Use these questions to test your understanding of the material for the first
exam. If you get them wrong, you will be linked back to the relevant part of the notes. Use these questions to test your understanding of the material for the first
exam. If you get them wrong, you will be linked back to the relevant part of the notes.
Be sure you study them thoroughly (don't just get a quick fix for your mistake) so your overall understanding is improved.
Review the questions for the other hourly exams and for the final.
1. Scientists
b. work only to apply old theories to new observations
c. make observations of nature so they can test theories
d. derive new theories without reference to observations
e. do not accept observations that disagree with theory
2. The most persuasive reason ancient astronomers thought the earth was fixed in space and did not orbit the sun was
a. observations of eclipses of the moon showed that the earth stood still
b. the stars did not change direction relative to each other over the year (there was no parallax)
d. space is unchanging while the earth changes all the time
e. their gods placed the earth at the center of the solar system
3. The most important contribution of the Greeks to science was
a. to measure the size of the moon
b. to invent scientific terminology
c. to develop sophisticated machines for experiments
d. to determine the underlying nature of matter
e. to show how to think about nature in a scientific way
4. Aristarchus' ideas about the solar system
a. were accepted by the other Greek scientists
b. were rejected because they were wrong
c. were rejected because he was really an Egyptian who had emigrated to Greece
d. were rejected because they contradicted other observations and theories
5. The Maya
a. had little interest in astronomy
b. made accurate observations they used to advise their rulers on important decisions
c. were comparable in astronomical science to the Greeks
d. were far behind the Babylonians in astronomy
e. left no evidence one way or the other regarding their interest in astronomy
6. People like the Celts and Maya built huge monuments to illustrate astronomy (like Stonehenge or the snake shadow on Chichen Itza)
a. to improve the accuracy of their observations
b. to impress the people with their skill
c. to educate the people in astronomical theory
e. to provide the people with something to do while the government paid them welfare
7. The retrograde motions of the planets
a. were not noticed by ancient astronomers
b. were completely explained by ancient astronomers
c. posed a puzzle that was an important issue in theories of the motions of the planets
d. were not real, but just predicted by some ancient religions
e. only appeared in particular places on Earth
8. Creation myths
a. were a kind of popularization of early scientific theories, so everyone would be interested
b. are independent of the kind of detailed observation and revision that is used in science
c. are examples of early scientific thought
d. evolved into advanced science
e. have generally been proven eventually by scientists
9. Our modern calendar
a. Is based on the ancient Egyptian calendar
b. Was brought down unchanged from the Babylonian astronomers
c. Has been strongly influenced by Mayan records.
d. Is based on a calendar set up by Julius Caesar in ancient Roman times
e. Is still not well tuned to the mismatch of the day to the year and will need adjustment soon
10. ________________ had an important influence on our calendar
a. Hipparchus, great Greek astronomer
b. Pope Gregory
c. Alexander the Great, conquerer of the ancient world
e. Aristarchus, Greek astronomer who proposed a correct model of the solar system
11. South of the equator, the stars rise in the east and set in the west and revolve in a clockwise
direction around the south celestial pole. North of the equator, they
a. rise in the east, set in the west, and revolve counter-clockwise around the north celestial pole
b. rise in the west, set in the east, and revolve clockwise around the north celestial pole
c. rise in the west, set in the east, and revolve counter-clockwise around the north celestial pole
d. rise in the east, set in the west, and revolve counter-clockwise around the north celestial pole
12. To see the greatest possible number of stars over the course of a year, you should live at the
a. equator b. south pole c. it does not really matter d. north pole
13. Theories of the solar system were severely challenged for centuries by
a. changes in brightness of the planets as they get closer or farther away from the earth
b. why the planets all seemed to move along the same zone in the sky
d. errors in predicting the motions of the planets
14. Two planets are observed going around a star. Planet Xoron has an orbital period that is twice as long as Planet Krypton. Which planet has a larger average orbital radius?
