question

Newton had the insight to see that the... a) moon is moving b) moon orbits earth c) force on the moon has the same nature as the force on an apple d) moon always keeps one side toward earth e) none of the above

answer

c) force on the moon had the same nature as the force on an apple

question

Newton hypothesized that the moon... a) is a projectile b) is falling around Earth c) has a tangential velocity that prevents it from falling into Earth d) is actually attracted to Earth e) all of the above

answer

e) all of the above

question

Newton reasoned that the gravitational attraction between Earth and the moon must be... a) reduced by distance b) independent of distance c) directly proportional to distance d) the same at all distances e) all of the above

answer

a) reduced by distance

question

If the mass if Earth increased, with no change in radius, your weight would... a) stay the same b) decrease c) increase also

answer

c) increase also

question

If the radius of Earth decreased, with no change in mass, your weight would... a) not change b) increase c) decrease

answer

b) increase

question

If Earth's mass decreased to one half its original mass, with no change in radius, the your weight would... a) stay the same b) decrease to one half your original weight c) decrease to one quarter your original weight d) none of the above

answer

b) decrease to one half you original weight

question

The gravitational force between two massive spheres... a) is always an attraction b) depends on how massive they are c) depends inversely on the square of the distances between them d) all of the above

answer

d) all of the above

question

A very massive object A and a less massive object B move toward each other under the influence of mutual gravitation. Which force, if either, is greater? a) the force on B b) the force on A c) both forces are the same

answer

c) both forced are the same

question

Two objects move toward each other because of gravitational attraction. As the objects get closer and closer, the force between them... a) remains constant b) decreases c) increases

answer

c) increases

question

Gravitational forces are the weakest forces found in nature. Because of this... a) the gravitational effect between pencil and Earth cannot be seen b) there is no gravitational force between two 1-kg masses c) gravitational forces that are easily observed involve one or more large masses d) there is no movement between two 1-kg masses located near each other in space e) gravitational effects occur only when a large mass is involved

answer

c) gravitational forces that are easily observed involve one or more large masses

question

Suppose the gravitational force between two massive spheres is 100 N. If the distance between the spheres is doubled, what is the force between the masses? a) 400 N b) 200 N c) 100 N d) 50 N e) 25 N

answer

e) 25 N

question

By noticing that Uranus's orbit is perturbed and by using the law of gravitation, two astronomers independently discovered... a) Neptune b) exceptions to the law of gravity c) the law of gravitation fails at large distances d) Uranus has several moons

answer

d) Uranus has several moons

question

The force of gravity acting on you will increase if you... a) stand on a planet with a radius that is shrinking b) burrow deep inside the planet c) both A and B d) none of the above

answer

a) stand on a planet with a radius that is shrinking

question

The force of gravity on you is greatest when you are standing... a) far above Earth's surface b) just above Earth's surface c) on Earth's surface

answer

c) on Earth's surface

question

The reason the moon does not fall into Earth is that... a) Earth's gravitational field at the moon is weak b) the moon has a sufficiently large orbital speed c) gravitational pull of other planets keeps the moon up d) the moon has less mass than Earth e) none of the above

answer

b) the moon has a sufficiently large orbital speed

question

A lunar month is about 28 days. If the moon were closer to Earth than it is now, the lunar month would be... a) more than 28 days b) unchanged at 28 days c) less than 28 days

answer

c) less than 28 days

question

A hollow spherical planet is inhabited by people who live inside it, where the gravitational is zero. When a very massive space ship lands on the planet's surface, the gravitational field inside the planet is... a) nonzero, directed away from the spaceship b) still zero c) nonzero, directed toward the spaceship

answer

c) nonzero, directed toward the spaceship

question

A supplier wants to make a profit by buying metal by weight at one altitude and selling it at the same price per pound at another altitude. The supplier should... a) but at a low altitude and sell at a high altitude b) disregard altitude because it has a negligible effect c) buy at a high altitude and sell at low altitude

answer

b) disregard altitude because it has a negligible effect

question

Each of us weighs a tiny bit less on the ground floor of a skyscraper than we do on the top floor. One reason for this is that... a) the gravitational field is shielded inside the building b) the mass of the building attracts you upward slightly c) both A and B d) none of the above

answer

b) the mass of the building attracts you upward slightly

question

A planet has half the mass of the earth and half the radius. Compared to its weight on Earth, an apple on this planet would weigh... a) twice as much b) one-fourth as much c) half as much d) the same e) zero

answer

a) twice as much

question

Consider the gravitational force between Earth and a meteor in outer space. If the meteor moves so its distance from the Earth's center doubles, the gravitational force in the meteor will be... a) one quarter b) half c) double d) quadruple e) eight times greater

