Question 1

What is one cause of a newly formed planet or large asteroid becoming molten?

Accepted Answer

A) sublimation 
B) decay of radioactive element isotopes 
C) differentiation 
D) ignition of hydrogen fusion 
A) sublimation 
B) decay of radioactive element isotopes 
C) differentiation 
D) ignition of hydrogen fusion B

Question 2

Which of the following observed characteristics of the solar system is the solar nebula theory able to explain?

Accepted Answer

A) common direction of rotation of the planets 
B) number of satellites of each planet 
C) the formation of hydrogen atoms in the solar system from subatomic particles 
D) number of planets of each type 
A) common direction of rotation of the planets 
B) number of satellites of each planet 
C) the formation of hydrogen atoms in the solar system from subatomic particles 
D) number of planets of each type A

Question 3

How do the Jovian planets compare to the terrestrial planets?

Accepted Answer

A) They are more dense. 
B) They have fewer moons. 
C) They have much larger diameters. 
D) They are much hotter. 
A) They are more dense. 
B) They have fewer moons. 
C) They have much larger diameters. 
D) They are much hotter. C

Question 4

Describe some characteristics that all the planets seem to share,and use the solar nebula theory to explain them.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe some characteristics that all the planets...

Question 5

Where are the satellites discovered by Galileo located?

Accepted Answer

A) They orbit the terrestrial planets. 
B) They orbit the planet Jupiter. 
C) They orbit asteroids. 
D) They orbit Mars. 
A) They orbit the terrestrial planets. 
B) They orbit the planet Jupiter. 
C) They orbit asteroids. 
D) They orbit Mars.

Question 6

What pushed gas and dust particles out of the solar nebula?

Accepted Answer

A) the solar wind 
B) outgassing 
C) the Sun's magnetic field 
D) differentiation 
A) the solar wind 
B) outgassing 
C) the Sun's magnetic field 
D) differentiation

Question 7

The planets all lie in nearly the same plane,resulting in a disk-like structure for the solar system.What is believed to be the reason for this disk-like structure?

Accepted Answer

A) The solar nebula from which the planets formed collapsed into a disk-like structure. 
B) The bipolar flow from the young Sun cleared all material out of the nebula except the material in the disk. 
C) Jupiter's gravity was great enough to pull all of the other planets to the plane of its orbit. 
D) The Milky Way galaxy from which the planets condensed has a disk-like structure. 
A) The solar nebula from which the planets formed collapsed into a disk-like structure. 
B) The bipolar flow from the young Sun cleared all material out of the nebula except the material in the disk. 
C) Jupiter's gravity was great enough to pull all of the other planets to the plane of its orbit. 
D) The Milky Way galaxy from which the planets condensed has a disk-like structure.

Question 8

The Jovian planets have lower average densities than the terrestrial planets.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

The oldest objects found so far in our solar system are Earth rocks that are 3.9 billion years old.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Which one of the following objects is most like the planetesimals that formed in the solar nebula?

Accepted Answer

A) Vesta 
B) Earth 
C) Saturn 
D) Venus 
A) Vesta 
B) Earth 
C) Saturn 
D) Venus

Question 11

A future news release might report that a new planet has been found around a star very similar to our Sun.This newly discovered planet is claimed to have a mass 40 times that of the Earth and is located nearly 25 AU from the star it orbits.Which of the following would be a reasonable prediction about this planet?

Accepted Answer

A) The planet will probably have about the same radius as the Earth 
B) The planet will probably have a mean density of around 5 g/cm³. 
C) The planet will probably have a composition that is mostly hydrogen and helium. 
D) The planet will probably have liquid water oceans. 
A) The planet will probably have about the same radius as the Earth 
B) The planet will probably have a mean density of around 5 g/cm³. 
C) The planet will probably have a composition that is mostly hydrogen and helium. 
D) The planet will probably have liquid water oceans.

Question 12

The description "large somewhat dirty snowball model" fits the physical structure of ____________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The description "large somewhat dirty snowball model"...

Question 13

By what process did the first small solid grains or flakes form in our solar system?

Accepted Answer

A) accretion 
B) sublimation 
C) hydration 
D) condensation 
A) accretion 
B) sublimation 
C) hydration 
D) condensation

Question 14

-The diagram illustrates the radioactive decay of Potassium (⁴⁰K),which has a half-life of 1.3 billion years.If a lunar rock is found that currently contains 5 grams of ⁴⁰K,and it is determined that the sample contained 20 grams when it was formed,how old is the lunar rock?

Accepted Answer

A) 2.6 billion years 
B) 3.9 billion years 
C) 5.2 billion years 
D) 6.5 billion years 
A) 2.6 billion years 
B) 3.9 billion years 
C) 5.2 billion years 
D) 6.5 billion years

Question 15

Outgassing refers to the formation of an atmosphere by the attraction of gases from the surrounding nebula.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

What is an extrasolar planet?

Accepted Answer

A) a planet that orbits our Sun that we have not yet discovered 
B) a planet found orbiting around a star other than the Sun 
C) a planet just outside the edge of the solar system 
D) a planet just outside the surface of our Sun 
A) a planet that orbits our Sun that we have not yet discovered 
B) a planet found orbiting around a star other than the Sun 
C) a planet just outside the edge of the solar system 
D) a planet just outside the surface of our Sun

Question 17

Where in our solar system do we find the planet with the greatest uncompressed density?

