Physics Chapter 1 Test

What is the scientific method?

1. question 2. hypothesis 3. predict consequences 4. preform experiments 5. formulate the general rule

What measurements did the early Greeks discover?

Aristarchus's measurement of the Moon's diameter was all that was needed to calculate the Earth-Moon distance. The early Greeks knew both the size of the Moon and and its distance from the Earth.

What role do measurement and mathematics play in the work of physics?

Physics is basically application of mathematics to understand the objective reality of the world. Mathematics is one of the most important tool that physics require.

When the Sun was directly overhead in Syene, why wasn't it directly overhead in Alexandria? a) The Earth is a sphere. b) Gravity bends light. c) Syene is in a different time zone than Alexandria. d) The Sun is a sphere.

a) The Earth is a sphere.

Rule for adding and subtracting with significant figures

your answer is limited to having the same number of decimals as the number with the least number of decimals in the original equation

Rule for multiplying and dividing significant figures

your answer is limited to having the same number of total significant figures as the number with the least significant figures in the original equation

What is the test for determining if a hypothesis is valid or not?

in order to distinguish if a hypothesis is scientific or not is to check and see if there is a test for proving it wrong. If there is no test for its possible wrongness, then the hypothesis is not scientific.

What is the scientific attitude?

inquiry (What if....?) integrity (report results accurately) humility (willingness to admit error)

Relationship between science and art/religion?

science/art - knowledge of what is possible in human experience and in nature; knowledge of both effects our views and decisions about the world science/religion - both deal with unanswered questions

Must people choose between science and religion? a) Yes, religion and science are completely antithetical. b) No, there is no contradiction in being scientific and religious in one's thinking. c) No, religion and science are essentially the same. d) No, scientific and religious beliefs are incompatible.

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

Clearly distinguish between science and technology. a) Technology solves problems, whereas science creates them. b) Science gathers the knowledge that technology uses for practical purposes. c) Technology can be helpful or harmful, while science is only helpful. d) Science is applied technology.

b) Science gathers the knowledge that technology uses for practical purposes.

How does the Moon's diameter compare with the distance between Earth and the Moon? a) 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. c) The Moon's diameter is 1/3.5 times the distance between Earth and the Moon. d) The Moon's diameter is equal to the distance between Earth and the Moon.

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

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 pinhole images of the Sun. c) These are blurry images of the point of light that is the Sun. d) These are images of holes formed by gaps between leaves.

b) These are pinhole images of the Sun.

Which of the following are scientific hypotheses? a) Earth rotates about its axis because living things need an alternation of light and darkness. b) Tides are caused by the Moon. c) Chlorophyll makes grass green.

b) Tides are caused by the Moon. c) Chlorophyll makes grass green.

A theory in science is ______. a) an agreement between trained investigators b) a synthesis of well-tested ideas c) an educated guess d) forever true

b) a synthesis of well-tested ideas

What is a safe way to view the sun?

eyepiece protection

What is the penalty for scientific fraud in the science community?

Loss of credibility and damaged reputation

What causes the phases of the moon?

The changing relative positions of the moon, Earth, and sun

What is Pseudoscience?

a collection of beliefs or practices mistakenly regarded as being based on scientific method; fake science

Why are students of the arts encouraged to learn about science and science students encouraged to learn about the arts? a) Scientists need to relax by viewing art and artists need the discipline of learning science. b) Scientists need to learn to draw and artists need to learn how to solve equations. c) Scientists need to learn how to write and writers need to learn what is impossible to do according to 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.

Hypothesis

an educated guess that is presumed factual until proven wrong by scientific proof

The Greek mathematician Eratosthenes made measurements to show the size of _______. a) the Moon. b) Earth c) the Sun d) all of these

b) Earth

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 a right triangle at that time. c) The Earth, Moon, and Sun formed an obtuse triangle at that time. d) The Earth, Moon, and Sun formed an acute triangle at that time.

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

A fact in science is ______. a) forever true b) an agreement between trained investigators c) a synthesis of well-tested ideas d) an educated guess

b) an agreement between trained investigators

A scientific hypothesis deemed valid must have a test for proving it ______. a) more than one time b) wrong c) correct d) none of these

b) wrong

The distance between Earth and the Sun is about _______. a) 110 Moon diameters b) 150,000 m c) 110 Sun diameters d) twice the distance to the Moon

c) 110 Sun diameters

What are steps of the scientific method. a) Reasoning and derivation from axioms. b) Using Occam's razor to eliminate excess facts. c) Hypothesis, predictions, and experimental findings. d) Assembling and organizing facts and checking them against dogma.

c) Hypothesis, predictions, and experimental findings.

What did Aristarchus and Eratosthenes contribute to science?

Eratosthenes used the summer solstice to find the diameter of the sun. Aristarchus used solar and lunar eclipse to find the distance and size of the moon.

How does the Sun's diameter compare with the distance between Earth and the Sun? a) The Sun's diameter is 1/110 the distance between Earth and the Sun. b) The Sun's diameter is 1/3.5 the distance between Earth and the Sun. c) The Sun's diameter is 1/2.5 the distance between Earth and the Sun. d) The Sun's diameter is equal to the distance between Earth and the Sun.

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

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) When a famous scientist restates a law, then the old law must be abandoned. c)Scientific laws are decided to be true by majority vote. 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.

When you step from the shade into the sunlight, the Sun's heat is as evident as the heat from hot coals in a fireplace in an otherwise cold room. You feel the Sun's heat not because of its high temperature (higher temperatures can be found in some welder's torches), but because the Sun is big. Which do you estimate is larger, the Sun's radius or the distance between the Moon and Earth? a) the Sun's radius b) the distance between the Moon and Earth

a) the Sun's radius

Throughout the ages, what has been the general reaction to new ideas about established "truths"? a) New ideas are wholeheartedly accepted. b) New ideas are opposed. c) New ideas are ignored. d) New ideas are expressed mathematically.

b) New ideas are opposed.

Distinguish between a hypothesis and a theory. a) A theory is an educated guess, whereas a hypothesis has been tested and verified by experiment. b) A hypothesis and a theory are both educated guesses. c) A hypothesis and a theory have both been tested and verified by experiment. d) A hypothesis is an educated guess, whereas a theory encompasses well tested and verified hypotheses.

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

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

d) A hypothesis is scientific if it is possible to prove it wrong.

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 proposes a hypothesis that is eventually disproven is never allowed to be a scientist again. b) A scientist who disagrees with current theory is never allowed to be a scientist again. c) A scientist who makes a mistake is never allowed to be a scientist again. d) A scientist who lies in a scientific publication will suffer professional excommunication.

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

Briefly, 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.

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 involves matter that is alive. c) Physics is about how atoms combine to form molecules. 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.