Question 1

Explain how Newton could turn observations of a cannonball in flight into a satellite orbit.

Accepted Answer

Newton noted that the faster the ball wa

Question 2

Kepler determined the shape of each planet's orbit by triangulation from different points onEarth's orbit, using observations made at many different times of the year.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

Newton's Laws completely replaced the incorrect work of Kepler.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

Why do Newton's Laws show a force must be acting on the planets?

Accepted Answer

The planets are moving in elliptical orb

Question 5

The force of gravity varies with the:

Accepted Answer

A) product of the two masses. 
B) inverse of the distance separating the two bodies. 
C) inverse square of the distance separating the two bodies. 
D) Both A and B are correct. 
E) Both A and C are correct. 
A) product of the two masses. 
B) inverse of the distance separating the two bodies. 
C) inverse square of the distance separating the two bodies. 
D) Both A and B are correct. 
E) Both A and C are correct.

Question 6

If an object is observed to orbit the Sun in an orbit with an eccentricity of 0.9, what type ofobject is it likely to be?

Accepted Answer

A) a star 
B) a planet 
C) an asteroid 
D) a comet 
E) a moon 
A) a star 
B) a planet 
C) an asteroid 
D) a comet 
E) a moon

Question 7

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, attempts to precisely measure theastronomical unit relied largely on rare:

Accepted Answer

A) total solar eclipses. 
B) transits of the inferior planets across the Sun. 
C) passages of comets close to the Earth. 
D) maximum elongations of Venus. 
E) oppositions of Mars. 
A) total solar eclipses. 
B) transits of the inferior planets across the Sun. 
C) passages of comets close to the Earth. 
D) maximum elongations of Venus. 
E) oppositions of Mars.

Question 8

According to Newton, the gravity of the ________ is needed to explain planetary orbits.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Newton, the gravity of the...

Question 9

What does Kepler's third law imply about planetary motion?

Accepted Answer

A) All planets orbit the Sun at the same speed. 
B) Planets closer to the Sun orbit at a slower speed than planets further from the Sun. 
C) Planets further from the Sun orbit at a slower speed than planets closer to the Sun. 
D) Planets further from the Sun orbit at a faster speed than planets closer to the Sun. 
E) This law implies nothing about a planet's motion. 
A) All planets orbit the Sun at the same speed. 
B) Planets closer to the Sun orbit at a slower speed than planets further from the Sun. 
C) Planets further from the Sun orbit at a slower speed than planets closer to the Sun. 
D) Planets further from the Sun orbit at a faster speed than planets closer to the Sun. 
E) This law implies nothing about a planet's motion.

Question 10

If the distance between two asteroids is doubled, the gravitational force they exert on eachother will:

Accepted Answer

A) also be doubled. 
B) be half as great. 
C) be one fourth as great. 
D) be $1 / 16$ a great. 
E) be four times greater. 
A) also be doubled. 
B) be half as great. 
C) be one fourth as great. 
D) be $1 / 16$ a great. 
E) be four times greater.

Question 11

The Ptolemaic model probably persisted for all these reasons EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

A) it had the authority of Aristotle behind it. 
B) it was consistent with the doctrines of the Catholic Church. 
C) it used perfect circles, which appealed to geometry. 
D) it accounted well for Galileo's observations of the phase cycle of Venus. 
E) it explain why stellar parallax was not observed by the Greeks. 
A) it had the authority of Aristotle behind it. 
B) it was consistent with the doctrines of the Catholic Church. 
C) it used perfect circles, which appealed to geometry. 
D) it accounted well for Galileo's observations of the phase cycle of Venus. 
E) it explain why stellar parallax was not observed by the Greeks.

Question 12

Galileo's observations of sunspots proved the Sun was rotating, like the Earth.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

The most famous prehistoric astronomical observatory is:

Accepted Answer

A) the Sphinx. 
B) Stonehenge. 
C) Big Horn stone circle. 
D) Carcacol. 
E) Mount Rushmore. 
A) the Sphinx. 
B) Stonehenge. 
C) Big Horn stone circle. 
D) Carcacol. 
E) Mount Rushmore.

