EAPS 105: Homework 1

1.10. In Wikipedia, look up "Hydrogen ion" and answer this question: What is a hydrogen ion? A) A hydrogen atom that has lost or gained an electron B) A hydrogen atom combined with another hydrogen atom C) A hydrogen atom without a proton D) A hydrogen atom with two protons

A) A hydrogen atom that has lost or gained an electron

1.4. In Wikipedia, look up "Solar System", read the intro and then scroll down to "Distances and Scales", and answer this question: Which of the following statement is true? A) An astronomical unit (AU) is the distance from the Earth to the Sun. B) Jupiter is about 5 AU from the Sun. C) Neptune is almost 6 times the distance from the Sun as Jupiter. D) All the above are true

D) All the above are true

1.6. In Wikipedia, look up "Gas giant" and answer this question: What is a gas giant? A) A planet composed mainly of hydrogen and helium gas. B) A planet composed mainly of ices. C). A planet composed primarily of silicate rocks or metals. D) A planet that has not cleared its orbit of other objects

A) A planet composed mainly of hydrogen and helium gas.

1.17. In Wikipedia, look up "Molecular cloud" and answer this question: What is a molecular cloud? A) An interstellar cloud made of molecular hydrogen where stars are born. B) An interstellar cloud made of hydrogen ions the glow brightly. C) An interstellar cloud made of recent supernova remnants. D) An interstellar cloud made of iron and silicon that condense into planets.

A) An interstellar cloud made of molecular hydrogen where stars are born.

1.11. In Wikipedia, look up "Sun", read the intro and then scroll down to "Structure and fusion", and answer this question: Heat and Light from our Sun is caused by the fusion of hydrogen into what element? A) Helium B) Carbon C) Oxygen D) Nitrogen

A) Helium

1.20. In Wikipedia, look up "Angular momentum", read the intro and then scroll down to "Conservation of angular momentum", and answer this question: Angular momentum is the quantity of the mass of an object times its size (radius) times its angular velocity (how fast it is rotating). Which of the following is a consequence of the conservation of angular momentum? Hint: Think about the figure skater example discussed. A) If the size of an object is reduced (mass stays the same), the rotational velocity must increase. B) If the size of an object is reduced (mass stays the same), the rotational velocity must decrease. C) If the size of an object is reduced (mass stays the same), the rotational velocity must remain the same.

A) If the size of an object is reduced (mass stays the same), the rotational velocity must increase.

1.2. In Wikipedia, look up "Solar System" and answer this question: Which of the following statement about the Solar System is true? A) It formed ~4.6 billion years ago. B) At least one of the giant planets are formed of rock and metal like the terrestrial planets. C) The orbits of the major planets range are extremely elliptical. D) All the above are true

A) It formed ~4.6 billion years ago.

1.13. In Wikipedia, look up "Planetary nebula" and answer this question: What is a planetary nebula? A) A nebula where planets are formed. B) A nebula consisting of an expanding, glowing shell of ionized gas ejected from red giant stars late in their lives. C) The remnant of a supernova D) A nebula the size of a gas giant

B) A nebula consisting of an expanding, glowing shell of ionized gas ejected from red giant stars late in their lives.

1.8. In Wikipedia, look up "Solar System", read the intro and then scroll down to "Asteroid belt", and answer this question: Which of the following is not a true statement about the asteroid belt? A) The asteroid belt occupies the orbit between Mars and Jupiter. B) It formed from the breakup of a planet. C) The total mass of the asteroid belt is unlikely to be more than a thousandth of that of Earth. D) All the above are true.

B) It formed from the breakup of a planet.

1.7. In Wikipedia, look up "Ice giant" and answer this question: In planetary science what does the term ice refer to? A) Compounds with hydrogen. B) Volatile chemical compounds with freezing points above about 100 K, such as water, ammonia, or methane. C) Any compound below its freezing temperature. D) Compounds that are transparent to visible light.

B) Volatile chemical compounds with freezing points above about 100 K, such as water, ammonia, or methane.

