PHY 101 (Pearson-Chapter 1)

Which of the following are scientific hypotheses? Check all that apply. A. Chlorophyll makes grass green. B. Earth rotates about its axis because living things need an alternation of light and darkness. D. Tides are caused by the Moon.

A. Chlorophyll makes grass green. D. Tides are caused by the Moon.

What are steps of the scientific method. A. Hypothesis, predictions, and experimental findings. B. Assembling and organizing facts and checking them against dogma. C. Reasoning and derivation from axioms. D. Using Occam's razor to eliminate excess facts.

A. Hypothesis, predictions, and experimental findings.

What is the role of equations in this book? A. Equations are interesting side notes about scientific concepts. B. Equations will be derived to make you understand science. C. Equations are guides to thinking and show connections between concepts. D. Equations are for plug-and-chug calculations.

C. Equations are guides to thinking and show connections between concepts.

What is science? A. Science describes the order in nature and the causes of that order. B. Science is a way of knowing about the world and making sense of it. C. Science creates testable laws and theories. D. All of the above.

D. All of the above.

What is the location of Earth's center relative to a great circle defined by a pair of widely spaced flagpoles on Earth's surface? A. The center of Earth is the same as the center of the great circle. B. The center of Earth is located below the center of the great circle. C. The center of Earth is located above the center of the great circle.

A. The center of Earth is the same as the center of the great circle.

In daily life, people are often praised for maintaining some particular point of view, for the "courage of their convictions." A change of mind is seen as a sign of weakness. How is this different in science? A. When a scientist finds evidence that contradicts a law, then the law must be abandoned. B. Scientific laws are decided to be true by majority vote. C. When a famous scientist restates a law, then the old law must be abandoned. D. Once a scientific law is discovered, it never changes, so you must change your mind to believe it.

A. When a scientist finds evidence that contradicts a law, then the law must be abandoned.

Distinguish between a hypothesis and a theory. A. A hypothesis and a theory have both been tested and verified by experiment. B. A hypothesis is an educated guess, whereas a theory encompasses well tested and verified hypotheses. C. A hypothesis and a theory are both educated guesses. D. A theory is an educated guess, whereas a hypothesis has been tested and verified by experiment.

B. A hypothesis is an educated guess, whereas a theory encompasses well tested and verified hypotheses.

In daily life, we see many cases of people who are caught misrepresenting things and who soon thereafter are excused and accepted by their contemporaries. How is this different in science? A. A scientist who disagrees with current theory is never allowed to be a scientist again. B. A scientist who lies in a scientific publication will suffer professional excommunication. C. A scientist who proposes a hypothesis that is eventually disproven is never allowed to be a scientist again. D. A scientist who makes a mistake is never allowed to be a scientist again.

B. A scientist who lies in a scientific publication will suffer professional excommunication.

When the Sun was directly overhead in Syene, why wasn't it directly overhead in Alexandria? A. Gravity bends light. B. The Earth is a sphere. C. The Sun is a sphere. D. Syene is in a different time zone than Alexandria.

B. The Earth is a sphere.

How does the Moon's diameter compare with the distance between Earth and the Moon? A. The Moon's diameter is 1/3.5 times the distance between Earth and the Moon. B. The Moon's diameter is 1/110 the distance between Earth and the Moon. C. The Moon's diameter is equal to the distance between Earth and the Moon. D. The Moon's diameter is 1/2.5 times the distance between Earth and the Moon.

B. The Moon's diameter is 1/110 the distance between Earth and the Moon.

What is the test for whether a hypothesis is scientific or not? A. A hypothesis is scientific if it is possible to prove it right. B. A hypothesis is scientific if it can be written as an equation. C. A hypothesis is scientific if it is possible to prove it wrong. D. A hypothesis is scientific if the appropriate scientific body says it is.

C. A hypothesis is scientific if it is possible to prove it wrong.

What test can you perform to increase the chance in your own mind that you are right about a particular idea? A. Write a clear explanation of your idea and share it with everyone to gather objections. B. Write down your own idea as an equation. C. See if you can state the objections of your opponents to their satisfaction. D. Read up on the validity of the axioms you assumed when you crafted your idea.

C. See if you can state the objections of your opponents to their satisfaction.

How does the Sun's diameter compare with the distance between Earth and the Sun? A. The Sun's diameter is 1/3.5 the distance between Earth and the Sun. B. The Sun's diameter is 1/2.5 the distance between Earth and the Sun. C. The Sun's diameter is 1/110 the distance between Earth and the Sun. D. The Sun's diameter is equal to the distance between Earth and the Sun.

C. The Sun's diameter is 1/110 the distance between Earth and the Sun.

What are the circular spots of light seen on the ground beneath a tree on a sunny day? A. These are images of holes in leaves. B. These are images of holes formed by gaps between leaves. C. These are pinhole images of the Sun. D. These are blurry images of the point of light that is the Sun.

C. These are pinhole images of the Sun.

Why is physics considered to be the basic science? A. As physicist Paul Tipler says about sciences other than physics, "What other sciences?" B. Physics is about how atoms combine to form molecules. C. Physics involves matter that is alive. D. Because all other sciences can be shown to be derived from it.

D. Because all other sciences can be shown to be derived from it.

Why are students of the arts encouraged to learn about science and science students encouraged to learn about the arts? A. Scientists need to learn how to write and writers need to learn what is impossible to do according to science. B. Scientists need to learn to draw and artists need to learn how to solve equations. C. Scientists need to relax by viewing art and artists need the discipline of learning science. D. Knowing both the arts and sciences makes for a wholeness in the way we view the world.

D. Knowing both the arts and sciences makes for a wholeness in the way we view the world.

Must people choose between science and religion? A. No, religion and science are essentially the same. B. Yes, religion and science are completely antithetical. C. No, scientific and religious beliefs are incompatible. D. No, there is no contradiction in being scientific and religious in one's thinking.

D. No, there is no contradiction in being scientific and religious in one's thinking.

Clearly distinguish between science and technology. A. Science is applied technology. B. Technology solves problems, whereas science creates them. C. Technology can be helpful or harmful, while science is only helpful. D. Science gathers the knowledge that technology uses for practical purposes.

D. Science gathers the knowledge that technology uses for practical purposes.

Why did Aristarchus choose the time of a half Moon to make his measurements for calculating the Earth -Sun distance? A. The Earth, Moon, and Sun formed a straight line at that time. B. The Earth, Moon, and Sun formed an acute triangle at that time. C. The Earth, Moon, and Sun formed an obtuse triangle at that time. D. The Earth, Moon, and Sun formed a right triangle at that time.

D. The Earth, Moon, and Sun formed a right triangle at that time.