Astro midterm 1 sample
If the population of human beings keeps increasing on this planet, estimates are that we will soon have more than ten billion members of our species on the increasingly crowded surface of the Earth. How would you express this number (ten billion) using scientific (or, "Power-of-Ten") notation?
1 x 10^10
Which ancient Greek thinker is known to have suggested that the Earth is moving around the Sun? a) aristarchus b) aristotle c) plato d) hipparchus e) all of the above
A
T or F. All of the known volcanos in our solar system are found on the planet Earth
F
T or F. As viewed from Earth, the Sun's angular size in the sky is more than 100 times greater than that of the moon
F
T or F. From all the available evidence, the heliocentric cosmology was vastly preferred over the geocentric cosmology in ancient times
F
T or F. Humans have not yet managed to accelerate a spacecraft to a speed greater than the escape velocity of Earth
F
T or F. If all of the asteroids that exist in the asteroid belt were combined into one big object, the object would have a mass greater than that of the planet Jupiter
F
T or F. the strength of the gravitational force of attraction that earth feels towards the moon is LESS than the strength of the gravitational force of attraction that moon feels towards the earth, since the moon has less mass than the earth
F
T or F. when an observer on earth looks at the sun, they are actually seeing the sun as it was about a year earlier, since the sun's light takes roughly 1 year to reach the earth.
F
The star Betelgeuse in the constellation of Orion is estimated to be 500 light years (LY) away from Earth. Suppose that right now, Betelgeuse explodes as a supernova. In what year would people on Earth first become aware that Betelgeuse had exploded?
In 2518 (i.e., in about 500 years from now).
T or F. Galileo used his observation that venus goes through a complete set of phases when viewed through a telescope to argue that the planets must orbit the sun, and not the earth
T
The Sun's radius is roughly 100 times that of the Earth. Assuming both the Sun and Earth to be spheres, about how many times larger is the Sun's circumference than that of the Earth?
The Sun's circumference is 100 times larger than that of the Earth.
The Sun's radius is roughly 100 times that of the Earth. Assuming the Earth and Sun to be spheres, about how many times larger is the Sun's surface area than that of the Earth?
The Sun's surface area is 10,000 times larger than that of the Earth.
In what fundamental way did the work of Galileo differ most from his ancient predecessors who had thought about the sky? a) Galileo relied on experiments to test theories, and rejected those theories whose predictions conflicted with what he observed. b) Galileo consulted many authorities before coming to scientific conclusions, instead of working on his own. c) Galileo believed that the Earth was the center of the solar system, and that everything revolved around it. d) Galileo translated the works of the ancient Greek astronomers, and relied on their abilities to think through difficult problems without actually observing phenomena. e) Galileo relied on the revelations of the Bible to tell him what was happening in the sky.
a
Of the following, the planet with the shortest period of revolution around the Sun is a) mercury b) earth c) venus d) jupiter e) none of the above is correct
a
Suppose an asteroid orbits the Sun exactly once every 8 years. Its mean orbital distance to the Sun must be equal to: a. 4 AU. b. 8 AU. c. 4 LY. d. 64 AU. e. 4 kilometers.
a
Suppose that instead of orbiting the Sun, the Earth was orbiting a star that had twice the mass the Sun has. If the orbit of the Earth around this new star has a semimajor axis of 1 AU, which of the following is true? a. The orbital period of the Earth around this new star will be less than one year. b. The orbital period of the Earth around this new star will be equal to one year. c. The orbital period of the Earth around this new star will be greater than one year. d. The speed of the Earth in its orbit around this new star will be less than the speed the Earth has in its orbit around the Sun. e. Both choices (c) and (d) are correct.
a
The cloud of gas and dust out of which the Solar System is believed to have formed is known as the a. solar nebula. b. asteroid belt. c. cometary cloud. d. reactive region. e. protokaryotic cloud.
a
What specific historical event really made it possible for the three laws of planetary motion to be discovered? (Hint: Remember that these are Reading Quizzes -- reread section 3.1 in your text if you need to!) a) Tycho Brahe died and his assistant was able to get full access to his data. b) Galileo's books were published in Danish and became widely available to the public. c) An alignment of all the known planets in one part of the sky called everyone's attention to them. d) Johannes Kepler came across the complete written works of Aristotle, in which the Greek philosopher had worked out the basics of planetary motion under a heliocentric cosmology. e) A star was seen to explode, creating the famous Crab nebula.
