ASTR 1101 Midterm Exam Homework Questions

the cosmological principle

Homework #1 Because of _____________, we can conclude that gravity works the same way on Mars as it does on Earth.

less than half this distance

Homework #1 If one thinks about the distance between Earth and the Moon, 384,400 km, approximately how much of that distance would Saturn and its rings take up?

occam's razor

Homework #1 If you have a stuffy nose, a fever, chills, and body aches and a doctor treats you for the flu rather than four separate diseases that account for each of your symptoms, this is an application of

not a scientific idea

Homework #1 In science, an idea that cannot be tested is

billion

Homework #1 Our universe is approximately 13.7 _________ years old.Our universe is approximately 13.7 _________ years old.

gain confidence by failing to prove them wrong

Homework #1 The Scientific Method is a process by which scientists

1.23 x 10^5

Homework #1 The number 123,000 written in scientific notation is

size of a typical galaxy

Homework #1 Which of the following is largest? -Size of a typical galaxy -Size of Pluto's orbit -Distance to nearest star (other than our Sun) -1 light year -The width of a human hair

the moon passes through part of the Earth's shadow

Homework #2 A partial lunar eclipse occurs when

virgo

Homework #2 Assume you are observing the night sky from a typical city in the United States with a latitude of +40°. Using the figure below, which constellation of the zodiac would be nearest to the meridian at midnight in April?

a lunar month

Homework #2 How long is your day (i.e. from sunrise to sunset) if you live on the Moon?

2 weeks

Homework #2 If there is a first quarter Moon out tonight, approximately how long from now will it be in the third quarter phase?

the revolution of earth around the sun

Homework #2 If you go out at exactly 9 P.M. each evening over the course of 1 month, the position of a given star will move westward by tens of degrees. What causes this motion?

twice every year

Homework #2 Lunar eclipses occur approximately how often? (hint: line of nodes)

+90 degrees

Homework #2 The altitude of the north is equal to your latitude on Earth. At what latitude on Earth would the north celestial pole be at your Zenith?

a new earth phase

Homework #2 When someone on Earth observes the Moon in the full phase, someone on the Moon facing Earth observes Earth in the:

the moon's distance from earth varies during its orbit

Homework #2 Which of the following statements about the Moon is true? -The Moon goes through a cycle of phases because it always has the same side facing Earth -If you see a new Moon from North America, someone in South America would see a full Moon -The Moon's distance from Earth varies during its orbit -The Moon is only visible at night -The side of the Moon facing away from Earth is in perpetual darkness

The "celestial sphere" is just another name for our universe

Homework #2 Which of the following statements about the celestial sphere is NOT true? -When we look in the sky, the stars all appear to be located on the celestial sphere -Earth is placed at the center of the celestial sphere -The celestial sphere does no exist physically -The "celestial sphere" is just another name for our universe -From any location on Earth, we can see only half the celestial sphere at any one time

a combination of each of the three choices presented here

Homework #3 Given a region within a protoplanetary disk, what quality would determine its temperature?

decrease by 4

Homework #3 If the distance between Earth and the Sun were doubled, the gravitational force between these two objects would

the length of jupiter's day is increasing over time

Homework #3 Jupiter's radius is continually contracting, which means

rotational period of the moon; orbital period of the moon around earth

Homework #3 The moon keeps the same hemisphere facing Earth because the _________ is equal to the _________.

ice

Homework #3 The solid form of a volatile material is generally referred to as

the planet's distance from the sun

Homework #3 Whether a planet will be rocky or gaseous depends on what important factor?

the composition of the solar nebula varied between its inner and outer regions

Homework #3 Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the early Solar System, based on current observations?

weight

Homework #3 Which of the following properties of an astronaut changes when he or she is standing on Earth, relative to when the astronaut is standing on the Moon? -Inertia -Weight -Nothing changes -Mass -The color of the Sun

they would freeze over

Homework #4 In the absence of a greenhouse effect, what would happen to Earth's oceans?

canyons

Homework #4 Plate tectonics is NOT responsible for -continental drift -volcanoes -mountain ranges -canyons -ocean trenches

true

Homework #4 True/False? Homosapiens have existed for about 150,000 years. This is 0.09% of the time of the dinosaurs. This means that 1,480,000 years from now we will have lives 1% as long as the dinosaurs.

all of the above

Homework #4 What is the reason Mercury has so little gas -It has a high temperature -Its escape velocity is low -Its mass is small -It is close to the Sun -All of the above

radioactivity

Homework #4 Which internal energy source is the most important in continuing to heat the terrestrial planets today?

the remaining meteorite has been identified on the bottom of the gulf of mexico

Homework #4 Which is NOT a reason that we suspect that the extinction of the dinosaurs was caused by an explosive impact by an explosive object? -The remaining meteorite has been identified on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico -The material in the K-T boundary is rich in iridium -Many dinosaur fossils are found below the K-T boundary, but none above it -Soot is found in the material in the K-T boundary, which probably came from fires caused by the impact -An impact crater has been found near Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula

higher density interior

Homework #4 Which of the following is NOT a factor that helps explain Earth's lack of craters compared to the Moon? -liquid water on surface -wind erosion -active tectonics and volcanism -higher density interior -larger atmosphere

the surface of Venus has very few craters primarily because asteroids burn up in its thick atmosphere

Homework #4 Which of the following statements is FALSE? -Volcanoes on Mars are larger, on average, than Earth's volcanoes because Mars does not have moving continental plates -Volcanoes on Mars are larger, on average, than Earth's volcanoes because Mars does not have moving continental plates -Darker regions of the Moon's surface have fewer craters and are approximately 1 billion years younger than the lighter regions -The surface of Venus has very few craters primarily because asteroids burn up in its thick atmosphere -Geological features and the chemical composition of some rocks on Mars suggest liquid water flowed on the surface in the past

the atlantic ocean is getting smaller with time

Homework #4 Which statement about continental plates of Earth is FALSE? -Earthquakes happen where two plates come together and when they spread apart -The Atlantic Ocean is getting smaller with time -Earth's crust is broken up into 13 separate continental plates -Volcanoes occur more often where two plates are coming together rather than spreading apart -Southern California in the United States and Baja in Mexico are sliding northeastward relative to the rest of the North American Plate

it is the only one that has both a partially molten metallic core and reasonably rapid rotation

Homework #4 Why does Earth have the strongest magnetic field among the terrestrial worlds?