Week 4

The gravitational force experienced by Earth due to the Moon is ________ the gravitational force experienced by the Moon due to Earth. (Note that the Moon is about 1% of the mass of Earth.) a. 10^-4 times b. equal to c. 10^-2 times d. 10^4

b. equal to

The gravitational force experienced by Earth due to the Sun is ________ the gravitational force experienced by the Sun due to Earth. (Note that the Sun is about 333,000 times more massive than the Earth.) a. 10^-2 times b. equal to c. 10^4 d. 10^-4 times

b. equal to

Galileo was put on trial by the Catholic Church for: a. believing in the heliocentric model. b. publishing a book in support of the heliocentric model. c. showing that the Sun was imperfect. d. using a telescope to study the heavens.

b. publishing a book in support of the heliocentric model.

An asteroid follows a circular orbit around the Sun with a radius of 5 AU. Which of these is closest to its orbital period? a. 125 years b. 3 years c. 11 years d. 25 years

c. 11 years

The astronomer who formulated the three general laws of planetary motion was a. Nicolaus Copernicus. b. Isaac Newton. c. Johannes Kepler. d. Galileo Galilei.

c. Johannes Kepler.

A rocket engine accelerates its exhaust gas in one direction, moving the rocket in the other direction. Which law explains this phenomenon? a. Kepler's second law b. Newton's first law c. Newton's third law d. universal gravitation

c. Newton's third law

A rocket engine accelerates its exhaust gas in one direction, moving the rocket in the other direction. Which law explains this phenomenon? a. Newton's first law b. Newton's third law c. Kepler's second law d. universal gravitation

b. Newton's third law

A comet orbits the Sun, as shown in this figure. Where is the comet's velocity largest? a. Point 1 b. Point 2

b. Point 2

Kepler's laws of planetary motion were formulated using data recorded by: a. Tycho Brahe. b. Galileo Galilei. c. Nicolaus Copernicus. d. Isaac Newton.

a. Tycho Brahe.

Two asteroids, A and B, orbit the Sun. Asteroid A follows a circular orbit with a radius of 6 AU. Asteroid B follows an elliptical orbit with a perihelion distance of 4 AU and an aphelion distance of 8 AU. How do their orbital periods compare to each other? A) Asteroid B has about half the period of asteroid A. B) Asteroid B has about twice the period of asteroid A. C) Asteroid B has about 1.5 times the period of asteroid A. D) The asteroids have identical periods.

D) The asteroids have identical periods.

Sally Scientist applies an equal force to two objects. The first has a mass of 40 kg and the second has a mass of 10 kg. If the first object accelerates at 10 m/s2, what is the acceleration of the second? a. 40 m/s2 b. 5.0 m/s2 c. 10 m/s2 d. 2.5 m/s2

a. 40 m/s2

Which astronomer used similar measurements to challenge the geocentric model? a. Galileo Galilei b. Isaac Newton c. Tycho Brahe d. William Herschel

a. Galileo Galilei

Two balls are dropped from rest in a vacuum chamber on Earth. They have identical sizes, but the red ball is twice as massive as the blue ball. What happens? a. The balls accelerate at the same rate. b. The balls will not move because they are in a vacuum. c. The red ball accelerates faster than the blue ball. d. The blue ball accelerates faster than the red ball.

a. The balls accelerate at the same rate.

Planets in the Solar System follow: a. elliptical orbits with the Sun at one focus. b. circular orbits with the Sun displaced from the center. c. circular orbits with the Sun at the center. d. elliptical orbits with the Sun at the center.

a. elliptical orbits with the Sun at one focus.

The orbital periods of planets ________ with their average distance from the Sun. a. increase b. vary irregularly c. remain constant d. decrease

a. increase

A chunk of debris is travelling through interstellar space at 3 m/s. If no forces act upon it, it will: a. move in a straight line at the same speed. b. enter a circular orbit. c. gradually slow to a stop. d. accelerate.

a. move in a straight line at the same speed.