answer

a) one quarter

question

Which is greater, the gravitational force between Earth and the moon, or the force between Earth and the sun? a) Earth-moon b) equal c) Earth-sun

answer

c) Earth-sun

question

Jupiter has more than 300 times the mass of Earth. Yet on Jupiter's surface on object weighs only about 3 times as much as it would on Earth. The explanation to this involves Jupiter's... a) high density b) greater distance from the sun c) large radius

answer

c) large radius

question

If you stood atop a ladder on Earth that was as tall as Earth's radius (so you were twice as far from Earth's center) your weight atop the ladder would be... a) one-eighth its normal value b) one-quarter its normal value c) half its normal value d) none of the abo

answer

b) one-quarter its normal value

question

Why did Newton think there was a force acting on the moon? a) Because the moon always keeps one side toward Earth b) Because the moon moves in a curved path c) Because there is no air on the moon d) Because the moon is moving e) all of the above

answer

b) Because the moon moves in a curved path

question

since the earth is attracted to the sun, why doesn't it fall into the sun? a) Because it has too much mass to move toward the sun b) Because it has sufficient tangential velocity c) Because there is an equal force holding it away from the sun d) Because it has too much inertia to move toward the sun e) all of the above

answer

b) Because it has sufficient tangential velocity

question

If the mass of the Earth is increased, with no change in radius, your weight would... a) increase also b) stay the same c) decrease

answer

a) increase also

question

If the radius of Earth decreased, with no change in mass, your weight would... a) decrease b) increase c) not change

answer

b) increase

question

According to Newton's laws, a rock and a pebble will fall with the same acceleration in a gravitational field because the gravitational force on each is... a) the same b) different, though the ratio of the force to the mass of each is the same c) none of the above

answer

b) different, though the ratio of the force to the mass of each is the same

question

The force is gravity on you is greatest when you are standing... a) just below earth's surface b) on Earth's surface c) just above Earth's surface

answer

a) just below earth's surface

question

The value of the acceleration due to gravity,g,... a) depends on the universal gravitational constant, G b) depends on the mass of Earth c) is different on different planets d) depends on the radius of Earth e) all of the above

answer

e) all of the above

question

We can tell if a gravitational force exists in a region of space if... a) we disturb a pendulum and it starts swinging b) we let go of a ball and it starts to move c) a force exists on a mass placed there d) we can weigh ourselves e) all of the above

answer

e) all of the above

question

Gravitational field lines show the... a) direction of the field at each point b) direction of the force on any mass c) direction a mass would be accelerated d) strength of the field e) all of the above

answer

e) all of the above

question

Compared to the gravitational field on the surface of Earth, the gravitational field well below earth's surface is... a) larger b) smaller c) the same

answer

b) smaller

question

The gravitational field strength at the center of Earth is... a) the same as on the surface b) smaller than on the surface but still larger than zero c) zero d) large

answer

c) zero

question

If you were to weigh yourself in an elevator that is in free fall, compared to you ordinary weight, you would weigh... a) more b) less, but more than zero c) the same d) zero

answer

a) more

question

If you were to weigh yourself in an elevator that is accelerating upward, compared to your ordinary weight, you would weigh... a) more b) the same c) less, but more than zero d) zero

answer

d) zero

question

If you drop a stone into a whole drilled all the way to the other side of Earth, the stone will... a) speed up until it gets to the center of Earth b) slow down until it reaches the center of Earth c) speed up until it reaches the other side of Earth d) stop at the center of Earth

answer

a) speed up until it gets to the center of Earth

question

Th effect of the sun's pull on Earth's oceans is much less visible than that of the moon's pull because... a) earth is spinning so fast b) the sun is so far away c) earth is orbiting so fast d) the sun is radiating a lot of energy e) none of the above

answer

b) the sun is so far away

question

There are two main processes going on in the sun that keep the sun in existence. These processes are gravitation and... a) nuclear fusion b) electrostatic repulsion c) heat absorption

answer

a) nuclear fusion

question

A black hole is an object that... a) alters the space around it b) has an enormous density c) has an enormous gravitational field near it d) has an escape speed greater than the speed of light e) all of the above

answer

e) all of the above

question

If the sun were to collapse to form a black whole (quite unlikely), Earth would... a) immediately disappear b) spiral into the black hole c) orbit the black hole just as it orbits the sun now d) leave the solar system in the direction of its tangential velocity e) be drawn into the black hole

answer

c) orbit the black hole just as it orbits the sun now

question

When a star collapses to form a black hole, its mass... a) decreases b) remains the same c) increases

answer

b) remains the same

question

Gravitation weakens as the inverse square of distance, while tidal forces weaken with the inverse... a) cube of distance b) of distance c) square of distance

answer

a) cube of distance

question

The orbital speed for a satellite orbiting very close to Earth's surface is... a) 1600 m/s b) 4900m/s c) 8000 m/s d) 16,000 m/s e) 80,000 m/s

