Question 1

How do human-built nuclear power plants on Earth generate energy?

Accepted Answer

A) chemical reactions 
B) nuclear fusion 
C) nuclear fission 
D) converting kinetic energy into electricity 
E) converting gravitational potential energy into electricity 
A) chemical reactions 
B) nuclear fusion 
C) nuclear fission 
D) converting kinetic energy into electricity 
E) converting gravitational potential energy into electricity

Question 2

The phase of matter in the Sun is

Accepted Answer

A) gas. 
B) plasma. 
C) liquid. 
D) solid. 
E) a mixture of all of the above 
A) gas. 
B) plasma. 
C) liquid. 
D) solid. 
E) a mixture of all of the above

Question 3

Which of the following best describes why the Sun emits most of its energy in the form of visible light?

Accepted Answer

A) Nuclear fusion in the Sun's core produces visible light photons. 
B) The visible light comes from energy level transitions as electrons in the Sun's hydrogen atoms jump between level 1 and level 2. 
C) Like all objects,the Sun emits thermal radiation with a spectrum that depends on its temperature,and the Sun's surface temperature is just right for emitting mostly visible light. 
D) The Sun's gas is on fire like flames from wood or coal,and these flames emit visible light. 
A) Nuclear fusion in the Sun's core produces visible light photons. 
B) The visible light comes from energy level transitions as electrons in the Sun's hydrogen atoms jump between level 1 and level 2. 
C) Like all objects,the Sun emits thermal radiation with a spectrum that depends on its temperature,and the Sun's surface temperature is just right for emitting mostly visible light. 
D) The Sun's gas is on fire like flames from wood or coal,and these flames emit visible light.

Question 4

If the Sun suddenly stopped emitting neutrinos,what might we infer (after checking that our neutrino detectors were still operational)?

Accepted Answer

A) Fusion reactions in the Sun ceased a few hundred thousand years ago. 
B) Fission reactions in the Sun have ceased. 
C) Fusion reactions in the Sun have ceased. 
D) The Sun has exhausted its supply of neutrinos. 
A) Fusion reactions in the Sun ceased a few hundred thousand years ago. 
B) Fission reactions in the Sun have ceased. 
C) Fusion reactions in the Sun have ceased. 
D) The Sun has exhausted its supply of neutrinos.

Question 5

The fundamental nuclear reaction occurring in the core of the Sun is

Accepted Answer

A) nuclear fission. 
B) radioactive decay. 
C) nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium. 
D) nuclear fusion of helium to carbon. 
A) nuclear fission. 
B) radioactive decay. 
C) nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium. 
D) nuclear fusion of helium to carbon.

Question 6

What happens to energy in the Sun's convection zone?

Accepted Answer

A) Energy is produced in the convection zone by thermal radiation. 
B) Energy is transported outward by the rising of hot plasma and sinking of cooler plasma. 
C) Energy slowly leaks outward through the radiative diffusion of photons that repeatedly bounce off ions and electrons. 
D) Energy is produced in the convection zone by nuclear fusion. 
A) Energy is produced in the convection zone by thermal radiation. 
B) Energy is transported outward by the rising of hot plasma and sinking of cooler plasma. 
C) Energy slowly leaks outward through the radiative diffusion of photons that repeatedly bounce off ions and electrons. 
D) Energy is produced in the convection zone by nuclear fusion.

Question 7

The light radiated from the Sun's surface reaches Earth in about 8 minutes,but the energy of that light was released by fusion in the solar core about

Accepted Answer

A) a hundred years ago. 
B) a thousand years ago. 
C) tens of thousands of years ago. 
D) hundreds of thousands of years ago. 
E) a million years ago. 
A) a hundred years ago. 
B) a thousand years ago. 
C) tens of thousands of years ago. 
D) hundreds of thousands of years ago. 
E) a million years ago.

Question 8

What is the Sun made of?

Accepted Answer

A) 100 percent hydrogen and helium 
B) 50 percent hydrogen,25 percent helium,25 percent other elements 
C) 70 percent helium,28 percent hydrogen,2 percent other elements 
D) 70 percent hydrogen,28 percent helium,2 percent other elements 
E) 98 percent hydrogen,2 percent helium and other elements 
A) 100 percent hydrogen and helium 
B) 50 percent hydrogen,25 percent helium,25 percent other elements 
C) 70 percent helium,28 percent hydrogen,2 percent other elements 
D) 70 percent hydrogen,28 percent helium,2 percent other elements 
E) 98 percent hydrogen,2 percent helium and other elements

Question 9

Nuclear power plants on Earth create energy in the same way as the Sun.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

The first step in the proton-proton chain produces an antielectron,or positron.What happens to the positron?