A monkey throws a pineapple to its playmate. The pineapple, with a mass of 0.5 kg, is accelerated to the left at a rate of 6 m/s2. The monkey has a mass of 2 kg. What is its acceleration? a. 6 m/s2 b. 1.5 m/s2 c. 0 m/s2 d. 3 m/s2

b. 1.5 m/s2

He was the first to see four large moons in orbit around Jupiter and craters on the Moon. a. Newton b. Galileo c. Kepler d. Brahe

b. Galileo

Which of these people was the first to introduce experimental methods to science? a. Nicolaus Copernicus b. Galileo Galilei c. Aristotle d. Isaac Newton

b. Galileo Galilei

The scientist who explained orbits as an effect of gravity was: a. Galileo Galilei. b. Isaac Newton. c. Johannes Kepler. d. Nicolaus Copernicus.

b. Isaac Newton.

Two asteroids have elliptical orbits around the Sun with the same semimajor axes but different eccentricities. Which of these statements is true? a. The orbit with the smaller eccentricity has a longer period. b. The orbit with the smaller eccentricity comes closest to the Sun. c. The orbit with the larger eccentricity has a larger change in speed. d. The orbit with the larger eccentricity has a larger semiminor axis.

c. The orbit with the larger eccentricity has a larger change in speed.

Two asteroids with the same mass have circular orbits around the Sun. One has an orbital radius of 5 AU while the other has an orbital radius of 7 AU. How do the orbital periods of the two compare? a. The period of the asteroid with the orbital radius of 5 AU orbits the Sun slower than the one with an orbital radius of 7 AU. b. Not enough information is given to answer this question. c. The orbital period of the asteroid orbiting at 7 AU would be longer. d. Since the mass of each asteroid is equal, their orbital periods should also be equal.

c. The orbital period of the asteroid orbiting at 7 AU would be longer.

Kepler's second law is a direct manifestation of: a. hydrostatic equilibrium. b. the inverse square law. c. conservation of angular momentum. d. Newton's third law.

c. conservation of angular momentum.

An object travels at 10 m/s through interstellar space. If no forces act upon it, it will: a. gradually slow to a stop. b. accelerate. c. move in a straight line at the same speed. d. enter a circular orbit.

c. move in a straight line at the same speed.

An astronaut pushes off from a capsule in space. The capsule, with a mass of 1,000 kg, is accelerated to the left at a rate of 1.0 m/s2 . The astronaut, with a mass of 100 kg is accelerated to the right at a rate of: a. 100 m/s2 b. 0.1 m/s2 c. 1.0 m/s2 d. 10 m/s2

d. 10 m/s2

The acceleration experienced by Earth due to the Moon's gravity is ________ the acceleration experienced by the Moon due to Earth's gravity. (Note that the Moon is about 1% of the mass of Earth.) a. 10^4 b. equal to c. 10^-4 times d. 10^-2 times

d. 10^-2 times

A dwarf planet follows a circular orbit around the Sun with a radius of 50 AU. Which of these is closest to its orbital period? a. 125 years b. 14 years c. 575 years d. 350 years

d. 350 years

Who was the first astronomer to make measurements of the sky with a telescope? a. Tycho Brahe b. Isaac Newton c. Nicolaus Copernicus d. Galileo Galilei

d. Galileo Galilei

Which of these correctly characterizes the velocity and angular momentum of a planet orbiting the Sun? a. The velocity and angular momentum are both maximum at perihelion. b. The velocity is maximum at aphelion, while the angular momentum is maximum at perihelion. c. The velocity and angular momentum are constant throughout the orbit. d. The velocity is maximum at perihelion, while the angular momentum is constant throughout the orbit.

d. The velocity is maximum at perihelion, while the angular momentum is constant throughout the orbit.

An asteroid has a highly elliptical orbit. As the asteroid approaches perihelion its angular momentum _______. a. changes but how it changes is dependent upon the asteroids mass b. decreases c. increases d. is unchanged

d. is unchanged

Galileo overturned Aristotelian physics by showing that: a. Earth rotates daily. b. the gravitational force decreases with distance. c. Earth is spherical. d. objects accelerate as they fall.

d. objects accelerate as they fall.

Which of these observations provided the most direct challenge to the geocentric model of Solar System orbits? a. the topography of the Moon b. supernovae c. sunspots d. phases of Venus

d. phases of Venus