a
Which one of the following planets contains the largest known volcano in the Solar System? (Hint: Review those Powerpoint slides!) a. Mars. b. Mercury. c. Earth. d. Venus. e. Jupiter.
a
a lunar eclipse is produced by: a) the moon moving into the shadow of the earth b) the earth moving into the shadow of the moon c) the moon passing in front of the orion constellation d)the sun completing its circuit through the ecliptic e) the moon turning its "far side" to face the earth, which happens up to 2x a year
a
the avg distance from earth to sun, 149,600,000 km can be written in scientific notation as: a) 1.496 x 10^8 km b) 1.496 x 10^9 km c) 1.496 x 10^10 km d) 1.496 x 10^-8km e) its not possible to write a no that large in scientific notation
a
the bright flashes of light in the sky that astronomers identify as meteors, or "shooting stars", are produced by: a)small pieces of solid matter entering earth's atmosphere & burning up b) stars in the process of blowing themselves up c)lighting in the atmospheres of other planets in our solar system d)stars that have been flung through space due to an encounter with a massive planet e) comets colliding with the sun
a
which of the following is the correct explanation for why people in ancient times were unable to observe any parallax shift in the apparent locations of nearby stars in the sky? a) even the nearest stars are very far away, which makes their parallax shift so small that a telescope is needed to detect it b) the earth is actually at rest in the precise center of the universe c) the stars are all at exactly the same distance from earth d) the earth is spherical in shape, which cancels out any parallax shift that would otherwise be observed e) the earth rotates once per day on its axis, which cancels out any parallax shift produced by its orbital motion around the sun
a
which one of the following observations was used by aristotle to argue that the earth is spherical in shape? a) as a person travels south a sig distance on earth, they are able to observe stars that are not visible from further north b) the farther away a ship is from land, the smaller it appears to be to a person standing on the shore c) planets exhibit retrograde motion d) planets are always found near the ecliptic in the sky e) none of the above is correct since aristotle believed that earth was flat
a
As we learned in the first class, the Moon is located about 1 light-second from the center of the Earth. If the moon were instead located half a light-second away from the center of the Earth, the gravitational force exerted on it by the Earth would a. double. b. increase by a factor of four. c. increase by a factor of 30. d. be cut in half. e. remain unchanged.
b
At which one of the following locations on Earth are all stars circumpolar? a) at equator b) at north pole c) at lattitude of SD, CA d) all places on earth located at 45 degrees north latitude e) all of the above since all stars are circumpolar at all earth's locations
b
In class and in your textbook reading (section 2.2.3) you learned about the technique by which Eratosthenes estimated the circumference of the Earth. Specifically, he found the circumference of the Earth to be roughly 250,000 stadia (note that stadia were a unit of distance used in ancient times). Carefully reread textbook section 2.2.3 again now, and then answer the following question: If Eratosthenes had measured the angle that the Sun made with the vertical at noon on June 22 in Alexandria to have been 14° instead of 7°,approximately what value would he have estimated for the Earth's circumference? (Give answer in units of stadia.) a) 62,500 stadia b) 125,000 stadia c) 250,000 stadia d) 500,000 stadia e) 1 million stadia
b
Suppose that a planet had an orbit around the Sun that had a semi-major axis of length 4 astronomical units. What must its orbital period around the Sun be, in Earth years? a) 4 years b) 8 years c) 16 years d) 64 years e) 1000 years
b
Which of the following solar system bodies is most likely to NOT have experienced differentiation? a. Venus. b. A small asteroid. c. Jupiter. d. Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system. e. Earth.
