Question 1

The semimajor axis of Earth's orbit is:

Accepted Answer

A)  10⁶ km. 
B)  1 AU. 
C)  1 pc. 
D)  1 kpc. 
A)  10⁶ km. 
B)  1 AU. 
C)  1 pc. 
D)  1 kpc.

Question 2

Was Newton's derived version of Kepler's third law the same as the version Kepler discovered by trial and error?

Accepted Answer

A)  Yes, it was. 
B)  No, Kepler included the effect of the planet's mass, whereas Newton did not. 
C)  No, Newton included the effect of the planet's mass, whereas Kepler did not. 
D)  No, Kepler's equation applied only to the inner planets, whereas Newton's applied to all the planets. 
A)  Yes, it was. 
B)  No, Kepler included the effect of the planet's mass, whereas Newton did not. 
C)  No, Newton included the effect of the planet's mass, whereas Kepler did not. 
D)  No, Kepler's equation applied only to the inner planets, whereas Newton's applied to all the planets.

Question 3

So far as we know,the first person who claimed that natural phenomena could be described by mathematics was:

Accepted Answer

A)  Copernicus. 
B)  Pythagoras. 
C)  Aristotle. 
D)  Ptolemy. 
A)  Copernicus. 
B)  Pythagoras. 
C)  Aristotle. 
D)  Ptolemy.

Question 4

The acceleration of a moving body is defined as the rate of change of:

Accepted Answer

A)  mass with time. 
B)  kinetic energy with time. 
C)  position with time. 
D)  velocity with time. 
A)  mass with time. 
B)  kinetic energy with time. 
C)  position with time. 
D)  velocity with time.

Question 5

Compared with your mass on Earth,your mass out in space among the stars would be:

Accepted Answer

A)  negligibly small. 
B)  the same. 
C)  zero. 
D)  huge. 
A)  negligibly small. 
B)  the same. 
C)  zero. 
D)  huge.

Question 6

The Sun exerts a gravitational pull on Earth.Why doesn't Earth fall into the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)  Earth is moving across the Earth-Sun direction, so Earth is pulled around in a circle. 
B)  Earth also exerts a gravitational pull on the Sun that is equal and opposite to the pull it feels from the Sun. 
C)  Earth and the Sun are kept apart by the interactions of their magnetic fields. 
D)  Retrograde motion counteracts the gravitational pull and keeps Earth from falling into the Sun. 
A)  Earth is moving across the Earth-Sun direction, so Earth is pulled around in a circle. 
B)  Earth also exerts a gravitational pull on the Sun that is equal and opposite to the pull it feels from the Sun. 
C)  Earth and the Sun are kept apart by the interactions of their magnetic fields. 
D)  Retrograde motion counteracts the gravitational pull and keeps Earth from falling into the Sun.

Question 7

According to Newton's third law,if a force is acting on an object,then:

Accepted Answer

A)  there must be some other force acting on a different object, with the same magnitude but in the opposite direction. 
B)  the object must move in a circular path. 
C)  there must be some other force also acting on the object, with the same magnitude but in the opposite direction. 
D)  the object must accelerate. 
A)  there must be some other force acting on a different object, with the same magnitude but in the opposite direction. 
B)  the object must move in a circular path. 
C)  there must be some other force also acting on the object, with the same magnitude but in the opposite direction. 
D)  the object must accelerate.

Question 8

The distance from Earth to the star Betelgeuse (in the constellation Orion)has been measured as 131 pc.Expressed in light-years,the distance is approximately:

Accepted Answer

A)  0.025 ly. 
B)  40 ly. 
C)  427 ly. 
D)  4270 ly. 
A)  0.025 ly. 
B)  40 ly. 
C)  427 ly. 
D)  4270 ly.

Question 9

The greatest inaccuracy in Copernicus's theory of the solar system was:

Accepted Answer

A)  no allowance for retrograde motion. 
B)  placement of the planets on epicycles, the centers of which followed orbits around the Sun. 
C)  the assumption that the planets move in elliptical orbits with constant speeds rather than variable speeds. 
D)  placement of the planets in circular orbits. 
A)  no allowance for retrograde motion. 
B)  placement of the planets on epicycles, the centers of which followed orbits around the Sun. 
C)  the assumption that the planets move in elliptical orbits with constant speeds rather than variable speeds. 
D)  placement of the planets in circular orbits.

