Question 1

The solid form of a volatile material is generally referred to as a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)  metal. 
B)  silicate. 
C)  rock. 
D)  ice. 
A)  metal. 
B)  silicate. 
C)  rock. 
D)  ice.

Question 2

Planets like Earth are found closer to the Sun than planets like Jupiter.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

The angular momentum of a planet depends on its mass and its distance from the Sun.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT considered evidence of cataclysmic impacts in the history of our Solar System?

Accepted Answer

A)  Uranus is "tipped over" so that it rotates on its side. 
B)  Valles Marineris on Mars is a huge scar,many times deeper than the Grand Canyon,which spans one-fourth the circumference of the planet. 
C)  Mercury has crust that has buckled on the opposite side of an impact crater. 
D)  Mimas has a crater whose diameter is roughly one-third of the moon's size. 
A)  Uranus is "tipped over" so that it rotates on its side. 
B)  Valles Marineris on Mars is a huge scar,many times deeper than the Grand Canyon,which spans one-fourth the circumference of the planet. 
C)  Mercury has crust that has buckled on the opposite side of an impact crater. 
D)  Mimas has a crater whose diameter is roughly one-third of the moon's size.

Question 5

Whether or not a planet is composed mostly of rock or gas is set by

Accepted Answer

A)  its mass. 
B)  its temperature. 
C)  the distance from the star that it orbits. 
D)  All of the above 
A)  its mass. 
B)  its temperature. 
C)  the distance from the star that it orbits. 
D)  All of the above

Question 6

Which of the following is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

A)  Over 330 extra-solar planets have been discovered to date from radial velocity surveys. 
B)  The most common type of extra-solar planet found to date has a few times the mass of Jupiter and lies within a few AU from its parent star. 
C)  No extra-solar planets have been imaged directly to date;all have all been found by indirect methods. 
D)  A star can brighten significantly due to gravitational lensing when a planet that orbits it passes directly in front of the star. 
A)  Over 330 extra-solar planets have been discovered to date from radial velocity surveys. 
B)  The most common type of extra-solar planet found to date has a few times the mass of Jupiter and lies within a few AU from its parent star. 
C)  No extra-solar planets have been imaged directly to date;all have all been found by indirect methods. 
D)  A star can brighten significantly due to gravitational lensing when a planet that orbits it passes directly in front of the star.

Question 7

Why might a newly discovered comet contain clues to the composition of the early solar nebula?

Accepted Answer

Comets are believed to be made of ice an

Question 8

Explain why an accretion disk forms around a protostar when an interstellar cloud collapses.

Accepted Answer

As the cloud collapses,the rat

Question 9

If an interstellar cloud having a diameter of 1016 m and a rotation period of a million years were to collapse to form a sphere that had the diameter of our solar system,40 AU,what would its rotation period be?

Accepted Answer

A)  1 million years 
B)  600 years 
C)  6 years 
D)  4 months 
A)  1 million years 
B)  600 years 
C)  6 years 
D)  4 months

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the early Solar System,based on current observations?

Accepted Answer

A)  The early Solar System must have been flat. 
B)  The material from which the planets formed must have been swirling about the Sun in the same direction. 
C)  The first fragments started out small and grew in size over time. 
D)  The composition of gases varied between the inner Solar System and the outer Solar System. 
A)  The early Solar System must have been flat. 
B)  The material from which the planets formed must have been swirling about the Sun in the same direction. 
C)  The first fragments started out small and grew in size over time. 
D)  The composition of gases varied between the inner Solar System and the outer Solar System.

Question 11

The Solar System was formed when a passing star tidally extruded mass from the forming Sun.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

What is the difference between refractory and volatile materials?

Accepted Answer

Refractory materials are capab

Question 13

As the planets were forming,the Sun was shining due to nuclear fusion on its surface.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

What prevented the Moon from maintaining any atmosphere with which it originally formed?

Accepted Answer

A)  It repeatedly collided with planetesimals. 
B)  It is too close to the Sun. 
C)  It is not massive enough. 
D)  It is tidally locked to Earth. 
A)  It repeatedly collided with planetesimals. 
B)  It is too close to the Sun. 
C)  It is not massive enough. 
D)  It is tidally locked to Earth.

Question 15

Consider four spheres of equal mass.Which has the most potential energy?