b
an astronaut on the moon has a hammer in one hand & a feather in the other. he holds the objects at the same heigh above the ground, & then releases at the same time. what will happen? a) the hammer will hit the ground first b) the 2 objects will hit the ground at the same time c) the feather will hit the ground first d) both objects will remain suspended in the air indefinitely, since there is no gravity on the moon's surface e) they both will rise & poke holes in the sky
b
as defined by astronomers, a constellation is: a) the apparent annual path of the sun on the celestial sphere b) one of 88 sectors into which the celestial sphere is divided c) an especially notable star pattern in the sky d) a belt around the sky about 18 degrees wide, centered on the ecliptic e) the collection of stars that neither rise nor set during the course of a night, for a particular observer on earth
b
clara is standing in Wasilla, Alaska, which is located at abt 60 degrees north latitude. If she wishes to see the star Polaris tonight, where should she look? a)directly at her zenith b)abt 60 degrees above her northern horizon c)directly at her northern horizon (at an elevation of 0 degrees) d)it is impossible to say, w/o knowing the precise time she will be looking for it, since polaris-like all stars- rises in the east & sets in west every night e) none of the above, since polaris is always below the horizon for an observer who lives in Wasilla
b
planets orbit the sun in ellipses. when a planet, in its orbit, is at its closest point to the sun: a) it moves slower than avg b) it moves faster than avg c) it feels less gravitational pull than avg d) it stops in its orbit & crashes into sun e) none of the above is true, there is nothing diff abt a planet when its at its closest pt to the sun in its orbit
b
there are about 6000 stars in the entire celestial sphere that are bright enough to be visible at night w/o aid of a telescope & they are distributed roughly uniformly around the celestial sphere. Therefore, from any given point on earth's surface, about how many will be visible in the night sky at one time? (assume the observation is at night, in a dark location, far away from bright city lights.) a)about 1,500 b) about 3,000 c) about 6,000 d)this q cant be answered, since the no depends on knowing oberserver's longitude e) this question can't be answered, since the no depends critically on knowing the observer's latitude
b
which of the following statements abt copernicus is TRUE? a) he was placed under house arrest by church for his belief that earth spins on its axis once per day b) he wrote de revolutionibus in which he developed a sun-centered model of the solar system c) he discovered that the planets orbit the sun in ellipses d) he is remembered for being one of the greatest naked-eye astronomers in history, publishing a large catalog of stars location e) he accomplished all of the above
b
In terms of size (i.e., radius), which of the following represents a correct sequence, ordered from largest to smallest: a. Saturn, Jupiter, Earth, Pluto. b. Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto. c. Jupiter, Saturn, Earth, Pluto. d. Pluto, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn. e. None of the above represents a correct sequence.
c
On June 21 an observer in Mazatlan, Mexico observes the Sun to be directly overhead (zenith) at local noon. At the same instant an observer in Alburqurque, New Mexico USA, 1,000 miles due north of Mazatlan, observes the sun to be 10.0 degrees south of her zenith. Using just these observations and the method of Eratosthenes, which of the following would you conclude to be the circumference of Earth? a) 1,000 miles b) 18,000 miles x 2 pi miles c) 36,000 miles d) 36,000 miles x 2 pi miles e) 50,000 miles
c
Suppose you are driving 60 miles per hour. What is your rate of speed in miles per minute? (That is, how many miles are you traveling in each minute?) (Hint: Make your units work out, just like in the examples in the Mathematical Toolkit found in the Course Reader!) a. 3,600 miles per minute. b. 1/60 miles per minute. c. 1 mile per minute. d. 360 miles per minute. e. 60 miles per minute.
c
Suppose you are somewhere on a strange planet and observe, at night, that the stars do not rise and set but circle parallel to the horizon. Now you walk in a constant direction for 5,000 miles and at your new location you find that all stars rise straight up in the east and set straight down in the west, perpendicular to the horizon. Assuming the planet to be spherical in shape, what is the circumference in miles of the planet? a) 5,000 miles b) 2 x pi x 5000 miles c) 20,000 miles d) 4 x pi x 5000^2 miles 3) 1,250 miles
c
The Earth has a radius of 6400 km. The space station typically orbits the Earth at an altitude of 400 km above Earth's surface. To calculate the gravitational force exerted by the Earth on the orbiting space shuttle you must use Newton's law of gravitation: . For this situation, the R in Newton's gravity law represents: a. The radius of the Earth (i.e., 6400 km). b. The distance between the shuttle and the surface of the Earth (i.e., the shuttle's altitude, 400 km). c. The distance between the shuttle and the center of the Earth (i.e., 6400 km + 400 km = 6800 km). d. The mass of the Earth. e. This is a silly question, since there is no gravity in outer space where the space station is orbiting.
