Question 1

The strength of gravity on Mars is about 40% of that on Earth.If your mass on Earth is 60 kg,what would your MASS be on Mars?

Accepted Answer

A)  150 kg 
B)  zero 
C)  24 kg 
D)  60 kg 
A)  150 kg 
B)  zero 
C)  24 kg 
D)  60 kg

Question 2

Before the invention of the telescope,the known planets were:

Accepted Answer

A)  Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. 
B)  Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus. 
C)  Jupiter, Venus, Neptune, Mars, and Saturn. 
D)  Mars, Neptune, Jupiter, Mercury, and Venus. 
A)  Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. 
B)  Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus. 
C)  Jupiter, Venus, Neptune, Mars, and Saturn. 
D)  Mars, Neptune, Jupiter, Mercury, and Venus.

Question 3

What use did Tycho Brahe make of parallax in his observations?

Accepted Answer

A)  Tycho did not attempt to measure parallax because he knew it applied only to heliocentric systems-and he believed that the solar system was geocentric. 
B)  Tycho did not attempt to measure parallax because he knew it applied only to geocentric systems-and he believed that the solar system was heliocentric. 
C)  Tycho successfully measured parallax for the supernova of 1572 and the comet of 1577. 
D)  Tycho tried but failed to measure parallax for the stars. 
A)  Tycho did not attempt to measure parallax because he knew it applied only to heliocentric systems-and he believed that the solar system was geocentric. 
B)  Tycho did not attempt to measure parallax because he knew it applied only to geocentric systems-and he believed that the solar system was heliocentric. 
C)  Tycho successfully measured parallax for the supernova of 1572 and the comet of 1577. 
D)  Tycho tried but failed to measure parallax for the stars.

Question 4

For the angular momentum of an object to be conserved (i.e.,to not change),the:

Accepted Answer

A)  speed of the object must not change. 
B)  object must not be acted on by an internal torque (caused, for example, by the muscles in a skater's arms). 
C)  object must not be acted on by an outside torque. 
D)  size of the object must not change. 
A)  speed of the object must not change. 
B)  object must not be acted on by an internal torque (caused, for example, by the muscles in a skater's arms). 
C)  object must not be acted on by an outside torque. 
D)  size of the object must not change.

Question 5

The careful description of the velocity of a moving object at a particular time requires that one define the:

Accepted Answer

A)  speed and acceleration of the object. 
B)  speed and direction of the moving object. 
C)  mass, speed, and position of the object. 
D)  speed (only) of the object. 
A)  speed and acceleration of the object. 
B)  speed and direction of the moving object. 
C)  mass, speed, and position of the object. 
D)  speed (only) of the object.

Question 6

The word planet is derived from a Greek term meaning:

Accepted Answer

A)  bright nighttime object. 
B)  astrological sign. 
C)  wanderer. 
D)  non-twinkling star. 
A)  bright nighttime object. 
B)  astrological sign. 
C)  wanderer. 
D)  non-twinkling star.

Question 7

To specify an object's velocity,we need to specify:

Accepted Answer

A)  how fast it is moving and also its mass. 
B)  only how fast it is moving. 
C)  only in which direction it is moving. 
D)  how fast it is moving and also in which direction it is moving. 
A)  how fast it is moving and also its mass. 
B)  only how fast it is moving. 
C)  only in which direction it is moving. 
D)  how fast it is moving and also in which direction it is moving.

Question 8

Where and when would Venus be seen from Earth when it is at greatest elongation?

Accepted Answer

A)  just before sunrise, in the west 
B)  at midnight, in the south 
C)  just after sunset, in the east 
D)  just after sunset, in the west 
A)  just before sunrise, in the west 
B)  at midnight, in the south 
C)  just after sunset, in the east 
D)  just after sunset, in the west

Question 9

When Mercury is at its farthest distance from Earth,it is at:

Accepted Answer

A)  opposition. 
B)  greatest elongation. 
C)  inferior conjunction. 
D)  superior conjunction. 
A)  opposition. 
B)  greatest elongation. 
C)  inferior conjunction. 
D)  superior conjunction.

Question 10

Light from fires that were lit at the time of the Battle of Hastings in England in a.d.1066 has traveled out into space at the speed of light.How far out into space has this light now reached,compared with the distances to the 20 brightest stars (see Appendix,Table C-6,Comins,Discovering the Essential Universe,6th ed.)?

