Question 1

Fire a cannonball with enormous speed from a hypothetical cannon and it curves due to gravity. Shine a light from a flashlight parallel to the cannon and it

Accepted Answer

A) follows a straight-line path. 
B) curves downward as much as the cannonball. 
C) curves slightly upward. 
A) follows a straight-line path. 
B) curves downward as much as the cannonball. 
C) curves slightly upward.

Question 2

According to relativity theory, you can experience a longer youth when you

Accepted Answer

A) are near a black hole. 
B) are near a very large gravitational field. 
C) travel at nearly the speed of light. 
D) all of the above 
E) none of the above 
A) are near a black hole. 
B) are near a very large gravitational field. 
C) travel at nearly the speed of light. 
D) all of the above 
E) none of the above

Question 3

According to the principle of equivalence, observations made of falling objects at Galileo's Leaning Tower of Pisa are indistinguishable from observations made in

Accepted Answer

A) a spaceship orbiting in a gravitational field. 
B) a spaceship accelerating at g in deep space. 
C) any uniformly moving reference frame. 
D) all of the above 
E) none of the above 
A) a spaceship orbiting in a gravitational field. 
B) a spaceship accelerating at g in deep space. 
C) any uniformly moving reference frame. 
D) all of the above 
E) none of the above

Question 4

The measured ratio of circumference to diameter on a disk is π when the disk is

Accepted Answer

A) moving at relativistic speeds. 
B) rapidly rotating. 
C) at rest. 
D) all of the above 
E) none of the above 
A) moving at relativistic speeds. 
B) rapidly rotating. 
C) at rest. 
D) all of the above 
E) none of the above

Question 5

An astronaut falling into a black hole would see the universe

Accepted Answer

A) red-shifted. 
B) blue-shifted. 
C) with no shift at all. 
A) red-shifted. 
B) blue-shifted. 
C) with no shift at all.

Question 6

In a 1-g gravitational field, 1 second after turning on a flashlight its beam will curve beneath a perfectly straight line by

Accepted Answer

A) less than 4.9 m. 
B) 4.9 m. 
C) more than 4.9 m. 
A) less than 4.9 m. 
B) 4.9 m. 
C) more than 4.9 m.

Question 7

Apart from the effects of other planets, the orbit of Mercury precesses because

Accepted Answer

A) Mercury travels faster than any other planet. 
B) Mercury's orbit is nearly circular. 
C) of pronounced variations in Mercury's orbit about the Sun. 
A) Mercury travels faster than any other planet. 
B) Mercury's orbit is nearly circular. 
C) of pronounced variations in Mercury's orbit about the Sun.

Question 8

A profound message from all of science is that we are a part of nature

Accepted Answer

A) that stands above other life forms. 
B) and have the ability to conquer it. 
C) that is becoming more and more conscious of itself. 
A) that stands above other life forms. 
B) and have the ability to conquer it. 
C) that is becoming more and more conscious of itself.

Question 9

Strictly speaking, the ratio of circumference to diameter for a circle equals π as we know it

Accepted Answer

A) in flat space. 
B) on a spherical surface. 
C) on a saddle-shaped surface. 
D) all or any of the above 
E) none of the above 
A) in flat space. 
B) on a spherical surface. 
C) on a saddle-shaped surface. 
D) all or any of the above 
E) none of the above

Question 10

In accord with general relativity, a person living at the top of a skyscraper ages

Accepted Answer

A) faster than a person on the ground floor. 
B) slower than a person on the ground floor. 
C) at the same rate as a person on any floor. 
A) faster than a person on the ground floor. 
B) slower than a person on the ground floor. 
C) at the same rate as a person on any floor.

Question 11

A message from relativity theory is that slowing the aging process

Accepted Answer

A) can occur with correct applications of physics. 
B) would occur if you fell into a bottomless mine shaft. 
C) can only happen to "the other guy." 
A) can occur with correct applications of physics. 
B) would occur if you fell into a bottomless mine shaft. 
C) can only happen to "the other guy."