c
The average distance from the Earth to the sun is equal to: a) 0.25 astronomical units (AU) b) 0.5 AU c) 1.0 AU d) 1.5 AU e) 2.0 AU
c
To leave the gravitational pull of the Earth, and explore other planets, a spacecraft must acquire a speed of at least: a. The so-called ``perigee velocity''. b. The speed that will get you a ticket on I-8. c. The escape velocity of Earth. d. The circular satellite velocity around the Earth. e. 100 miles per hour.
c
What property of Jovian planets is less than that of terrestrial planets? a. Mass. b. Distance from the Sun. c. Density. d. Period of revolution around the Sun. e. Diameter.
c
What property of a planet can be obtained by studying the orbits of its moons and using Newton's version of Kepler's third law of planetary motion? a) its rotational period abt its axis b) its diameter c) its mass d) its chemical composition e) all of the above
c
Which one of the following was NOT discovered by Galileo Galilei using the newly invented telescope? a) surface of moon is heavily cratered b) that the milky way is made up of a multitude of indv stars c) that the planets move around the sun in such a way that an imaginary line connecting them to sun sweeps out equal areas in equal amts of time d) that the planet jupiter has 4 major moons that orbit it e) that the sun has dark patches on its surface called "sunspots"
c
Which two planets have no moons? a. Mars and Neptune. b. Venus and Mars. c. Mercury and Venus. d. Mercury and Earth. e. Uranus and Neptune.
c
for an observer standing on earth's equator, during the course of 1 night a star located exactly at N Celestial pole will appear to: a) rise straight up in east & set in west b) remain fixed at observer's zenith c) remain fixed right on observer's northern horizon (elevation of 0 degrees) d) trace 1 complete circle around observer's zenith e) remain fixed at an elevation of 33 degrees above the observer's southern horizon
c
the weight of a person on earth is equal to the gravitational force exerted by earth on them, as given by newton's law of gravity. jane weights 100 lbs on earth today. suppose jane was suddenly placed on a new planet that has same radius, but 2x the mass, of earth. what would jane weigh on this new planet? a) 25 lbs b) 100 lbs c) 200 lbs d) 400 lbs e) it is impossible to determine how much she would weight w/o being given the numerical value of newton's universal gravitational constant, G
c
using the most recent definition of the word "planet", how many major planets are there in our solar system? a) 1 b) 7 c) 8 d) 9 e) 22
c
which of the following lists is correctly arranged in order from closest-to-most-distant from the earth? a) stars, moon, sun, neptune b) moon, sun, stars, neptune c) moon, sun, neptune, stars d) sun, moon, neptune, stars e) moon, neptune, sun, stars
c
which of the following objects has the greatest amt of momentum? a) a football moving at 1 mile per hour b) a feather moving at 1 mile per hour c) a freight train moving at 1 mile per hour d) a pencil moving at 1 mile per hour e) all of the above has the same amt of momentum since they're moving w the same speed
c
Consider the following four constituents of the Solar System: (1) Jupiter; (2) Sun; (3) comets; (4) moons and rings of planets. Which of the following represents the proper ordering, arranged from MOST massive to LEAST massive (when considering a class of objects like comets or moons and rings, this means the sum total of all of the comets or moons and rings, combined): a. Jupiter, Sun, Comets, moons and rings. b. Comets, Jupiter, Sun, moons and rings. c. Moons and rings, Sun, Jupiter, comets. d. Sun, Jupiter, comets, moons and rings. e. Sun, comets, Jupiter, moons and rings.
