Elementary Astronomy Chapter 3 and 4 TopHat

D. Less than 90 degrees by an amount that was easy for him to measure.

Aristarchus measured the angle between the Sun and the Moon when exactly half of the Moon was illuminated. If the Sun were actually just two or three times as far away as the Moon, he would have found that angle to be A. Greater than 90 degrees. B. Exactly 90 degrees. C. Less than 90 degrees by an amount too small for him to measure. D. Less than 90 degrees by an amount that was easy for him to measure.

D. A model in which the Earth rotates on its axis and revolves around the Sun.

Aristarchus of Samos is known for a number of things. One of them was A. The idea that an explanation or model should 'save the appearances.' B. His measurement of the size of the Earth. C. A model of the Solar System in which the Earth is fixed and everything rotates around the Earth. D. A model in which the Earth rotates on its axis and revolves around the Sun. E. The discovery that planets move on elliptical orbits around the Sun.

A. More like a line between the foci.

As the two foci of an ellipse are moved apart, the shape of the ellipse becomes A. More like a line between the foci. B. More like a circle around the foci. C. More like a triangle drawn around the foci. D. More like a sphere around the foci.

C. Provided accurate data for the first time.

By making extensive observations of planetary motion, Tycho Brahe A. Discovered new planets. B. Explained how planets move. C. Provided accurate data for the first time. D. Disproved Ptolemy's theory of planetary motion. E. Proved that Copernicus was right.

C. The distance from the Earth to the Sun.

By measuring the angle between the Sun and the Moon when the Moon was in its first or third quarter, the ancient Greeks were able to calculate A. The size of the Moon. B. The distance from the Earth to the Moon. C. The distance from the Earth to the Sun.

A. Daily motions in the heavens.

Copernicus said that the rotation of the Earth on its axis caused the A. Daily motions in the heavens. B. Phases of the Moon. C. Retrograde motion of the planets. D. Eclipses of the Moon. E. Motion of the Sun along the ecliptic.

B. There is great disinterest because there is no need to replace a theory that has passed every well-understood observational test.

Einstein's Theory of Gravity has passed every well-understood observational test for over 100 years. However there are some anomalous observations which are not well-understood. For example, the Pioneer space probe is showing tiny deviations from its predicted course as it leaves the neighborhood of our solar system. A new theory, called "Modified Newtonian Dynamics," actually does not do as well as Einstein's Theory at predicting most things, but it does predict those tiny deviations and also accounts for several other, apparently unrelated, anomalous observations as well. From what we have said about the way scientists think, which of the following receptions would you expect this new theory to get? A. There is great hostility because the new theory challenges the established theory. B. There is great disinterest because there is no need to replace a theory that has passed every well-understood observational test. C. There is great disinterest because the new theory does not account for as many observational tests as Einstein's Theory does. D. There is great interest because the new theory suggests that Einstein's Theory might be wrong.

B. There is no interest in replacing a theory that has passed every observational test.

Einstein's Theory of Relativity has passed every observational test for over 100 years. Among other things, it predicts that no material object can go faster than the speed of light. Fred Zveistein (twice as smart as Einstein) has a new theory that predicts that some material objects can go faster than light. Fred presents his new theory at a scientific meeting (in 2009). These meetings have several talks going on at the same time, so people normally move from one room to another to hear the talks they are interested in. When Fred gets up to talk, everyone leaves the room to go to other talks. The reason for this behavior is that A. The other scientists are angry with Fred for challenging the established theory. B. There is no interest in replacing a theory that has passed every observational test. C. There is no interest in seeing the established theory proven wrong.

D. Solar eclipses.

For the ancient Greeks, the most basic of several clues that the Sun is farther from the Earth than the Moon came from A. The observed sizes of the Sun and Moon in the sky. B. The quarter phases of the Moon. C. Lunar eclipses. D. Solar eclipses.

B. Calculate the distance from the Earth to the Moon.

From the timing of lunar eclipses, the Ancient Greeks were able to A. Conclude that the Sun is farther from the Earth than the Moon. B. Calculate the distance from the Earth to the Moon. C. Calculate the distance from the Earth to the Sun.

C. About the same accuracy.

In comparison to the Copernican Theory, the Ptolemaic Theory made predictions that were of A. Much higher accuracy. B. Much less accuracy. C. About the same accuracy.

C. They conflict with reproducible observations.

It has been said that the "facts" of science are actually "revisable facts." When do these "revisable facts" get revised? A. A scientific professional society votes them out. B. More elegant "revisable facts" are discovered. C. They conflict with reproducible observations. D. They are on the losing side of a debate. E. They are successfully challenged in court.

