astronomy homework 2

If your hypothesis has passed nine tests, but fails the tenth one, what do you do?

A. Change the hypothesis or create a new one, then come up with new predictions and conduct more tests.

Match each statement with the closest corresponding scientific rule it is breaking. "This model is proven to be correct because it makes accurate predictions 75 percent of the time." Choose one: A. Hypotheses must be abandoned or revised if they fail a single test. B. Tests must be repeatable by anyone. C. Hypotheses must be verifiable.

A. Hypotheses must be abandoned or revised if they fail a single test.

Why are scientists excited about the discovery of water on another world? Choose one: A. It makes it possible for extraterrestrial life to exist there. B. It shows that our understanding of the physics of water is wrong. C. It gives us the possibility of mining the world for water and bringing it back to Earth when our resources are low. D. Humans would be able to survive on a world with a source of liquid water.

A. It makes it possible for extraterrestrial life to exist there.

How did scientists make this new discovery of an ocean in Enceladus? Choose one: A. They measured Enceladus's gravity field from the velocity of the Cassini spacecraft. B. They directly observed it from images of the ocean taken from above by the Cassini spacecraft. C. They drilled through the ice and dropped a probe into the ocean. D. They analyzed samples of the ocean water that were gathered by the Cassini spacecraft.

A. They measured Enceladus's gravity field from the velocity of the Cassini spacecraft.

How large is Enceladus's ocean? Choose one: A. about the size of Lake Superior B. one-seventh the size of our Moon C. half the volume of Enceladus D. it fills the entire interior of Enceladus under the surface ice

A. about the size of Lake Superior

The scientific method is a process by which scientists Choose one: A. gain confidence in theories by failing to prove them wrong. B. survey what the majority of people think about a theory. C. prove theories to be known facts. D. show all theories to be wrong.

A. gain confidence in theories by failing to prove them wrong.

Which of the following terms are specific to the observer (that is, they are unique for the observer)? Choose one or more: A. meridian B. zenith C. north celestial pole D. horizon E. ecliptic F. celestial equator G. nadir

A. meridian B. zenith D. horizon G. nadir

The scientific method works well when it is used properly, but ignoring the rules, not looking at results in an objective manner, and flat-out cheating can lead to bad science. We must therefore be careful along every step of the scientific process, including the selection of which evidence to consider for a hypothesis. Consider the following scenario: A person sees a UFO in the middle of the night while walking alone on the beach. No other evidence of the UFO is left behind at the scene. Would the anecdotal verbal account from this witness be valid scientific evidence of the event?

B. No, because follow-up tests conducted by others cannot verify it.

Match each statement with the closest corresponding scientific rule it is breaking." I was given the answer to this question in a prophetic dream." Choose one: A. Hypotheses must be abandoned or revised if they fail a single test. B. Tests must be repeatable by anyone. C. Hypotheses must be verifiable.

B. Tests must be repeatable by anyone.

Why is it important to have multiple observations leading to a conclusion? Choose one: A. Multiple observations are only necessary if the first one is uncertain. B. To see if any of the observations disprove the conclusion. C. To discount any observations that don't support the conclusion.

B. To see if any of the observations disprove the conclusion.

Occam's razor states that Choose one: A. the laws of nature are the same everywhere in the universe. B. if two hypotheses fit the facts equally well, choose the simpler one. C. the universe is expanding in all directions. D. patterns in nature are really manifestations of random occurrences.

B. if two hypotheses fit the facts equally well, choose the simpler one.

Polaris, the North Star, is unique because it Choose one: A. is the brightest star in the night sky. B. is the only star in the sky that doesn't move throughout the night. C. has a longer path above the horizon than any other star. D. is always located at the zenith for any observer

B. is the only star in the sky that doesn't move throughout the night.

The original discovery of geysers on Enceladus in 2006 was from Choose one: A. a hypothesis. B. observation. C. a model.

B. observation.

Match each statement with the closest corresponding scientific rule it is breaking."This natural phenomenon was caused by extraterrestrial visitors who leave no measurable trace of their presence." Choose one: A. Hypotheses must be abandoned or revised if they fail a single test. B. Tests must be repeatable by anyone. C. Hypotheses must be verifiable.

C. Hypotheses must be verifiable.

The celestial equator Choose one: A. is specific to an observer. No two observers have the same celestial equator. B. runs from north to south through the zenith. C. is directly above Earth's equator. D. is the path of the Sun through the sky.

C. is directly above Earth's equator.

Suppose that you see a graph representing the relationship between the value of a stock you hold and the time you hold it. In this case, _______________ would be plotted on the horizontal axis, and _______________ would be plotted on the vertical axis. Choose one: A. time; dollars B. stock value; time C. time; stock value D. dollars; stock value

C. time; stock value

How large is Enceladus? Choose one: A. 19 miles wide B. 500 miles wide C. 6 miles wide D. 310 miles wide

D. 310 miles wide

The process of making predictions and testing scientific models never ends, as there is always the possibility that some future experiment or observation will show that a previously well-accepted model doesn't actually work under all circumstances. However, if a hypothesis is backed up by a very large body of evidence and has never failed a test, it may be elevated to the status of a theory.According to the scientific method, choose all of the following statements that are correct.

D. A theory has a higher probability of accurately modeling a natural phenomenon than a hypothesis does. E. All theories have enough supporting evidence behind them that we can move forward under the assumption that they are correct unless some future test proves that this is not the case.

There are many perfectly valid subjects that cannot be studied using the scientific method. Which of the following cannot be studied in a scientific way?

D. art E. the relative tastiness of various foods A. religion

The horizon is defined Choose one: A. by the place where the sky meets the ground. B. by the direction perpendicular to the north celestial pole. C. by the line in the sky directly above Earth's equator. D. by the direction perpendicular to a line to the zenith.

D. by the direction perpendicular to a line to the zenith.

The cosmological principle states that Choose one: A. all of these answers are correct. B. our location is special. C. the universe is the same at all times. D. on a large scale, the universe is the same everywhere at a given time

D. on a large scale, the universe is the same everywhere at a given time.

Research has supported the hypothesis that the wind is responsible for the motion of sailing rocks.There is evidence that wind can set the rocks moving when the ground becomes muddy or when thin layers of ice form beneath the rocks. This scenario has not been falsified by any tests conducted so far, and it is currently the favored explanation within the scientific community. What is the next step in the scientific process?

Make further predictions about this hypothesis and conduct more tests, abandoning or revising the hypothesis if any of the tests are failed.

Once we have come up with a number of plausible hypotheses to explain the "sailing rocks" phenomenon shown, what is the next step we should take, according to the scientific method?

Make predictions for each hypothesis, which will be observed if that hypothesis is correct.

How does the size of Enceladus compare with the size of our Moon?

The Moon is 7 times the size of Enceladus.

When we are faced with more than one hypothesis that has not been falsified by the evidence, Occam's razor tells us that the one that makes the fewest assumptions is most likely to be correct. An assumption is a condition that must be true for our hypothesis to work, but that we cannot prove one way or the other. Which of the following hypotheses about the bizarre motion of sailing rocks relies on the fewest assumptions?

The wind moves the rocks.

Rank the following items in order of highest altitude to lowest in the local sky from that perspective.

Zenith, North celestial pole, Highest point of celestial equator, Horizon.

Order of steps in the scientific method

a.observing b. make a hypothesis c. make a prediction d. perform a test, experiment, or additional observation e. forming a theory f. developing new hypotheses g. revising the theory