Question 14

Kepler's first law worked, where Copernicus' original heliocentric model failed, becauseKepler described the orbits as:

Accepted Answer

A) elliptical, not circular. 
B) much larger than Copernicus had envisioned. 
C) around the Sun, not the Earth. 
D) being on equants instead of epicycles. 
E) complex, with epicycles to account for retrograde motions. 
A) elliptical, not circular. 
B) much larger than Copernicus had envisioned. 
C) around the Sun, not the Earth. 
D) being on equants instead of epicycles. 
E) complex, with epicycles to account for retrograde motions.

Question 15

The principal culture that transferred Greek astronomical knowledge to Renaissance Europewas:

Accepted Answer

A) Byzantine. 
B) Chinese. 
C) Mongol. 
D) Islamic. 
E) Mayan. 
A) Byzantine. 
B) Chinese. 
C) Mongol. 
D) Islamic. 
E) Mayan.

Question 16

On which of these assumptions do Ptolemy and Copernicus agree?

Accepted Answer

A) The Earth must be the center of all motion in the Cosmos. 
B) All orbits must be perfect circles. 
C) The Sun was bigger than the Earth. 
D) Venus must always stay between us and the Sun. 
E) The Sun must orbit us, but the planets do orbit the Sun. 
A) The Earth must be the center of all motion in the Cosmos. 
B) All orbits must be perfect circles. 
C) The Sun was bigger than the Earth. 
D) Venus must always stay between us and the Sun. 
E) The Sun must orbit us, but the planets do orbit the Sun.

Question 17

Because he failed to observe stellar ________, Aristotle wrongly concluded we could not bein orbit around the Sun.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Because he failed to observe stellar ________,...

Question 18

Given that the planet orbiting the nearby star 51 Pegasi is about 20X larger than the Earth,but 400X more massive, on that world you would weigh:

Accepted Answer

A) the same as you do here. 
B) twice as much as you do here. 
C) half as much as you do here. 
D) 20X more that you do here. 
E) 400X more than you do here. 
A) the same as you do here. 
B) twice as much as you do here. 
C) half as much as you do here. 
D) 20X more that you do here. 
E) 400X more than you do here.

Question 19

The greatest contribution of the Greeks to modern thought was:

Accepted Answer

A) the idea that all the planets orbited the Sun. 
B) that their mythology was the basis for the naming of the constellations. 
C) that their observation of stellar parallax proved the Earth orbited the Sun. 
D) the development of scientific inquiry and model building. 
E) the invention of the telescope. 
A) the idea that all the planets orbited the Sun. 
B) that their mythology was the basis for the naming of the constellations. 
C) that their observation of stellar parallax proved the Earth orbited the Sun. 
D) the development of scientific inquiry and model building. 
E) the invention of the telescope.

Question 20

Using Newton's first law, describe the motion of a body moving in the absence of any netexternal force.

Accepted Answer

in a strai

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

Explain how Newton could turn observations of a cannonball in flight into a satellite orbit.

Kepler determined the shape of each planet's orbit by triangulation from different points onEarth's orbit, using observations made at many different times of the year.

Newton's Laws completely replaced the incorrect work of Kepler.

Why do Newton's Laws show a force must be acting on the planets?

The force of gravity varies with the:

If an object is observed to orbit the Sun in an orbit with an eccentricity of 0.9, what type ofobject is it likely to be?

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, attempts to precisely measure theastronomical unit relied largely on rare:

According to Newton, the gravity of the ________ is needed to explain planetary orbits.

What does Kepler's third law imply about planetary motion?

If the distance between two asteroids is doubled, the gravitational force they exert on eachother will:

The Ptolemaic model probably persisted for all these reasons EXCEPT:

Galileo's observations of sunspots proved the Sun was rotating, like the Earth.

The most famous prehistoric astronomical observatory is:

Kepler's first law worked, where Copernicus' original heliocentric model failed, becauseKepler described the orbits as:

The principal culture that transferred Greek astronomical knowledge to Renaissance Europewas:

On which of these assumptions do Ptolemy and Copernicus agree?

Because he failed to observe stellar ________, Aristotle wrongly concluded we could not bein orbit around the Sun.

Given that the planet orbiting the nearby star 51 Pegasi is about 20X larger than the Earth,but 400X more massive, on that world you would weigh:

The greatest contribution of the Greeks to modern thought was:

Using Newton's first law, describe the motion of a body moving in the absence of any netexternal force.

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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