answer

c) 8000 m/s

question

The reason satellites orbit Earth at least 150 km above the surface is to... a) be above Earth's gravity b) make sure they are higher than the highest mountains c) be above Earth's atmosphere d) keep them out of the way of commercial airliners e) all of the above

answer

c) be above Earth's atmosphere

question

The speed of a satellite in a circular orbit is... a) constant b) not constant c) constantly increasing

answer

a) constant

question

The speed of a satellite in an elliptical orbit is... a) independent if the height if the satellite b) not constant c) constant

answer

b) not constant

question

A period of a satellite is defined as... a) the time for a satellite to cross the United States b) 1 second c) the time for a satellite to make one complete revolution around Earth d) 90 seconds e) 24 hours

answer

c) the time for a satellite to make on complete revolution around Earth

question

The higher satellite is, the... a) less its speed is b) greater its speed is c) longer its period is d) both A and C e) both B and C

answer

d) both A and C

question

A circle is a special case of... a) a hyperbola b) a parabola c) an ellipse d) a focus

answer

c) an ellipse

question

The circular orbit of a satellite orbiting Earth is characterized by a constant... a) speed b) radius c) magnitude of acceleration d) all of the above e) none of the above

answer

d) all of the above

question

The fastest moving planet in a solar system is... a) the most massive planet b) any planet (they all move at the same speed) c) the smallest planet d) the planet nearest the sun

answer

d) the planet nearest the sun

question

Pluto takes a longer time to travel around the sun than Earth takes because Pluto... a) has further to go b) goes slower c) both a and b d) none of the above

answer

c) both a and b

question

An object is placed exactly halfway between Earth and the moon. The object will fall toward.. a) the moon b) earth c) neither earth not the moon

answer

b) earth

question

A projectile is fired vertically from the surface if earth at 10 km/s. The projectile will... a) rise and then fall back to Earth's surface b) go into an elliptical orbit about Earth c) go into a circular orbit about earth d) none of the above

answer

a) rise and then fall back to Earth's surface

question

A vertically oriented rocket that maintains a continuous upward velocity of 8 km/s will... a) not be able to escape earth b) escape earth

answer

b) escape earth

question

An object dropped from rest almost infinitely far from Earth falls to Earth because of Earth's gravitational field, and strikes the surface with a speed of about... a) 8 km/s b) 9.8 km/s c) 11 km/s d) none of the above

answer

c) 11 km/s

question

The Earlybird communications satellite hovers over the same point on Earth's equator indefinitely. This is because... a) its orbital period is 24 hours b) it is beyond the main pull of gravity c) it pulls as hard on Earth as earth pulls on it d) it is kept aloft by ground control e) forces other than Earth's gravity act on it

answer

a) its orbital period is 24 hours

question

A satellite near earth makes a full circle in about an hour and a half. how long would it take a satellite located as far away as the moon to orbit earth? a) about 28 days b) a satellite could not be put into such an orbit c) it depends on the mass of the satellite d) about an hour and a half e) none of the above

answer

a) about 28 days

question

Compared to the period of a satellite in orbit close to earth, the period of a satellite in orbit far from earth is... a) the same b) longer c) shorter d) not enough enformation

answer

b) longer

question

The force of gravity does work on a satellite when it is in... a) circular orbit b) elliptical orbit c) both A and B d) neither A nor B

answer

b) elliptical orbit

question

Where does a satellite in an elliptical orbit have the greatest kinetic energy? a) at the point closest to the planet b) exactly at the point halfway to the planet c) at the point farthest from the planet d) anywhere- its kinetic energy is constant e) more information needed

answer

a) at the point closest to the planet

question

Where does a satellite in a circular orbit have the greatest kinetic energy? a) at the point farthest from the planet b) exactly at the point halfway to the planet c) at the point closest to the planet d) anywhere- its kinetic energy is constant e) more information is needed

answer

d) anywhere- its kinetic energy is constant

question

What remains constant for a satellite in an elliptical orbit? a) its speed b) Its potential energy c) its total energy d) its kinetic energy e) its distance from the planet

answer

c) its total energy

question

Escape speed from the surface of Earth is about... a) 8 km/s b) 9.8 km/s c) 11.2 km/s d) 16 km/s e) it is impossible to completely escape from Earth

answer

c) 11.2 km/s

question

The curvature of Earth is such that for every 8000 m tangent to the surface, the surface drops about... a) 0m b) 2.5m c) 5m d) 10m e) 20m

answer

c) 5m

question

Minimal orbital speed about Earth is approximately 8km/s. Minimal orbit speed about the moon would be... a) less than 8km/s b) about 8km/s c) more than 8 km/s

answer

a) less than 8 km/s

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