Accepted Answer

A)  beyond Sirius, but not beyond Betelgeuse, Rigel, and Deneb 
B)  beyond Sirius, Betelgeuse, and Rigel, but not beyond Deneb 
C)  beyond Sirius and Betelgeuse, but not beyond Rigel and Deneb 
D)  beyond Sirius, Betelgeuse, Rigel, and Deneb 
A)  beyond Sirius, but not beyond Betelgeuse, Rigel, and Deneb 
B)  beyond Sirius, Betelgeuse, and Rigel, but not beyond Deneb 
C)  beyond Sirius and Betelgeuse, but not beyond Rigel and Deneb 
D)  beyond Sirius, Betelgeuse, Rigel, and Deneb

Question 11

The first person to derive the elliptical shape of planetary orbits from basic physics and mathematics (not from observations of planetary positions)was:

Accepted Answer

A)  Kepler. 
B)  Galileo. 
C)  Newton. 
D)  Copernicus. 
A)  Kepler. 
B)  Galileo. 
C)  Newton. 
D)  Copernicus.

Question 12

What fundamental belief about the universe,established by the Greeks and adopted by the early Christian church,was shattered by Galileo's observation of moons orbiting Jupiter?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Moon is the only moon orbiting around a planet in our solar system. 
B)  Everything in the visible universe must orbit the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. 
C)  Everything in the universe orbits Earth. 
D)  Everything in the universe orbits the Sun. 
A)  The Moon is the only moon orbiting around a planet in our solar system. 
B)  Everything in the visible universe must orbit the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. 
C)  Everything in the universe orbits Earth. 
D)  Everything in the universe orbits the Sun.

Question 13

The phenomenological approach in science consists of sifting through large amounts of data and trying to fit them into an equation in the hope that the form of the equation will provide a clue to the underlying physics.Whose work was an example of this approach?

Accepted Answer

A)  Pythagoras 
B)  Copernicus 
C)  Kepler 
D)  Newton 
A)  Pythagoras 
B)  Copernicus 
C)  Kepler 
D)  Newton

Question 14

The observation by Tycho Brahe of a supernova in 1572 was significant because it:

Accepted Answer

A)  showed a parallax (relative apparent motion) that proved it to be more distant than the Moon. 
B)  showed motion in a circular orbit. 
C)  proved Kepler's three laws. 
D)  proved the heliocentric theory. 
A)  showed a parallax (relative apparent motion) that proved it to be more distant than the Moon. 
B)  showed motion in a circular orbit. 
C)  proved Kepler's three laws. 
D)  proved the heliocentric theory.

Question 15

According to Kepler's law,the approximate sidereal period of an asteroid moving around the Sun in the asteroid belt is:

Accepted Answer

A)  2.8 years. 
B)  46.8 years. 
C)  1.99 years. 
D)  4.68 years. 
A)  2.8 years. 
B)  46.8 years. 
C)  1.99 years. 
D)  4.68 years.

Question 16

Halley's Comet returns to the Sun's vicinity approximately every 76 years in an elliptical orbit.According to Kepler's third law,what is the semimajor axis of this orbit?

Accepted Answer

A)  0.59 AU 
B)  17.9 AU 
C)  50.000 AU 
D)  1 AU 
A)  0.59 AU 
B)  17.9 AU 
C)  50.000 AU 
D)  1 AU

Question 17

An unbalanced force acting on an object will always cause it to change its:

Accepted Answer

A)  direction of travel. 
B)  speed or direction of travel or both. 
C)  acceleration. 
D)  speed. 
A)  direction of travel. 
B)  speed or direction of travel or both. 
C)  acceleration. 
D)  speed.

Question 18

An object is in an orbit caused by its gravitational attraction to the Sun.This orbit:

Accepted Answer

A)  must be an ellipse. 
B)  must be a parabola. 
C)  must be a hyperbola. 
D)  might be an ellipse, a parabola, or a hyperbola. 
A)  must be an ellipse. 
B)  must be a parabola. 
C)  must be a hyperbola. 
D)  might be an ellipse, a parabola, or a hyperbola.

Question 19

Why do astronomers need special units,in addition to the metric system of units such as meters and kilograms,to describe the universe?

Accepted Answer

A)  Distances and masses are very large, and representing them in metric units is cumbersome. 
B)  Metric units cannot represent correctly the curvature of space observed by astronomers. 
C)  Units used in the metric system are known to be insufficiently accurate to satisfy the precision needed in modern astronomy. 
D)  Metric units are too large to represent astronomical quantities with sufficient precision. 
A)  Distances and masses are very large, and representing them in metric units is cumbersome. 
B)  Metric units cannot represent correctly the curvature of space observed by astronomers. 
C)  Units used in the metric system are known to be insufficiently accurate to satisfy the precision needed in modern astronomy. 
D)  Metric units are too large to represent astronomical quantities with sufficient precision.

