical ancient data on supernovae and comets.

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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