a. Xoron b. They will both be the same c. Krypton d. Not enough information to tell
15. Kepler's "music of the spheres" theory
a. was an impressively good fit to the planetary orbital periods
b. was an impressively good fit to the eccentricity of the orbits of the planets
c. related the day to the month and year
d. was a hopelessly bad fit to the planetary orbital periods
e. was an impressively good fit to the motions of the stars
16. Copernicus' theory for the solar system
a. made much more accurate predictions than previous theories
b. was obviously a big improvement over previous theories
c. was attractive initially for aesthetic reasons only
d. introduced new physical principles to understand the motions of the planets
e. was much simpler than previous theories
17. Suppose two comets, comet A and comet B, were orbiting the sun, having the same average
orbital radii. If comet A had a higher orbital eccentricity than comet B, which comet would, during
some portion of its orbit, have the lower orbital speed?
a. A b. B c. both would be the same d. impossible to tell
18. Copernicus developed his theory of the solar system because
a. he had a mystical vision one night that the sun was at the center of the solar system
b. his measurements of the sizes of the earth, moon, and sun argued that the sun was at the center
c. he wanted to try new orbital shapes to improve the predictions
d. he just wanted to try something different
e. he was disturbed by the complexities being used to fit the planet motions
19. During the period each year when we see Mars undergoing apparent retrograde motion in our sky, what is really going on in space?
a. The Earth and Mars are getting closer together.
c. Earth and Mars are on opposite sides of the Sun.
d. Earth is catching up with and passing by Mars in their respective orbits.
e. Mars is going around on an epicycle
20. The period-radius relationship analogous to Kepler's third law but for the wheel of your bicycle would be
a. the period of revolution goes in proportion to the radius
b. the period of revolution goes in proportion to the square of the radius
c. the square of the period of revolution goes as the cube of the radius
d. there is no fixed relation between the period of revolution and the radius
e. the period of revolution is independent of the radius
21. Kepler's three laws of planetary motion did NOT
a. provide an underlying physical cause for the planetary motions
b. correctly predict the speed with which a planet goes at different places around its orbit
c. correctly state the shapes of the orbits of the planets
22. Parallax was difficult to observe because
a. the orbit of the earth is tiny compared to the distances to the nearest stars
b. astronomers measured the wrong stars
c. parallax is only obvious in earth-centered solar systems
d. it is just one of those things that no one thought was important
e. astronomers did not know where to look
23. Tycho showed that comets
a. interact with the atmosphere of the earth
c. are part of the solar system and not associated only with the earth
d. are not the cause of plagues, and other troubles on earth
e. move on orbits shaped differently from those of the planets
24. Ptolemy's solar system model
b. provided a good fit to the available observations
c. made no reference to observations - was just a theoretical construct
d. was not quantitative - it just gave a general description of the planetary motions
e. had obvious flaws that worried ancient astronomers
25. Ptolemy and previous astronomers assumed that the earth was surrounded by celestial spheres that
a. stayed fixed so the stars would have something solid to move on
b. rotated from east to west every day
d. rotated around the earth in a year
e. changed shape as the planets moved on them
26. Ptolemy's work was preserved by
a. burying it in dry desert sands
d. Copernicus
e. because it was written on very durable papyrus
27. Medieval scientists
b. only recovered the Greek scientific writings
d. made progress that set the stage for the Renaissance
e. there were no real Medieval scientists
28. Aristotle became the foundation for much of Medieval science because
a. He was the only Greek scientist whose writings survived
b. He was the only Greek scientist who got anything right
c. His views were endorsed by the Romans
d. He collected a lot of Greek science into a convenient summary
e. His writings anticipated the teachings of the Church
29. Progress in astronomy was particularly difficult during Medieval times because
a. a long period of cloudy weather made observations difficult
b. Aristotle's theories were particularly advanced on astronomy, making improvements difficult
c. Aristotle's views were adopted and codified as part of the Catholic religion
