Question 1

The orbits of most of the planets in our solar system have eccentricities close to zero.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

Which of the following describes parallax?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is best measured over exactly one year intervals. 
B)  It is inversely proportional to the distance to the star. 
C)  It was first observed by Galileo with his new telescope. 
D)  It is only applicable to objects within the solar system. 
E)  It is more accurate as the distances to objects becomes greater. 
A)  It is best measured over exactly one year intervals. 
B)  It is inversely proportional to the distance to the star. 
C)  It was first observed by Galileo with his new telescope. 
D)  It is only applicable to objects within the solar system. 
E)  It is more accurate as the distances to objects becomes greater.

Question 4

According to Newton's second law, when the same force acts on two bodies, the body with the larger mass will have the ________ acceleration.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Newton's second law, when the...

Question 5

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the rare transits of ________ were critical in determining the astronomical unit's length.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the...

Question 6

The eccentricity of a perfectly circular orbit is 1.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

Jupiter lies about 5 AU 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 AU 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 AU 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 8

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 9

While both Ptolemy and Copernicus assumed all orbits were ________, Kepler's first law corrected this and made planetary motion predictable.

Accepted Answer

The answer of While both Ptolemy and Copernicus assumed all...

Question 10

In terms of ________, all the terrestrials are greater than any of the jovians.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In terms of ________, all the terrestrials...

Question 11

What contribution to astronomy was made by Tycho Brahe?

Accepted Answer

A)  The planets' orbits around the Sun are ellipses, not circles. 
B)  The Earth is not the center of the Universe. 
C)  His observations of planetary motion with great accuracy proved circular orbits could not work. 
D)  His telescope revealed the moons of Jupiter before Galileo noted them. 
E)  Retrograde motion must be explained by epicycles larger than those of Ptolemy. 
A)  The planets' orbits around the Sun are ellipses, not circles. 
B)  The Earth is not the center of the Universe. 
C)  His observations of planetary motion with great accuracy proved circular orbits could not work. 
D)  His telescope revealed the moons of Jupiter before Galileo noted them. 
E)  Retrograde motion must be explained by epicycles larger than those of Ptolemy.

Question 12

Of all his laws, Kepler was proudest of the third. Why was it so appealing in his search for cosmic harmony?

Accepted Answer

He found a simple math relatio

Question 13

How is density determined, and how do the densities of the terrestrial and jovian worlds relate to their distances from the Sun?

Accepted Answer

Density is mass per unit volume; all ter

Question 14

Transits of Venus were critical in early determinations of the AU.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

To fully describe the apparent motion of the planets in the sky, Ptolemy's model invoked

Accepted Answer

A)  ellipses. 
B)  constant speeds. 
C)  a heliocentric view. 
D)  epicycles. 
E)  Occam's Razor. 
A)  ellipses. 
B)  constant speeds. 
C)  a heliocentric view. 
D)  epicycles. 
E)  Occam's Razor.

Question 16

Due to their great masses, all four jovian worlds are much denser than the Earth.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, attempts to precisely measure the astronomical 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 18

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 AU. 
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 AU. 
E)  equal to the square of its aphelion distance in AU. 
A)  equal to its perihelion distance from the Sun in AU. 
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 AU. 
E)  equal to the square of its aphelion distance in AU.

Question 19

What did Galileo discover about Jupiter that supported Copernicus?

Accepted Answer

Its four moons were a model so

Question 20

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.

The orbits of most of the planets in our solar system have eccentricities close to zero.

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

Which of the following describes parallax?

According to Newton's second law, when the same force acts on two bodies, the body with the larger mass will have the ________ acceleration.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the rare transits of ________ were critical in determining the astronomical unit's length.

The eccentricity of a perfectly circular orbit is 1.

Jupiter lies about 5 AU from the Sun, so at its distance

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

While both Ptolemy and Copernicus assumed all orbits were ________, Kepler's first law corrected this and made planetary motion predictable.

In terms of ________, all the terrestrials are greater than any of the jovians.

What contribution to astronomy was made by Tycho Brahe?

Of all his laws, Kepler was proudest of the third. Why was it so appealing in his search for cosmic harmony?

How is density determined, and how do the densities of the terrestrial and jovian worlds relate to their distances from the Sun?

Transits of Venus were critical in early determinations of the AU.

To fully describe the apparent motion of the planets in the sky, Ptolemy's model invoked

Due to their great masses, all four jovian worlds are much denser than the Earth.

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

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

What did Galileo discover about Jupiter that supported Copernicus?

The heliocentric model was actually first proposed by

The Night Sky

Light and Telescopes

Earth and Its Moon

The Eight Planets

Small Bodies in the Solar System

Formation of Planetary Systems

The Sun

Measuring the Stars

Star Formation and Evolution

Stellar Explosions

Black Holes

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Cosmology and the Universe

Filters

Exam 3: The Solar System

The orbits of most of the planets in our solar system have eccentricities close to zero.

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

Which of the following describes parallax?

According to Newton's second law, when the same force acts on two bodies, the body with the larger mass will have the ________ acceleration.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the rare transits of ________ were critical in determining the astronomical unit's length.

The eccentricity of a perfectly circular orbit is 1.

Jupiter lies about 5 AU from the Sun, so at its distance

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

While both Ptolemy and Copernicus assumed all orbits were ________, Kepler's first law corrected this and made planetary motion predictable.

In terms of ________, all the terrestrials are greater than any of the jovians.

What contribution to astronomy was made by Tycho Brahe?

Of all his laws, Kepler was proudest of the third. Why was it so appealing in his search for cosmic harmony?

How is density determined, and how do the densities of the terrestrial and jovian worlds relate to their distances from the Sun?

Transits of Venus were critical in early determinations of the AU.

To fully describe the apparent motion of the planets in the sky, Ptolemy's model invoked

Due to their great masses, all four jovian worlds are much denser than the Earth.

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

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

What did Galileo discover about Jupiter that supported Copernicus?

The heliocentric model was actually first proposed by

The Night Sky

Light and Telescopes

Earth and Its Moon

The Eight Planets

Small Bodies in the Solar System

Formation of Planetary Systems

The Sun

Measuring the Stars

Star Formation and Evolution

Stellar Explosions

Black Holes

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Cosmology and the Universe

Filters