Accepted Answer

A) Uncompressed density is greatest for the Jovian planets. 
B) Uncompressed density is greatest for the planets closest to the Sun. 
C) Uncompressed density is greatest for the planets farthest from the Sun. 
D) Uncompressed density is greatest for the planets with the largest mass. 
A) Uncompressed density is greatest for the Jovian planets. 
B) Uncompressed density is greatest for the planets closest to the Sun. 
C) Uncompressed density is greatest for the planets farthest from the Sun. 
D) Uncompressed density is greatest for the planets with the largest mass.

Question 18

The present motions of the planets were inherited from the rotation of the solar nebula.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Which of the following is believed to form part of the current atmosphere of the Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) the remnants of the original hydrogen and helium gas from the solar nebula attracted by the protoplanet 
B) the result of the melting and vaporizing of the glaciers from the last ice age 
C) gases that were outgassed from the heated rocks sometime after the planet formed 
D) hydrogen and helium from a collision between the Sun and another star 
A) the remnants of the original hydrogen and helium gas from the solar nebula attracted by the protoplanet 
B) the result of the melting and vaporizing of the glaciers from the last ice age 
C) gases that were outgassed from the heated rocks sometime after the planet formed 
D) hydrogen and helium from a collision between the Sun and another star

Question 20

What is "the Jovian problem"?

Accepted Answer

A) the high speed at which the Jovian planets rotate on their axes and the consequent flattening of their shapes 
B) the existence of rings around the Jovian planets 
C) the excess heat radiated by the larger of the Jovian planets 
D) the apparently short period of time that disks exist around stars from which Jovian planets can form 
A) the high speed at which the Jovian planets rotate on their axes and the consequent flattening of their shapes 
B) the existence of rings around the Jovian planets 
C) the excess heat radiated by the larger of the Jovian planets 
D) the apparently short period of time that disks exist around stars from which Jovian planets can form

What is one cause of a newly formed planet or large asteroid becoming molten?

Which of the following observed characteristics of the solar system is the solar nebula theory able to explain?

How do the Jovian planets compare to the terrestrial planets?

Describe some characteristics that all the planets seem to share,and use the solar nebula theory to explain them.

Where are the satellites discovered by Galileo located?

What pushed gas and dust particles out of the solar nebula?

The planets all lie in nearly the same plane,resulting in a disk-like structure for the solar system.What is believed to be the reason for this disk-like structure?

The Jovian planets have lower average densities than the terrestrial planets.

The oldest objects found so far in our solar system are Earth rocks that are 3.9 billion years old.

Which one of the following objects is most like the planetesimals that formed in the solar nebula?

The description "large somewhat dirty snowball model" fits the physical structure of ____________________.

By what process did the first small solid grains or flakes form in our solar system?

-The diagram illustrates the radioactive decay of Potassium (⁴⁰K),which has a half-life of 1.3 billion years.If a lunar rock is found that currently contains 5 grams of ⁴⁰K,and it is determined that the sample contained 20 grams when it was formed,how old is the lunar rock?

Outgassing refers to the formation of an atmosphere by the attraction of gases from the surrounding nebula.

What is an extrasolar planet?

Where in our solar system do we find the planet with the greatest uncompressed density?

The present motions of the planets were inherited from the rotation of the solar nebula.

Which of the following is believed to form part of the current atmosphere of the Earth?

What is "the Jovian problem"?

The Scale of the Cosmos

User's Guide to the Sky

The Origin of Modern Astronomy

Astronomical Telescopes and Instruments

Sun Light and Sun Atoms

The Family of Stars

The Structure and Formation of Stars

The Deaths of Stars

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Cosmology in the 21st Century

Comparative Planetology of the Terrestrial Planets

Comparative Planetology of the Jovian Planets

Life on Other Worlds

Filters

Exam 12: The Origin of the Solar System

What is one cause of a newly formed planet or large asteroid becoming molten?

Which of the following observed characteristics of the solar system is the solar nebula theory able to explain?

How do the Jovian planets compare to the terrestrial planets?

Describe some characteristics that all the planets seem to share,and use the solar nebula theory to explain them.

Where are the satellites discovered by Galileo located?

What pushed gas and dust particles out of the solar nebula?

The planets all lie in nearly the same plane,resulting in a disk-like structure for the solar system.What is believed to be the reason for this disk-like structure?

The Jovian planets have lower average densities than the terrestrial planets.

The oldest objects found so far in our solar system are Earth rocks that are 3.9 billion years old.

Which one of the following objects is most like the planetesimals that formed in the solar nebula?

The description "large somewhat dirty snowball model" fits the physical structure of ____________________.

By what process did the first small solid grains or flakes form in our solar system?

-The diagram illustrates the radioactive decay of Potassium (⁴⁰K),which has a half-life of 1.3 billion years.If a lunar rock is found that currently contains 5 grams of ⁴⁰K,and it is determined that the sample contained 20 grams when it was formed,how old is the lunar rock?

Outgassing refers to the formation of an atmosphere by the attraction of gases from the surrounding nebula.

What is an extrasolar planet?

Where in our solar system do we find the planet with the greatest uncompressed density?

The present motions of the planets were inherited from the rotation of the solar nebula.

Which of the following is believed to form part of the current atmosphere of the Earth?

What is "the Jovian problem"?

The Scale of the Cosmos

User's Guide to the Sky

The Origin of Modern Astronomy

Astronomical Telescopes and Instruments

Sun Light and Sun Atoms

The Family of Stars

The Structure and Formation of Stars

The Deaths of Stars

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Cosmology in the 21st Century

Comparative Planetology of the Terrestrial Planets

Comparative Planetology of the Jovian Planets

Life on Other Worlds

Filters