C. Mars takes longer to go around the Sun than Earth and moves more slowly than the Earth does.

Mars is farther from the Sun than Earth. Which of the following statements is true? A. Mars takes longer to go around the Sun than the Earth because it has farther to go, but actually moves faster than the Earth. B. Mars takes longer to go around the Sun than the Earth because it has farther to go, but actually moves at the same speed as the Earth. C. Mars takes longer to go around the Sun than Earth and moves more slowly than the Earth does. D. Mars takes less time to go around the Sun than the Earth and moves much faster. E. Mars takes less time to go around the Sun than the Earth does but moves slower because the Earth keeps making rest stops.

C. It used circular orbits instead of ellipses.

One reason that the Copernican System failed to fit Tycho's observations was that A. It placed the Earth at the center of the universe. B. It used elliptical orbits instead of circles. C. It used circular orbits instead of ellipses. D. It placed the Sun at the center of the system.

D. Westward motion of the planets relative to the stars.

Retrograde Motion refers to the A. Eastward motion of the Sun relative to the stars. B. Westward motion of the Moon relative to the horizon. C. Eastward motion of the planets relative to the stars. D. Westward motion of the planets relative to the stars. E. Westward motion of the planets relative to the horizon.

C. The stars are so far away that the shifts due to the Earth's motion are extremely small.

The ancient Greeks argued that the Earth cannot be moving because such a motion would cause apparent shifts in the positions of stars. This argument was wrong because A. No such shifts are actually possible. B. All of the stars are at the same distance from the Earth. C. The stars are so far away that the shifts due to the Earth's motion are extremely small. D. Each star is moving in a circle exactly in step with the Earth's motion around the Sun.

E. The phases of Venus.

The first major failure of the Ptolemaic Theory to predict the results of observations was A. The precise observations of Tycho Brahe. B. The retrograde motion of the planets. C. The Moons of Jupiter. D. The mountains of the Moon. E. The phases of Venus.

C. Someone in the Netherlands.

The first telescope was (possibly) built by A. Galileo. B. Newton. C. Someone in the Netherlands. D. Tycho Brahe.

B. The phases of the Moon.

The motion of the Moon around the Earth causes: A. Daily motions in the Heavens. B. The phases of the Moon. C. The seasons. D. Meteor Showers. E. Dandruff.

C. Kepler

The statement that the orbit of each planet is an ellipse with the Sun at one focus is due to A. Copernicus. B. Galileo. C. Kepler. D. Newton.

D. None of these systems.

Tycho Brahe's careful observations of the planets agreed, to within observational error, with A. The Copernican System. B. The Ptolemaic System. C. The Tychonic System.. D. None of these systems.

C. The Equal Area Law.

Which of Kepler's Laws governs how a particular planet speeds up and slows down? A. The Period-Radius Relation. B. Orbits are Ellipses. C. The Equal Area Law. D. The Law of Inertia. E. The Law of Averages.

D. Tycho Brahe.

Which of the following astronomers is regarded as an early example of government-supported Big Science. A. Eratosthenes of Syene. B. Aristarchus of Samos. C. Copernicus. D. Tycho Brahe.

C. A simulation, using currently accepted physical laws, of waves crashing on the beach.

Which of the following computer programs is the most likely to be considered a scientific model: A. An animated screen-saver that shows waves crashing on the beach. B. A simulation game in which people can spend a day at the beach. C. A simulation, using currently accepted physical laws, of waves crashing on the beach.

D. Waning quarter.

Which of the following phases of the Moon would be seen high in the south at dawn? A. Waxing crescent. B. Waning crescent. C. Waxing quarter. D. Waning quarter. E. Full.

A. Passenger pigeons are extinct.

Which of the following statements is falsifiable? A. Passenger pigeons are extinct. B. Passenger pigeons are not extinct. C. Passenger pigeons taste good. D. Passenger pigeons taste terrible. E. Passenger pigeons were pests.

D. Ptolemaic model.

Which of these was the Solar System model that assumed the Earth is almost fixed and the Sun, Moon, and planets all move on epicycles that, in turn move on circular orbits around the Earth? A. Copernican model. B. Tychonic model. C. Keplerian model. D. Ptolemaic model.

A. North Pole.

You are looking down on the Earth from a spacecraft hovering far above. After watching for a while, you notice that, from your perspective, it is rotating counterclockwise. The part of the Earth that is directly below you must be the Earth's A. North Pole. B. Equator. C. South Pole.