Question 10

The person who first showed that planetary orbits are ellipses was:

Accepted Answer

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

Question 11

The phenomenon of parallax is the:

Accepted Answer

A)  change in the apparent position of a nearby object compared with background objects as a result of the motion of the object. 
B)  change in direction of motion of a planet from retrograde to direct motion. 
C)  apparent change in angular size of an object as it moves toward or away from an observer. 
D)  change in apparent position of a nearby object compared with background objects as a result of the motion of the observer. 
A)  change in the apparent position of a nearby object compared with background objects as a result of the motion of the object. 
B)  change in direction of motion of a planet from retrograde to direct motion. 
C)  apparent change in angular size of an object as it moves toward or away from an observer. 
D)  change in apparent position of a nearby object compared with background objects as a result of the motion of the observer.

Question 12

If you were observing Earth's motion from another planet,would you observe occasional retrograde motion?

Accepted Answer

A)  no 
B)  yes, but only from the inner planets-Mercury and Venus 
C)  yes, but only from the outer planets-Mars and beyond 
D)  yes, from any of the planets 
A)  no 
B)  yes, but only from the inner planets-Mercury and Venus 
C)  yes, but only from the outer planets-Mars and beyond 
D)  yes, from any of the planets

Question 13

Galileo's observations suggested to him that the planets revolve around the Sun.This idea was:

Accepted Answer

A)  original to Galileo and had not been suggested before. 
B)  similar to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. 
C)  similar to the ideas of Ptolemy. 
D)  similar to the ideas of Copernicus. 
A)  original to Galileo and had not been suggested before. 
B)  similar to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. 
C)  similar to the ideas of Ptolemy. 
D)  similar to the ideas of Copernicus.

Question 14

The model of the solar system that Johannes Kepler proposed was:

Accepted Answer

A)  Earth-centered, with the Sun, the Moon, and the planets moving in ellipses. 
B)  Sun-centered, with elliptical planetary orbits. 
C)  Sun-centered, with planets moving in circles around it. 
D)  Earth-centered, with planets moving in epicycles. 
A)  Earth-centered, with the Sun, the Moon, and the planets moving in ellipses. 
B)  Sun-centered, with elliptical planetary orbits. 
C)  Sun-centered, with planets moving in circles around it. 
D)  Earth-centered, with planets moving in epicycles.

Question 15

Which object was discovered after its position had been predicted by the application of Newtonian mechanics to the deviation in the motion of another planet?

Accepted Answer

A)  minor planet Ceres 
B)  Uranus 
C)  Neptune 
D)  Pluto 
A)  minor planet Ceres 
B)  Uranus 
C)  Neptune 
D)  Pluto

Question 16

If you were an astronomer in the closing days of the Roman Empire (say,400 a.d.),your main reference book would probably have been:

Accepted Answer

A)  Ptolemy's Almagest. 
B)  Plato's Republic. 
C)  Copernicus's De Revolutionibus. 
D)  Galileo's Dialogues Concerning the Two Chief World Systems. 
A)  Ptolemy's Almagest. 
B)  Plato's Republic. 
C)  Copernicus's De Revolutionibus. 
D)  Galileo's Dialogues Concerning the Two Chief World Systems.

Question 17

A distant asteroid is discovered that takes 50 years to orbit the Sun once.According to Kepler's third law,what is the average distance of this asteroid from the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)  2500 AU 
B)  50 AU 
C)  353 AU (square root of 125,000) 
D)  13.6 AU (cube root of 2500) 
A)  2500 AU 
B)  50 AU 
C)  353 AU (square root of 125,000) 
D)  13.6 AU (cube root of 2500)

Question 18

Kepler's third law can be described in which of the following ways?