d. Ptolemy's writings had been lost
e. the calendar was out of synchronization with the seasons
30. The central underlying assumption(s) in Ptolemy's model were
a. planets move along only circular paths
b. planets move always at the same speed
c. planets undergo retrograde motion
31. Newton explained Kepler's Laws
a. by a more sophisticated version of Kepler's "music of the spheres"
b. by giving them a sound religious foundation
c. by making them consistent with Aristotle's works
e. by developing an explanation of Kepler's works that could be more easily understood
32. Newton’s laws were a "simple" explanation for the motions of the planets because
a. once they were published, it was obvious that they did the job
c. although it required calculus to prove it, they fit the facts with a minimum of assumptions
d. they were based on everyday experience
e. they were just common sense
33. At the time of Copernicus and Kepler, indications that Ptolemy’s theory had weaknesses included all of the following except one, which is:
a. it had gotten more and more complex
b. it could not make accurate predictions
c. there was no underlying physical explanation for it
d. it needed constant updating
e. it could not explain parallax
34. Galileo’s discovery of the phases of Venus proved that
a. Venus orbits the earth, like the moon
b. Tycho's model for the solar system was wrong
d. Venus comes between the earth and sun on its orbit
35. Ptolemy’s model of the system was not perfectly scientific because
a. it did not start from simple assumptions
b. it was not based on observations
c. it was later shown to be wrong
d. it was developed before people thought scientifically
e. it was not based on broad principles that could be applied in other situations
36. If a planet is in a circular orbit at a distance of 1 AU (earth orbit) from a star, compare the force of gravity on it with another planet in a circular orbit twice as big (2 AU)
a. twice as big b. four times less c. two times less d. four times more
e. cannot determine from the facts given
37. Galileo's dispute with the Church
a. was purely a case of a hard-working scientist being persecuted for his views
b. was a public relations scheme by the church to dramatize its power
c. reflected deep and fundamental philosophical differences about science and what it could do
d. was trumped up by the Church with no provocation from Galileo
e. should never have occurred because Galileo had absolute proof of all of his claims
38. Galileo dropped objects from the leaning tower of Pisa to show
a. That heavy and light objects fall at the same rate
b. How air resistance slows the fall of objects
c. To see if freely falling objects behaved like those he had studied on inclined planes
d. He did not drop things from the tower - some one else did to attack Galileo's theories
e. To determine the local vertical and hence measure how far the tower was leaning
39. People often refer to the side of the moon away from the earth as the "dark side". Is this term correct?
40. What is the seasonal event for us when is the sun highest in the sky at noon for people in Sydney Australia?
a. summer solstice b. autumnal (fall) equinox c. winter solstice d. vernal (spring) equinox
41. If you were on the moon, could you observe total eclipses of the sun by the earth?
42. If you were on the moon, could you observe annular eclipses of the sun?
43. If the moon is rising during sunset, what phase is it in?
a. new b. first quarter c. full d. last quarter
44. If the moon is rising during sunset, what phase will it be one week later?
a. new b. first quarter c. full d. last quarter
45. If you were on the moon and the moon were full as viewed from earth, what phase would the earth be at?
a. new b. first quarter c. full d. last quarter
46. Why doesn't a total lunar eclipse occur every month?
b. Because we are not necessarily pointed toward the moon when they occur
c. because the moon only seldom lines up exactly between the sun and the earth
d. Because of the tilt of the orbit of the moon relative to the orbit of the earth around the sun
e. Because some of them occur on the far side of the moon
47. A month was set to be the time for
a. the earth to rotate on its axis
c. the sun to rotate on its axis
e. the moon to orbit the earth
48. When it is winter in Tucson, it is
b. summer in Australia (southern hemisphere)
49. The seasons are primarily due to
a. the earth getting closer to and farther away from the sun as it goes arount its orbit
d. changes in the output of the sun
e. large scale movements of air
50. An ad claiming that a product is light-years ahead of its time does not make sense because
a. a light-year is so large that a product could not possibly be so advanced.
b. light-years only apply to light.
