question

A scientific theory can be proven wrong if

answer

scientists gather new data that disprove its predictions

question

If a scientific theory cannot be tested, it is assumed to be true(True or False)

answer

False

question

If you were to specify your address in the universe, listing your membership from the smallest to largest physical structures, it would be:

answer

Earth, Solar System, Milky Way, Local Group, Virgo Supercluster, the universe

question

Observed patterns are usually due to some underlying scientific explanation.(True or False)

answer

True

question

One of the central assumptions in astronomy is that the physical laws of nature:

answer

are the same everywhere

question

Our Sun is the most massive and luminous star in the Milky Way.(True or False)

answer

False

question

Our universe is approximately __________ years old.

answer

14 billion

question

A scientific theory is an undisputed fact.(true or false)

answer

False

question

Earth revolves around the Sun in the same direction Earth spins about its axis.(True or False)

answer

True

question

If a star rises on the eastern horizon, it will set on the western horizon 6 hours later.(True or False)

answer

False

question

The direction directly overhead of an observer defines his/her:

answer

zenith

question

No matter where you are on Earth, stars appear to rotate about a point called the:

answer

celestial pole

question

The language of science is

answer

mathematics

question

Constellations are arbitrary groupings of stars in the sky.(true or false)

answer

true

question

The seasons on Earth are caused by the change in distance between the Sun and Earth.(True or False)

answer

False

question

The apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere during a year is called the:

answer

ecliptic plane

question

If you go out at exactly 9 P.M. each evening over the course of one month, the position of a given star will move westward by tens of degrees. What causes this motion?

answer

The revolution of the earth around the sun

question

When the Northern Hemisphere experiences summer, the Southern Hemisphere experiences:

answer

winter

question

Leap years occur because:

answer

orbital period is 365.24 days

question

We experience seasons because:

answer

the Earth's equator is tilted relative to the plane of the solar system

question

The shortest day of the year for a person living in the SOUTHERN Hemisphere is the:

answer

summer solstice(June 1)

question

The Moon undergoes synchronous rotation, and as a consequence the:

answer

rotational period of the Moon equals the orbital period of the Moon around the Earth

question

If there is a full Moon out tonight, approximately how long from now will it be in the third quarter phase?

answer

one week

question

The observed phase of the Moon changes over the course of one night.(True or False)

answer

False

question

During which lunar phase do solar eclipses occur?

answer

new

question

A partial lunar eclipse occurs when:

answer

the Moon passes through part of the Earth's shadow

question

the Moon passes through part of the Earth's shadow(true or false)

answer

false

question

When a planet exhibits retrograde motion, it appears to move westward for weeks at a time.(True or false)

answer

True

question

Johannes Kepler obtained accurate data on the positions of the planets in the sky over time, which Galileo used to prove that planets revolved around the Sun.(True or False)

answer

False

question

Which was a contribution to astronomy by Copernicus?

answer

Sun lies at the center of the Solar System

question

What do we call the five stars that move "backward" for weeks at a time before moving forward with the rest of the stars?

answer

planets

question

The heliocentric model was actually first proposed by

answer

Aristarchus

question

Whose naked-eye observations of the planets were used by Kepler to formulate three rules for planetary motion?

answer

Tycho Brahe

question

Isaac Newton was the first scientist to use a telescope for astronomical discoveries.(True or False)

answer

False

question

When the Earth catches up to a slower moving outer planet and passes it in its orbit like a faster runner overtakes a slower runner in an outside lane, the planet:

answer

retrograde motion

question

More massive objects fall faster in the Earth's gravitational field than less massive objects.(True or False)

answer

False

question

What force holds planets in their orbits?

answer

Gravity

question

Which scientist ended up under house arrest due to his support of the heliocentric model?

answer

Galileo

question

In the absence of air friction, a 0.001-kg piece of paper and a 0.1-kg notebook are dropped from the same height and allowed to fall to the ground. How do their accelerations compare?

answer

The acceleration is the same

question

Which of the following did NOT require the use of a telescope to observe?

answer

retrograde motion of the planets

question

What did Galileo discover

answer

spots on the Sun, moons orbiting Jupiter,and Venus exhibiting phases like the Moon

question

Astronauts in the space station feel weightless as they orbit the earth because there is no gravity acting on them.(True or false)

answer

False

question

A satellite is a less massive object (true or false)

answer

true

question

The force of gravity that an object has is directly related to its:

answer

mass

question

Which of the following properties of an astronaut changes when he/she is standing on the Moon, relative to when the astronaut is standing on Earth?

answer

weight

question

What is true about a comet that is on an elliptical orbit around the Sun?