Accepted Answer

A) It slowly works its way to the Sun's surface,where it escapes into space. 
B) It rapidly escapes from the Sun,traveling into space at nearly the speed of light. 
C) It is rapidly converted to energy when it meets an ordinary electron,resulting in matter-antimatter annihilation. 
D) It quickly meets an ordinary electron,forming an electron-positron pair that remains stable. 
E) It joins with a nearby neutron to form a proton. 
A) It slowly works its way to the Sun's surface,where it escapes into space. 
B) It rapidly escapes from the Sun,traveling into space at nearly the speed of light. 
C) It is rapidly converted to energy when it meets an ordinary electron,resulting in matter-antimatter annihilation. 
D) It quickly meets an ordinary electron,forming an electron-positron pair that remains stable. 
E) It joins with a nearby neutron to form a proton.

Question 11

The core of the Sun is at a temperature of about 20,000 K.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Satellites in low-Earth orbits are more likely to crash to Earth when the sunspot cycle is near solar maximum because

Accepted Answer

A) it is too dangerous to send the Space Shuttle to service satellites during solar maximum. 
B) Earth's upper atmosphere tends to expand during solar maximum,exerting drag on satellites in low orbits. 
C) of increased magnetic interference. 
D) they are more likely to have their electronics "fried" by a solar flare during solar maximum. 
A) it is too dangerous to send the Space Shuttle to service satellites during solar maximum. 
B) Earth's upper atmosphere tends to expand during solar maximum,exerting drag on satellites in low orbits. 
C) of increased magnetic interference. 
D) they are more likely to have their electronics "fried" by a solar flare during solar maximum.

Question 13

What are the appropriate units for the Sun's luminosity?

Accepted Answer

A) watts 
B) joules 
C) meters 
D) Newtons 
E) kilograms 
A) watts 
B) joules 
C) meters 
D) Newtons 
E) kilograms

Question 14

List at least two ways the sunspot cycle affects us on Earth.

Accepted Answer

When the Sun is near solar maximum,it un

Question 15

What do sunspots,solar prominences,and solar flares all have in common?

Accepted Answer

A) They all have about the same temperature. 
B) They are all shaped by the solar wind. 
C) They are all strongly influenced by magnetic fields on the Sun. 
D) They all occur only in the Sun's photosphere. 
A) They all have about the same temperature. 
B) They are all shaped by the solar wind. 
C) They are all strongly influenced by magnetic fields on the Sun. 
D) They all occur only in the Sun's photosphere.

Exam 14: Our Star

How do human-built nuclear power plants on Earth generate energy?

The phase of matter in the Sun is

Which of the following best describes why the Sun emits most of its energy in the form of visible light?

If the Sun suddenly stopped emitting neutrinos,what might we infer (after checking that our neutrino detectors were still operational)?

The fundamental nuclear reaction occurring in the core of the Sun is

What happens to energy in the Sun's convection zone?

The light radiated from the Sun's surface reaches Earth in about 8 minutes,but the energy of that light was released by fusion in the solar core about

What is the Sun made of?

Nuclear power plants on Earth create energy in the same way as the Sun.

The first step in the proton-proton chain produces an antielectron,or positron.What happens to the positron?

The core of the Sun is at a temperature of about 20,000 K.

Satellites in low-Earth orbits are more likely to crash to Earth when the sunspot cycle is near solar maximum because

What are the appropriate units for the Sun's luminosity?

List at least two ways the sunspot cycle affects us on Earth.

What do sunspots,solar prominences,and solar flares all have in common?

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

Light and Matter: Reading Messages from the Cosmos

Telescopes: Portals of Discovery

Our Planetary System

Formation of the Solar System

Planetary Geology: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

Planetary Atmospheres: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet Systems

Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts

Other Planetary Systems: The New Science of Distant Worlds

Surveying the Stars

Star Birth

Star Stuff

The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

Galaxies and the Foundations of Modern Cosmology

Galaxy Evolution

The Birth of the Universe

Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe

Celestial Timekeeping and Navigation

Space and Time

Spacetime and Gravity

Building Blocks of the Universe

Filters