c. it doesn’t say the number of light-years.
d. it uses “light-years” to talk about time, but a light-year is a unit of distance.
e. it gives no comparison with similar products
51. When we look at a galaxy that is 10 million light years away, the light we see
a. was created 10 million years ago, before there were humans
b. is as it was 10 million light-years ago
c. has dimmed by 10 million times in reaching us
d. will be spread over the next 10 million years
e. looks the same as it would have 10 million years ago
52. 47.293 = 4.7293 X 104; 4.7293 X 101; 4.7293 X 102; 4.7293 X 103; 4.7293 X 106
53. 92538 = 9.2538 X 102; 9.2538 X 105; 9.2538 X 104; 9.2538 X 102; 9.2538 X 106
54. 8270913 = 8.270913 X 102; 8.270913 X 103; 8.270913 X 104; 8.270913 X 105; 8.270913 X 106
55. 48238.73563 = 4.82 X 102; 4.82 X 103; 4.82 X 106; 4.82 X 107; 4.82 X 104
56. 0.23 = 2.3 X 100; 2.3 X 10-2; 2.3 X 10-1; 2.3 X 10-3; 2.3 X 10-4
57. 0.00428 = 4.28 X 100; 4.28 X 10-2; 4.28 X 10-5; 4.28 X 10-4; 4.28 X 10-3
58. 2.34 x 1011 is
59. 5.63 x 105 is
a. -5.635
b. 0.0000563
c. 563000
d. 0.000563
e. 0.0563
60. Kepler's great breakthrough in explaining the motions of the planets came because
a. For the first time, he put the sun at the center of the system
c. he realized that gravity could hold the planets in their orbits
d. he was the first to use mathematics to calculate planet orbits
e. he realized that the planet orbits are ellipses, not combinations of circles
61. Galileo's greatest contribution to science was
b. he showed that science was superior to religion
c. he wrote his results up in books and had them published for general circulation
e. he proved that the Copernican system was correct
62. Ancient civilizations that had a strong interest in astronomy
a. were more advanced than any others
b. were ruled in enlightened ways
c. tended to develop sophisticated number systems and mathematics as part of their astronomy
d. lived in desert areas where the sky was clear
e. also developed excellent science in other areas
63. The astronomical wisdom of the Greeks and Egyptians was
a. completely lost until recent research rediscovered it
b. preserved in the great library at Alexandria, where medieval scholars could find it
c. preserved by Arabic scholars
d. written down and stored in caves, where medieval scholars found it
e. passed down to medieval scholars in the works of Aristotle
64. Most early cultures had some interest in astronomy because
a. they used it to synchronize their farming with the seasons
b. they found it an interesting application of the scientific method
c. it provided a common topic they could discuss with other cultures
d. it was a way to probe their origins
65. Scientists
a. work only to apply old theories to new observations
b. test theories against new observations
c. derive new theories without reference to observations
e. do not accept observations that disagree with theory
66. Scientists
a. always progress steadily toward improved theories
c. usually depend almost entirely on the writings of past authorities
d. get theories by studying concepts revealed in religious books and activities
e. work in ways that other people have no chance of understanding
67. Jupiter is about 5 times farther away from the sun than the earth is, and about 325 times more massive. Compare the gravitational forces holding the earth and Jupiter on their orbits.
a. there is not enough information to tell
b. the force on the earth is greater than that on Jupiter
d. the force on Jupiter is 13 times greater than the one on the earth
e. the force on Jupiter is 325 times greater than the one on the earth
68. "Conservation of Energy" means that
a. Laws should be passed to preserve energy for future generations
c. Energy can be converted into matter
d. An object in motion tends to retain the motion in the same direction and at the same speed.