Question 12

In gravitational red shift, the quantity that undergoes a red shift is

Accepted Answer

A) spacetime curvature. 
B) wave direction. 
C) field intensity. 
D) wave frequency. 
E) none of the above 
A) spacetime curvature. 
B) wave direction. 
C) field intensity. 
D) wave frequency. 
E) none of the above

Question 13

You shine a beam of monochromatic light from Earth to an astronaut friend in orbit. The light your friend receives, relative to light from an equivalent source on the spaceship, is slightly

Accepted Answer

A) lower in frequency. 
B) higher in frequency. 
C) weaker but no different in frequency. 
A) lower in frequency. 
B) higher in frequency. 
C) weaker but no different in frequency.

Question 14

The shortest distance between two points in flat Euclidean space is a

Accepted Answer

A) straight line. 
B) geodesic. 
C) neither of these 
A) straight line. 
B) geodesic. 
C) neither of these

Question 15

A clock on the surface of a shrinking star will run progressively

Accepted Answer

A) slower. 
B) faster. 
C) no difference 
A) slower. 
B) faster. 
C) no difference

Question 16

If you shine a flashlight "horizontally" from one wall to an opposite wall inside an accelerating spaceship in deep space, you will see the light traveling

Accepted Answer

A) in a straight-line path. 
B) in a parabolic path. 
C) along the arc of a circle. 
A) in a straight-line path. 
B) in a parabolic path. 
C) along the arc of a circle.

Question 17

Compared with special relativity, general relativity is more concerned with

Accepted Answer

A) acceleration. 
B) gravitation. 
C) spacetime geometry. 
D) all of the above 
E) none of the above 
A) acceleration. 
B) gravitation. 
C) spacetime geometry. 
D) all of the above 
E) none of the above

Question 18

In a spaceship that accelerates at g far from gravitational influences, with the effort it takes on Earth to do 20 pushups, you could comfortably do

Accepted Answer

A) less than 20 pushups. 
B) 20 pushups. 
C) more than 20 pushups. 
A) less than 20 pushups. 
B) 20 pushups. 
C) more than 20 pushups.

Question 19

According to general relativity, a photon emitted by a star

Accepted Answer

A) loses energy. 
B) reduces in frequency. 
C) is red-shifted. 
D) all of the above 
E) none of the above 
A) loses energy. 
B) reduces in frequency. 
C) is red-shifted. 
D) all of the above 
E) none of the above

Question 20

If a star that is 10 light-years away from Earth explodes, gravitational waves from the explosion will reach Earth in

Accepted Answer

A) less than 10 years. 
B) more than 10 years. 
C) 10 years. 
A) less than 10 years. 
B) more than 10 years. 
C) 10 years.

Exam 36: General Theory of Relativity

Fire a cannonball with enormous speed from a hypothetical cannon and it curves due to gravity. Shine a light from a flashlight parallel to the cannon and it

According to relativity theory, you can experience a longer youth when you

According to the principle of equivalence, observations made of falling objects at Galileo's Leaning Tower of Pisa are indistinguishable from observations made in

The measured ratio of circumference to diameter on a disk is π when the disk is

An astronaut falling into a black hole would see the universe

In a 1-g gravitational field, 1 second after turning on a flashlight its beam will curve beneath a perfectly straight line by

Apart from the effects of other planets, the orbit of Mercury precesses because

A profound message from all of science is that we are a part of nature

Strictly speaking, the ratio of circumference to diameter for a circle equals π as we know it

In accord with general relativity, a person living at the top of a skyscraper ages

A message from relativity theory is that slowing the aging process

In gravitational red shift, the quantity that undergoes a red shift is

You shine a beam of monochromatic light from Earth to an astronaut friend in orbit. The light your friend receives, relative to light from an equivalent source on the spaceship, is slightly

The shortest distance between two points in flat Euclidean space is a

A clock on the surface of a shrinking star will run progressively

If you shine a flashlight "horizontally" from one wall to an opposite wall inside an accelerating spaceship in deep space, you will see the light traveling

Compared with special relativity, general relativity is more concerned with

In a spaceship that accelerates at g far from gravitational influences, with the effort it takes on Earth to do 20 pushups, you could comfortably do

According to general relativity, a photon emitted by a star

If a star that is 10 light-years away from Earth explodes, gravitational waves from the explosion will reach Earth in

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