Accepted Answer

A)  A sphere on the top shelf of a bookshelf. 
B)  A sphere rolling on the floor at the base of the bookshelf. 
C)  A sphere sitting at rest on the floor at the base of the bookshelf. 
D)  A sphere on the middle shelf of a bookshelf. 
A)  A sphere on the top shelf of a bookshelf. 
B)  A sphere rolling on the floor at the base of the bookshelf. 
C)  A sphere sitting at rest on the floor at the base of the bookshelf. 
D)  A sphere on the middle shelf of a bookshelf.

Question 16

Explain how astronomers use the Doppler effect to detect the presence of extra-solar planets.

Accepted Answer

As a planet orbits a star,the gravitatio

Question 17

According to the conservation of angular momentum,if an ice skater starts spinning with her arms out wide,then slowly pulls them close to her body,this will cause her to

Accepted Answer

A)  spin faster. 
B)  spin slower. 
C)  maintain a constant rate of spin. 
D)  fall over. 
A)  spin faster. 
B)  spin slower. 
C)  maintain a constant rate of spin. 
D)  fall over.

Question 18

Astronomers have used radial velocity monitoring to discover

Accepted Answer

A)  extra-solar planetary systems that are similar to our own solar system. 
B)  Earth-sized planets around other stars. 
C)  Earth-sized planets at distances of 10 AU from their parent stars. 
D)  extra-solar planetary systems that contain more than one planet. 
A)  extra-solar planetary systems that are similar to our own solar system. 
B)  Earth-sized planets around other stars. 
C)  Earth-sized planets at distances of 10 AU from their parent stars. 
D)  extra-solar planetary systems that contain more than one planet.

Question 19

The temperature gradient in accretion disks surrounding protostars is due in part to the fact that material closer to the protostar has converted less of its kinetic energy into thermal energy.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

Explain why astronomers believe that the formation of planets is a natural by-product of star formation.

Accepted Answer

To explain the structure of the Solar Sy

Exam 6: The Birth and Evolution of Planetary Systems

The solid form of a volatile material is generally referred to as a(n)

Planets like Earth are found closer to the Sun than planets like Jupiter.

The angular momentum of a planet depends on its mass and its distance from the Sun.

Which of the following is NOT considered evidence of cataclysmic impacts in the history of our Solar System?

Whether or not a planet is composed mostly of rock or gas is set by

Which of the following is FALSE?

Why might a newly discovered comet contain clues to the composition of the early solar nebula?

Explain why an accretion disk forms around a protostar when an interstellar cloud collapses.

If an interstellar cloud having a diameter of 1016 m and a rotation period of a million years were to collapse to form a sphere that had the diameter of our solar system,40 AU,what would its rotation period be?

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the early Solar System,based on current observations?

The Solar System was formed when a passing star tidally extruded mass from the forming Sun.

What is the difference between refractory and volatile materials?

As the planets were forming,the Sun was shining due to nuclear fusion on its surface.

What prevented the Moon from maintaining any atmosphere with which it originally formed?

Consider four spheres of equal mass.Which has the most potential energy?

Explain how astronomers use the Doppler effect to detect the presence of extra-solar planets.

According to the conservation of angular momentum,if an ice skater starts spinning with her arms out wide,then slowly pulls them close to her body,this will cause her to

Astronomers have used radial velocity monitoring to discover

The temperature gradient in accretion disks surrounding protostars is due in part to the fact that material closer to the protostar has converted less of its kinetic energy into thermal energy.

Explain why astronomers believe that the formation of planets is a natural by-product of star formation.

Why Learn Astronomy

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth

Gravity and Orbitsa Celestial Ballet

Light

The Tools of the Astronomer

The Terrestrial Planets and Earths Moon

Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Planets

Worlds of Gas and Liquidthe Giant Planets

Gravity Is More Than Keplers Laws

Planetary Adornmentsmoons and Rings

Dwarf Planets and Small Solar System Bodies

Taking the Measure of Stars

A Run-Of-The-Mill G-Type Starour Sun

Star Formation and the Interstellar Medium

Stars in the Slow Lanelow-Mass Stellar Evolution

Live Fast,die Younghigh-Mass Stellar Evolution

Our Expanding Universe

Galaxies

The Milky Waya Normal Spiral Galaxy

Modern Cosmology

The Origin of Structure

Life

Filters

If an interstellar cloud having a diameter of 10¹⁶ m and a rotation period of a million years were to collapse to form a sphere that had the diameter of our solar system,40 AU,what would its rotation period be?