d
How does the Sun-centered model of the solar system explain the observed retrograde motion of the outer planets? a) it occurs due to planets moving on epicycles b) it occurs due to the fact that earth's axis is actually tipped by 23.5 degrees from vertical rel to plane of earth's orbit around sun c) due to planets stopping & changing their orbital direction around sun d) it occurs due to inner planets overtaking & passing outer planets in their orbits around the sun e) none of the above bc sun-centered model cant explain retrograde motion
d
In terms of average orbital distance from the Sun, which of the following represents a correct sequence, from closer to more distant? a) venus, earth, uranus, jupiter, mars b) earth, mercury, jupiter, mars, saturn c) venus, mars, saturn, jupiter, uranus d) mercury, earth, jupiter, saturn neptune e) none of the above is correct
d
Polaris is currently located very close to the North Celestial Pole. However, due to the effects of precession, we know that it has not always been located as close to the North Celestial Pole as it is today. Of the following, at which point in the past was Polaris located farthest from the North Celestial Pole? a) 12 hrs ago b) 365 days ago c) 100 years ago d) 13,000 years ago e) 26,000 years ago
d
Scientists believe the solar system to have formed approximately how long ago? a) 6,000 years b) abt 2 million years c) abt 100 million years d) abt 4.5 billion years e) more than 100 billion years
d
Suppose that, at aphelion, a planet's orbital speed around the Sun is 20 km/sec. Which one of the following could be the speed of that planet when it is at perihelion? a) 10 km/sec. b) 0 km/sec. c) 15 km/sec. d) 25 km/sec. e) none of the above
d
The apparent path that the Sun makes around the celestial sphere during the course of a year is called a) the horizon b) the circumpolar zone c) the celestial equator d) the ecliptic e) none of the above
d
Which ancient thinker wrote Tetrabiblos, the foundational book on astrology that astrologers still consult today? a) Plato b) Eratosthenes c) Aristotle d) Ptolemy e) Hipparchus
d
Which of the following concerning total solar eclipses is FALSE? a. Total solar eclipses are observed far less frequently from a given place on Earth than are total lunar eclipses. b. When totally eclipsed, the Sun's corona becomes visible. c. Total solar eclipses occur when the Earth moves into the Moon's shadow. d. At least one total solar eclipse is visible each month from some location on Earth's surface. e. Total solar eclipses always last a short amount of time -- never more than 10 minutes.
d
Which of the following has the greatest density? a. A cubic meter of wood. b. A cubic meter of snow. c. A cubic meter of feathers. d. A cubic meter of gold. e. None of the above choices is correct since, by definition, a cubic meter of any substance will have the same density.
d
Which of the following is a correct chronological sequence of famous thinkers, ordered from longest ago to most recent? a) Galileo, copernicus, aristotle, ptolemy b) Copernicus, aristotle, ptolemy, galileo c) Ptolemy, aristotle, copernicus, galileo d) Aristotle, ptolemy, copernicus, galileo e) None of the above is in correct order
d
Which of the following statements about Pluto is false? a. Pluto has several moons. b. Pluto has an orbit that is more inclined and more eccentric than any of the 8 planets. c. Pluto has a solid surface. d. Pluto is just a bit larger than Earth's Moon. e. Pluto is now classified as a "dwarf planet".
d
Which of the following statements concerning the precession of the Earth's axis is FALSE? a) precesses was first discovered by hipparchus in about 150 BC b) due to precession of earth's axis, Polaris will no longer be the closest bright star to north celestial pole in several thousand years d) precession is resp for the fact that Mars exhibits retrograde motion e) the earth's axis will point roughly to same locations on celestial sphere in abt 26,000 years as it does today
d
as a spinning ice skater pulls her arms closer to her body, her rate of spinning inc, this occurs due to the principle known as: a) newton's universal law of gravity b) kepler's third law c) copernicus' axion d) the conservation of angular momentum e) aristotle's decree
d
the moon is located about 60 earth radii away from center of the earth. if, instead the moon were located 180 earth radii away from center of earth, the gravitational force exerted on it by the earth would a) become 3x weaker than before b) triple c) become 6x weaker than before d) become 9x weaker than before e) remained unchanged
d
the primary reason that epicycles were added to geocentric cosmologies was to explain a) the observed precession of earth's axis b) the elliptical orbits of planets c) why pluto appears far from sun in the sky d) the observed retrograde motion of planets e) why all stars appear to circle once per day around celestial poles
d
which of the following is NOT a jovian planet? a)uranus b)neptune c)jupiter d)venus e)saturn
d
which of the following is a correct chronological sequence of famous thinkers, ordered from longest ago to most recent? a) copernicus, aristotle, galileo, newton b) newton, aristotle, copernicus, galileo c) aristotle, newton, copernicus, galileo d) aristotle, copernicus, galileo, newton e) none of the above is in correct sequence
d
According to Kepler's 2nd Law, an object in the Solar System that has a very eccentric orbit, which carries it far beyond the orbits of the planets, should spend the majority of its time: a. In the asteroid belt. b. Inside of the Sun. c. Close to the Sun. d. Close to the planets. e. Far from the Sun and planets.