answer

its the fastesst when its closer to the sun

question

Astronauts orbiting Earth in the space shuttle feel weightless in space because:

answer

free fall

question

If the distance between the Earth and Sun were cut in half, the gravitational force between these two objects would:

answer

increase by 4

question

Astronauts orbiting Earth in the space shuttle feel weightless in space because:

answer

they are in constant free fall around the Earth

question

A radio photon travels more slowly than a gamma ray photon.(true or false)

answer

false

question

The light-year is a unit of:

answer

distance

question

How do the wavelength and frequency of red light compare to the wavelength and frequency of blue light?

answer

Red light has a longer wavelength and lower frequency

question

As wavelength increases, the energy of a photon __________ and its frequency __________.

answer

decreases, decreases

question

Astronauts in the space station feel weightless as they orbit the earth because there is no gravity acting on them.(true or false)

answer

false

question

A satellite is a less massive object in free fall around a more massive object.(True or False)

answer

True

question

The force of gravity that an object has is directly related to its:

answer

mass

question

Which of the following properties of an astronaut changes when he/she is standing on the Moon, relative to when the astronaut is standing on Earth?

answer

Weight

question

Which of the following is true about a comet that is on an elliptical orbit around the Sun?

answer

The comet's speed is greatest when it is nearest the Sun.

question

Astronauts orbiting Earth in the space shuttle feel weightless in space because:

answer

free fall

question

If the distance between the Earth and Sun were cut in half, the gravitational force between these two objects would:

answer

increase by 4

question

IF a planet is 1/4 the mass of Earth but the same radius as the Earth. Your weight would(increase or decrease) by a factor of...

answer

decrease:4

question

Suppose you are suddenly transported to a planet with 1/4 the radius of Earth but the same mass as the Earth. Your weight would __________ by a factor of __________.

answer

increase,16

question

A radio photon travels more slowly than a gamma ray photon(true or false)

answer

False

question

The light-year is a unit of:

answer

distance

question

How do the wavelength and frequency of red light compare to the wavelength and frequency of blue light?

answer

Red has a longer wavelength and lower frequency

question

As wavelength increases, the energy of a photon __________ and its frequency __________.

answer

decreases; decreases

question

Our Solar System is likely unique among the stars in our galaxy

answer

False

question

When astronomers began searching for extra-solar planets, they were surprised to discover Jupiter-sized planets much closer than 1 AU from their parent stars. Why is this surprising?

answer

These planets must have formed at larger radius where temperatures were cooler and then migrated inward.

question

Mercury has the largest core compared to the size of the planet.

answer

true

question

The interior of the Earth is differentiated because it cooled very quickly

answer

false

question

Ocean tides on Earth are caused only by the Moon.

answer

false

question

The age of the Solar System can be determined most accurately by

answer

radioactive dating of rocks retrieved from the Moon

question

Mars, Venus, and Earth are much less heavily cratered than Mercury and the Moon. This is explained by the fact that:

answer

Mars, Venus, and Earth were geologically active longer than Mercury and the Moon

question

Studies of the amount of cratering at different locations on the Moon indicate that:

answer

the rate of cratering in the Solar System has changed dramatically over time

question

The fact that Earth's interior is differentiated suggests that

answer

it was liquid at some point in the past

question

What is the best explanation for the heating of Earth's interior today?

answer

Decay of radioactive elements

question

Which of the following will NOT be a consequence of Earth's consumption of the bulk of its radioactive "fuel" in the future?

answer

Earth will spin more slowly on its axis

question

The North American Plate and the Pacific Plate are sliding past one another at a rate of approximately 3 cm/year. San Francisco, which is located on the edge of the North American Plate, is sliding southward toward Los Angeles, which is located on the Pacific Plate. If they are currently separated by a distance of 600 km, how many years will it take for the two cities to meet?

answer

20 million years

question

The largest volcanic mountains in the Solar System are found on

answer

mars

question

We suspect that Mars once had liquid water on its surface because:

answer

all of the above

question

How much of the celestial sphere can an Earth observer see at one time?

answer

exactly half

question

Imagine that from your current location, you observe a star rising directly in the east. When this star reaches its highest position above the horizon, where will it be?

answer

high in the southern sky

question

Where would the observer look to see the star indicated by the arrow?

answer

High in the southeast

question

Why is it cold in the winter?

answer

the sun is lower in the sky

question

Imagine that Earth's orbit were changed to be a perfect circle. How would this affect the seasons?

answer

it would be the same

question

How much of the Moon is illuminated by the Sun?

answer

Always half

question

Does earth have phases like the moon

answer

it depend on where you're looking from

question

Epicycles were used in Ptolemy's model to explain

answer

why retrograde motion occurred

question

What was the main advantage of Copernicus's heliocentric theory over Ptolemy's geocentric theory?

answer

it was simpler

question

Earth is closer to the Sun in January. From this fact, Kepler's 2nd law tells us

answer

Earth is moving faster in January

question

stopped at lecture nine

answer

...

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