1.5. In Wikipedia, look up "Terrestrial planet" and answer this question: What is a terrestrial planet? A) A planet composed mainly of hydrogen and helium gas. B) A planet composed mainly of ices. C) A planet composed primarily of silicate rocks or metals. D) A planet that has not cleared its orbit of other objects.

C) A planet composed primarily of silicate rocks or metals.

1.1. In Wikipedia, look up "Milky Way" and answer this question: Why is our galaxy called the Milky Way? A) Because the ancient Greeks, who thought the moon was made of cheese, figured that that band observed in the night sky must also be a dairy product. B) From a Latin translation for "the road to heaven". C) Because it appears as hazy band of light in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished. D) Because ancient astronomers thought it was a passage through the fabric that encircles the cosmos.

C) Because it appears as hazy band of light in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished.

1..14. In Wikipedia, look up "Sun", read the intro and then scroll down to "After core hydrogen exhaustion", and answer this question: What is the fate of the Sun? A) Its core will collapse to become a neutron star or black hole. B) It will explode as a supernova. C) It will become a white dwarf and planetary nebula. D) It will collide with a star in the encroaching Andromeda galaxy.

C) It will become a white dwarf and planetary nebula.

1.12. In Wikipedia, look up "Sun", read the intro and then scroll down to "After core hydrogen exhausted", and answer this question: What will happen to the Sun after runs out of hydrogen? A) It will explode as a supernova. B) It will contract into a black hole. C) It will turn into a red giant and grow so large that it will engulf Mercury, Venus, and probably Earth. D) It will maintain its size but slowly cool down over billions of years.

C) It will turn into a red giant and grow so large that it will engulf Mercury, Venus, and probably Earth.

1.19. In Wikipedia, look up "Newton's law of universal gravitation" and answer this question: Which of the following parameters does not influence the force of gravity between two objects? A) The mass of the objects B) The distance between the objects C) The temperature of the objects D) The gravitational constant

C) The temperature of the objects

1.9. In Wikipedia, look up "Solar System", read the intro and then scroll down to "Kuiper belt", and answer this question: Which of the following is not a true statement about the Kuiper belt? A) The Kuiper belt is a great ring of debris similar to the asteroid belt, but consisting mainly of objects composed primarily of ice. B) It extends between 30 and 50 AU from the Sun (beyond Neptune's orbit). C) The total mass of the Kuiper belt is thought to be greater than that of Earth. D) All the above are true.

C) The total mass of the Kuiper belt is thought to be greater than that of Earth.

1.3 In Wikipedia, look up "Sun" and answer this question: About what percent of the Solar System's mass is contained in the Sun? A) 50.0% B) 70.0% C) 85.0% D) 99.9%

D) 99.9%

1.16. In Wikipedia, look up "Supernova" and answer this question: What statement about supernovae is true? A) They can occur due to the sudden gravitational collapse of a massive star's core. B) Supernovae can expel several solar masses of material at speeds up to several percent of the speed of light C) Supernovae are a major source of elements in the interstellar medium from oxygen to rubidium. D) All the above

D) All the above

1.18. In Wikipedia, look up "Nebular hypothesis" and answer this question: Which of the following statements are true? A) According to the nebular theory, stars form in massive and dense clouds of molecular hydrogen called giant molecular clouds. B) The nebular hypothesis suggests that the Solar System formed from gas and dust orbiting the Sun. C) A Sun-like star usually takes approximately 1 million years to form, with the protoplanetary disk evolving into a planetary system over the next 10-100 million years. D) All the above

D) All the above

1.15. In Wikipedia, look up "Stellar evolution", read the intro and then scroll down to "Massive stars", and answer this question: What is the heaviest element that can be fused in the core of a massive star? Hint: look at the figure with the caption, "The onion-like layers of a massive, evolved star just before core collapse" — and note what element is in the center. A) Neon B) Silicon C) Oxygen D) Iron

D) Iron