e
Star "A" has twice the radius of Star "B". The ratio of the volume of star "A" t the volume of star B is equal to a) 1/8 b) 4 c) 2 d) 8 x pi e) 8
e
The asteroid belt is: a. A new fashion accessory being sold by NASA to raise funds for future missions. b. A spherical region of icy chunks of material surrounding the Sun at a distance of about 1 LY. c. A series of orbital zones around the Moon, from which fragments drop down to form craters on its surface. d. A spherical region surrounding the Earth at the distance of the Moon. e. A region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter in which many small, stony, or metallic objects orbit the Sun.
e
The discovery of planet Neptune a) was made by galileo in 1609, shortly after telescope invention b) had to wait until hubble space telescope was launched into orbit around earth in 1990 c) was made by tycho brahe in 1600, while he was recording locations of already known planets in sky d) was made by hipparchus e) was made in the mid-1800s, shortly after its existence was predicted by 2 mathematicians studying irregularities in the orbit of Uranus.
e
Which of the following is NOT an argument for showing that the earth must be round? a) The elevation of the north star above the horizon changes as we travel to diff latitudes b) When a ship travels a large distance away, we see the bottom part of the ship (the hull) disappear first and its top (the mast) disappear last c) During an eclipse of the moon, the shadow of the earth is always seen to be a curve rather than a straight line d) Photographs of the earth from space always show a round body e) The sun is seen to be located within diff constellations during the course of a year
e
Which of the following statements about forces is FALSE? a. Forces can change the momentum of a body. b. If no external forces act on it, an object that is moving with a constant velocity will continue to move with the same, constant, velocity -- it will not speed up, slow down, or change direction. c. Forces always occur in equal and opposite pairs. d. Forces can cause an acceleration to take place. e. If there is no force acting on an object, it must be at rest with respect to surrounding objects.
e
Why do astronauts float around inside of the Space Station as it orbits the Earth as though they are "weightless"? a) space station is far from earth that gravity is negligible b) space station's gravity balances the earth's so that the net gravity is 0 c) space station has an antigravity device on board d) rules that newton developed for gravity only hold on earth, not once you get into space e) the space station is freely falling around earth in exactly the same way as the astronaut
e
all of the planets in our solar system, without exception: a) have solid surface b) have thick atmospheres c) rotate on their axes in the same direction that they revolve around the sun d) have moons orbiting around them e) orbit around the sun in the same direction
e
what is density? a) product of an object's mass & velocity b) an object's speed & direction c) the rate of change in an object's velocity d) another word for an object's weight e) the ratio of an object's mass to its volume
e
which of the following was NOT an accomplishment of Ptolemy? a)he wrote the almagest, a mammoth compilation of the astronomical knowledge of his day b) he developed an earth-centered theory of the solar system that was able to predict future positions of planets in the sky reasonably well c)he wrote the tetrabiblos, a treatise on astrology that remains an influential work on the subject today d)he developed an earth-centered cosmological model that endured for more than 1000 years e) none of the above answers is correct, since ptolemy accomplished all of the above during his lifetime
e
which one of the following objects in the solar system has been personally visited by a human being? a)mars b) venus c) ceres d) mercury e) none of the above
e
you are outside at local midnight & see mercury in dark night sky, directly overhead. which one of the following is most likely to be correct? a) you are at the earth's south pole b) mercury is at the point of its orbit farthest from the sun c) mercury is at the point of its orbit closest to the sun d) you are at the earth's north pole e) you are experiencing hallucinations
e
The ancient Greeks identified 7 objects that change their location night-to-night relative to the background, "fixed" stars of the celestial sphere. They dubbed these objects the "wanderers". Which one of the "wanderers" wanders the most (i.e., changes its position the most from one night to the next) relative to the fixed stars of the celestial sphere? the moon
moon
