Exam 1 Answers

Question 1

What unit of measurement is typically used to measure distances in the solar system?

Answer 1

Astronomical unit

Question 2

Absolute zero is: 273°C, 0°F, 0°C, 0° Kelvin, or 32°F?

Answer 2

0° Kelvin

Question 3

Which of the following never goes in retrograde motion: Jupiter, the Sun, Mars, Venus, or Saturn?

Answer 3

The Sun

Question 4

Which ancient Greek philosopher argued in favor of an earth centered, or geocentric, universe?

Answer 4

Aristotle

Question 5

Which direction does a quarter moon rise?

Answer 5

East

Question 6

Which of the following is not a conserved quantity: mass energy, momentum, radiation, or angular momentum?

Answer 6

Radiation

Question 7

Which element was formed when the re-ionization occurred: helium, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon, or neon?

Answer 7

Helium

Question 8

Which ancient Greek philosopher introduced multiple circles on circles to explain retrograde motion?

Answer 8

Apollonius

Question 9

Which person took 30 years of data and this data was used by his apprentice to established laws of motion for planets: Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler, Galileo, or Newton?

Answer 9

Brahe

Question 10

Elements heavier than iron are made and what event?

Answer 10

Supernova

Question 11

Who observed the phases of Venus, finally putting an end to the geocentric model of the solar system?

Answer 11

Galileo

Question 12

What is a group of stores defining a region in the sky called?

Answer 12

Constellation

Question 13

What latitude will you rotate the fastest around the earth’s axis: 0°, 23.5°, 45°, 66.5°, or 90°?

Answer 13

0°

Question 14

In which of the following cases would you feel weightless: while falling off the roof, while traveling through space in an accelerating rocket, while falling from an airplane with your parachute open, while walking on the moon, or while riding along the highway in a car?

Answer 14

While falling from the roof

Question 15

The names of the seven days of the week are based on the

Answer 15

Seven naked eye objects that appear to move among the constellations

Question 16

Which of the following scenarios does a net force acting on an object: a car rolling down a hill at a constant velocity, a car going down a straight, level street at a constant speed, a car falling through the sky with the air drag force equal to the force due to gravity, a car going up a hill while losing kinetic energy, or a car loaded on a truck, with a constant momentum?

Answer 16

A car going up hill while losing kinetic energy

Question 17

Is the celestial sphere a physical thing?

Answer 17

No

Question 18

Does it physically make sense to have negative temperatures?

Answer 18

No

Question 19

What do the structures of Stonehenge, the Templo Mayor, and the Sun Dagger all have in common?

Answer 19

They were all used by ancient peoples for astronomical observations.

Question 20

When we look into the band of light in our sky that we call the Milky Way, can we see distant galaxies? Why or why not?

Answer 20

No, because the stars, gas, and dust of the Milky Way block us from seeing them.

Question 21

How would you describe a scientific model?

Answer 21

A model can be used to explain and predict real phenomena.

Question 22

You fall off the international space station. You quickly take off your backpack and throat away from the international space station. Your knowledge of which law saved your life?

Answer 22

Newtons third law

Question 23

What is a circumpolar star?

Answer 23

A star that is always above your horizon.

Question 24

You’re standing on the moon. Is your mass the same as it would be on earth?

Answer 24

Yes

Question 25

The tides on earth are an example of

Answer 25

The universal law of gravitation

Question 26

What happens during the apparent retrograde motion of a planet?

Answer 26

The planet appears to move westward with respect to the stars over a period of many nights.

Question 27

How can we measure the mass of Jupiter without actually touching it?

Answer 27

We can measure the orbital period and distance of one of Jupiter's moons.

Question 28

How do we know that the universe is expanding?

Answer 28

Virtually every galaxy is moving away from us and more distant galaxies are moving away from us at a faster rate than closer ones

Question 29

Which of the following is a leap year: 3000, 3100, 3200, 3300, or 3400?

Answer 29

3200

Question 30

Why were ancient peoples unable to detect stellar parallax?

Answer 30

They did not have the ability to measure very small angles.

Question 31

The ultimate source of energy that powers the sun is

Answer 31

Mass energy of hydrogen fusing into helium

Question 32

Kepler's second law, which states that as a planet moves around orbit it sweeps out equal areas in equal times, means that

Answer 32

A planet travels faster when it is nearer to the sun and slower when it is farther

Question 33

The fact that the New Horizons spacecraft continues to speed out of the solar system, even though its rockets have no fuel, is an example of

Answer 33

Newton's first law of motion

Question 34

The suns daily path across the sky

Answer 34

Ecliptic

Question 35

What is causing the earth's rotation to slow down?

Answer 35

Tidal friction

Question 36

Fill in the missing part of your address: earth, solar system, local group, ________, local supergroup, universe.

Answer 36

Milky Way galaxy

Question 37

Other than circular, name a type of orbital shape allowed by the gravitational force.

Answer 37

Elliptical

Question 38

What phase must the moon be in for a solar eclipse to occur?

Answer 38

New Moon

Question 39

The average distance from Earth to the sun is known as a/an

Answer 39

Astronomical unit (Au)

Question 40

The product of an object's mass and velocity is known as the object's

Answer 40

Momentum

Question 41

What phase of the lunar cycle occurs after the waning gibbous phase?

Answer 41

Third-quarter

Question 42

What is the term used for the velocity needed for an object to escape the Earth's gravity?

Answer 42

Escape velocity

Question 43

As long as an object is not gaining or losing mass, a net force on the object will cause a change in

Answer 43

Velocity

Question 44

What is the name of the calendar used in the United States and a good portion of the rest of the world?

Answer 44

Gregorian

Question 45

On the day that Kentucky experiences the spring equinox, what season is starting in Australia?

Answer 45

Fall

Question 46

What ancient Greek philosopher finalized the geocentric model around 150 A.D., and it was used for around 1500 years?

Answer 46

Ptolemy

Question 47

If more direct sunlight is hitting the northern hemisphere of the earth, name one of the two seasons we could be experiencing.

Answer 47

Spring

Question 48

He discovered what we now call Newton's first law of motion.

Answer 48

Galileo

Question 49

The two moons of a planet are an equal distance from the center of the planet, but one of them has twice the mass of the other. How are their or be periods related to each other?

Answer 49

Moon 1 = Moon 2