e. Energy must be supplied to keep the planets moving in their orbits
69. Tides arise because
b. The gravity of the moon pulls the oceans outward
e. Friction between the ocean floors and the water interacts with tidal forces
70. When mass is annihilated
a. It disappears into another universe
c. It is converted into energy, as shown by E = mc2
e. We don't know what happens, since we have never annihilated mass
71. When an object is about to fall and is high above the ground,
a. Its potential energy is at a maximum and its kinetic energy is at a minimum
b. Both its potential and kinetic energies are at a maximum
c. Both its potential and kinetic energies are at a minimum
d. Its potential energy is at a minimum and its kinetic energy is at a maximum
e. There is no fixed relation between its kinetic and potential energies
72. Which controls accelerate a car, according to Newton's Laws?
73. You live by the seashore on a planet with three moons in orbit around it. You will see
d. a complicated pattern of tides depending on the relative locations of the moons
e. an unpredictable tide pattern
74. An object completely at rest may have some energy
a. because of its position relative to the earth
b. because of its kinetic energy
c. because energy is present everywhere
d. if it has no electrical charge
e. only if light is shining on it
75. An astronaut on the moon dropped a hammer and a feather from a height of 1.5 meters.
a. the hammer hit the surface first
b. the feather hit the surface first
c. they hit the surface at the same time
d. which hit first depends on the type of feather
e. which hit first cannot be predicted
76. Suppose you go outside and look at three stars. Star A is blue, star B is white, and star C is red. Which star is the hottest and which is the coldest?
a. A is hottest and B is coldest b. C is hottest and A is coldest> c. B is hottest and C is coldest d. A is hottest and C is coldest
77. If a star is moving away from you at constant speed, how do the wavelengths of the absorption lines change as the star gets farther and farther?
a. they get farther and farther to the red b. they move toward the blue c. they stay shifted the same amount to the red
78. If the emission lines in one object are more strongly blueshifted than those from a second object, then the first object is moving
a. into hotter regions b. toward us faster then the second object is c. we cannot tell how it is moving just from its emission lines
79. An object which emits light with a peak wavelength at 500nm has a temperature _____ that of an object whose emission peaks at 250nm. ( 1nm = 10-9 meters)
a. the same as b. 4 times c. 2 times d. one half e. Cannot be computed from the information given.
80. Two stars are identical in all respects but one: Star A is three times further away from us than Star B. What are the relative brightnesses of these two stars?
a. Star A is three times fainter than Star B
b. Star B is three times fainter than Star A
c. Star A is nine times fainter than Star B
d. Star B is nine times fainter than Star A
e. The stars appear equally bright
81. A box contains a collection of molecules (for example, the box might be full of air). We have a gauge that records how much force is exerted on the walls of the box by molecules. We take data for awhile and then notice that the force increased. What happened?
82. If you know the wavelength of a photon, you can compute
a. its position b. its frequency c. its energy d. its position, frequency, and energy e. its frequency and energy
83. At what temperature does an object produce radiation?
a. 212° F or 100° C b. 32° F or 0° C c. 5500° K d. at no temperature e. at any temperature above absolute zero
84. Which of the following moves the fastest?
a. blue photons b. red photons c. x-rays d. radio waves e. all of the above move at the same speed
85. Visible light comprises
a. nearly the entire electromagnetic spectrum
b. only a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum
c. the lowest energy portion of the electromagnetic spectrum
d. the highest energy portion of the electromagnetic spectrum
86. The number of visible emission lines with different wavelengths that an atom can produce
a. is always one b. is always two c. is always three d. is always four
e. depends on the numbers and arrangements of electrons in the atom
87. Electrons have a wave character which means that
a. they can only exist in selected orbits within atoms
c. they cannot have an electrical charge
d. they must be found only outside atoms
e. they have the same mass as protons
88. When you are listening to the radio, you are hearing
a. sound waves b.radio waves c. amplitude modulation d. frequency modulation
89.
Referring to the graph to the right, which shows the times for
the planets to circle the sun, what is indicated for the
orbital period of the earth around the sun?
90. Jupiter is 5 AU from the sun. What does the
graph indicate is the time for Jupiter to go around
the sun?
91. The relation between distance from the sun and
time to go around an orbit in the graph is from