Question 20

The concept called "Occam's razor" tells us that:

Accepted Answer

A)  the theory that is applicable to the greatest range of phenomena is more likely to be correct. 
B)  when two theories describe the same phenomena equally accurately, the theory with the greater complexity is more likely to be correct. 
C)  when two theories describe the same phenomena equally accurately, the simpler theory is more likely to be correct. 
D)  the theory that describes phenomena more accurately is more likely to be correct. 
A)  the theory that is applicable to the greatest range of phenomena is more likely to be correct. 
B)  when two theories describe the same phenomena equally accurately, the theory with the greater complexity is more likely to be correct. 
C)  when two theories describe the same phenomena equally accurately, the simpler theory is more likely to be correct. 
D)  the theory that describes phenomena more accurately is more likely to be correct.

The strength of gravity on Mars is about 40% of that on Earth.If your mass on Earth is 60 kg,what would your MASS be on Mars?

Before the invention of the telescope,the known planets were:

What use did Tycho Brahe make of parallax in his observations?

For the angular momentum of an object to be conserved (i.e.,to not change),the:

The careful description of the velocity of a moving object at a particular time requires that one define the:

The word planet is derived from a Greek term meaning:

To specify an object's velocity,we need to specify:

Where and when would Venus be seen from Earth when it is at greatest elongation?

When Mercury is at its farthest distance from Earth,it is at:

The first person to derive the elliptical shape of planetary orbits from basic physics and mathematics (not from observations of planetary positions)was:

What fundamental belief about the universe,established by the Greeks and adopted by the early Christian church,was shattered by Galileo's observation of moons orbiting Jupiter?

The phenomenological approach in science consists of sifting through large amounts of data and trying to fit them into an equation in the hope that the form of the equation will provide a clue to the underlying physics.Whose work was an example of this approach?

The observation by Tycho Brahe of a supernova in 1572 was significant because it:

According to Kepler's law,the approximate sidereal period of an asteroid moving around the Sun in the asteroid belt is:

Halley's Comet returns to the Sun's vicinity approximately every 76 years in an elliptical orbit.According to Kepler's third law,what is the semimajor axis of this orbit?

An unbalanced force acting on an object will always cause it to change its:

An object is in an orbit caused by its gravitational attraction to the Sun.This orbit:

Why do astronomers need special units,in addition to the metric system of units such as meters and kilograms,to describe the universe?

The concept called "Occam's razor" tells us that:

Discovering the Night Sky

Light and Telescopes

Formation of the Solar System and Other Planetary Systems

Exoplanets

The Terrestrial Planets and Their Moons

The Outer Planets and Their Moons

Vagabonds of the Solar System

The Sun: Our Extraordinary Ordinary Star

Characterizing Stars

The Lives of the Stars From Birth Through Middle Age

The Deaths and Remnants of Stars

The Galaxies

Cosmology

Astrobiology

Filters

Exam 2: Gravitation and the Waltz of the Planets

The strength of gravity on Mars is about 40% of that on Earth.If your mass on Earth is 60 kg,what would your MASS be on Mars?

Before the invention of the telescope,the known planets were:

What use did Tycho Brahe make of parallax in his observations?

For the angular momentum of an object to be conserved (i.e.,to not change),the:

The careful description of the velocity of a moving object at a particular time requires that one define the:

The word planet is derived from a Greek term meaning:

To specify an object's velocity,we need to specify:

Where and when would Venus be seen from Earth when it is at greatest elongation?

When Mercury is at its farthest distance from Earth,it is at:

The first person to derive the elliptical shape of planetary orbits from basic physics and mathematics (not from observations of planetary positions)was:

What fundamental belief about the universe,established by the Greeks and adopted by the early Christian church,was shattered by Galileo's observation of moons orbiting Jupiter?

The phenomenological approach in science consists of sifting through large amounts of data and trying to fit them into an equation in the hope that the form of the equation will provide a clue to the underlying physics.Whose work was an example of this approach?

The observation by Tycho Brahe of a supernova in 1572 was significant because it:

According to Kepler's law,the approximate sidereal period of an asteroid moving around the Sun in the asteroid belt is:

Halley's Comet returns to the Sun's vicinity approximately every 76 years in an elliptical orbit.According to Kepler's third law,what is the semimajor axis of this orbit?

An unbalanced force acting on an object will always cause it to change its:

An object is in an orbit caused by its gravitational attraction to the Sun.This orbit:

Why do astronomers need special units,in addition to the metric system of units such as meters and kilograms,to describe the universe?

The concept called "Occam's razor" tells us that:

Discovering the Night Sky

Light and Telescopes

Formation of the Solar System and Other Planetary Systems

Exoplanets

The Terrestrial Planets and Their Moons

The Outer Planets and Their Moons

Vagabonds of the Solar System

The Sun: Our Extraordinary Ordinary Star

Characterizing Stars

The Lives of the Stars From Birth Through Middle Age

The Deaths and Remnants of Stars

The Galaxies

Cosmology

Astrobiology

Filters