Accepted Answer

A)  The time to complete one revolution of its orbit depends on the size or radius of the planet. 
B)  The smaller the radius of a planet, the more rapidly it rotates on its axis. 
C)  The smaller the orbit of a planet, the longer the planet takes to complete one revolution. 
D)  The larger the orbit of a planet, the longer the planet takes to complete one revolution. 
A)  The time to complete one revolution of its orbit depends on the size or radius of the planet. 
B)  The smaller the radius of a planet, the more rapidly it rotates on its axis. 
C)  The smaller the orbit of a planet, the longer the planet takes to complete one revolution. 
D)  The larger the orbit of a planet, the longer the planet takes to complete one revolution.

Question 19

The acceleration of an object is defined as the rate of change of its:

Accepted Answer

A)  speed. 
B)  velocity. 
C)  direction of travel. 
D)  position. 
A)  speed. 
B)  velocity. 
C)  direction of travel. 
D)  position.

Question 20

Who was the discoverer of the planet Uranus?

Accepted Answer

A)  Galileo Galilei, in 1610 
B)  Johann Galle, in 1846 
C)  Clyde Tombaugh, in 1930 
D)  William Herschel, in 1781 
A)  Galileo Galilei, in 1610 
B)  Johann Galle, in 1846 
C)  Clyde Tombaugh, in 1930 
D)  William Herschel, in 1781

The semimajor axis of Earth's orbit is:

Was Newton's derived version of Kepler's third law the same as the version Kepler discovered by trial and error?

So far as we know,the first person who claimed that natural phenomena could be described by mathematics was:

The acceleration of a moving body is defined as the rate of change of:

Compared with your mass on Earth,your mass out in space among the stars would be:

The Sun exerts a gravitational pull on Earth.Why doesn't Earth fall into the Sun?

According to Newton's third law,if a force is acting on an object,then:

The distance from Earth to the star Betelgeuse (in the constellation Orion)has been measured as 131 pc.Expressed in light-years,the distance is approximately:

The greatest inaccuracy in Copernicus's theory of the solar system was:

The person who first showed that planetary orbits are ellipses was:

The phenomenon of parallax is the:

If you were observing Earth's motion from another planet,would you observe occasional retrograde motion?

Galileo's observations suggested to him that the planets revolve around the Sun.This idea was:

The model of the solar system that Johannes Kepler proposed was:

Which object was discovered after its position had been predicted by the application of Newtonian mechanics to the deviation in the motion of another planet?

If you were an astronomer in the closing days of the Roman Empire (say,400 a.d.),your main reference book would probably have been:

A distant asteroid is discovered that takes 50 years to orbit the Sun once.According to Kepler's third law,what is the average distance of this asteroid from the Sun?

Kepler's third law can be described in which of the following ways?

The acceleration of an object is defined as the rate of change of its:

Who was the discoverer of the planet Uranus?

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 semimajor axis of Earth's orbit is:

Was Newton's derived version of Kepler's third law the same as the version Kepler discovered by trial and error?

So far as we know,the first person who claimed that natural phenomena could be described by mathematics was:

The acceleration of a moving body is defined as the rate of change of:

Compared with your mass on Earth,your mass out in space among the stars would be:

The Sun exerts a gravitational pull on Earth.Why doesn't Earth fall into the Sun?

According to Newton's third law,if a force is acting on an object,then:

The distance from Earth to the star Betelgeuse (in the constellation Orion)has been measured as 131 pc.Expressed in light-years,the distance is approximately:

The greatest inaccuracy in Copernicus's theory of the solar system was:

The person who first showed that planetary orbits are ellipses was:

The phenomenon of parallax is the:

If you were observing Earth's motion from another planet,would you observe occasional retrograde motion?

Galileo's observations suggested to him that the planets revolve around the Sun.This idea was:

The model of the solar system that Johannes Kepler proposed was:

Which object was discovered after its position had been predicted by the application of Newtonian mechanics to the deviation in the motion of another planet?

If you were an astronomer in the closing days of the Roman Empire (say,400 a.d.),your main reference book would probably have been:

A distant asteroid is discovered that takes 50 years to orbit the Sun once.According to Kepler's third law,what is the average distance of this asteroid from the Sun?

Kepler's third law can be described in which of the following ways?

The acceleration of an object is defined as the rate of change of its:

Who was the discoverer of the planet Uranus?

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