Deck 3: The Science of Astronomy

Question 1

What discoveries or further ideas were most critical for Copernicus' hypothesis that the planets orbit the sun to be promoted to a theory?

A)observation of Venus' phases
B)observation of sunspots
C)observation of the moons of Jupiter
D)A and B
E)A and C

Answer 1

E

Question 2

How did the Ptolemaic model explain the apparent retrograde motion of the planets?

A)The model showed that apparent retrograde motion occurs as Earth passes by another planet in its orbit of the Sun.
B)The planets resided on giant spheres that sometimes turned clockwise and sometimes turned counterclockwise.
C)The planets moved along small circles that moved on larger circles around the Earth.
D)The planets sometimes stopped moving and then reversed to move backward along their circular orbits.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Historians trace the origins of a 24- hour day to

A)the Mayans.
B)the Babylonian astronomer, Meton.
C)the ancient Egyptians.
D)the druids of Stonehenge.
E)the Aztecs.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following critical features of the heliocentric model leads to Venus exhibiting a full range of phases?

A)Venus physically distorts from a sphere as it orbits the sun.
B)When Venus is closer to the Sun, it moves faster.
C)Venus passes on the far- side of the sun from the Earth's perspective.

Question 5

How does a 12- month lunar calendar differ from our 12- month solar calendar?

A)Its new year always occurs in February instead of on January 1.
B)It has about 11 fewer days.
C)It does not have seasons.
D)It uses a 23- hour rather than a 24- hour day.

Question 6

Which of the following statements about scientific theories is not true?

A)A theory must make predictions that can be checked by observation or experiment.
B)A theory is a model designed to explain a number of observed facts.
C)A theory can never be proved beyond all doubt; we can only hope to collect more and more evidence that might support it.
D)If even a single new fact is discovered that contradicts what we expect according to a particular theory, then the theory must be revised or discarded.
E)A theory cannot be taken seriously by scientists if it contradicts other theories developed by scientists over the past several hundred years.

Question 7

Which of the following is not one of, nor a direct consequence of, Kepler's Laws?

A)The orbit of each planet about the Sun is an ellipse with the Sun at one focus.
B)More distant planets orbit the Sun at slower speeds.
C)As a planet moves around its orbit, it sweeps out equal areas in equal times.
D)The force of attraction between any two objects decreases with the square of the distance between their centers.

Question 8

The great contribution of Nicholas Copernicus was to .

A)create a detailed model of our solar system with the Sun rather than Earth at the center
B)prove that the Earth is not the center of the universe
C)discover the law of gravity
D)discover the laws of planetary motion

Question 9

In science, a broad idea that has been repeatedly verified so as to give scientists great confidence that it represents reality is called _ .

A)a theory
B)a paradigm
C)a Ptolemaic model
D)a hypothesis

Question 10

Why did Ptolemy have the planets orbiting Earth on "circles upon circles" in his model of the universe?

A)to explain the fact that planets sometimes appear to move westward, rather than eastward, relative to the stars in our sky
B)to explain why the Greeks were unable to detect stellar parallax
C)to explain why Venus goes through phases as seen from Earth
D)to explain why more distant planets take longer to make a circuit through the constellations of the zodiac
E)to properly account for the varying distances of the planets from Earth

Question 11

He was the first to prove that comets lie beyond Earth's atmosphere.

A)Galileo
B)Aristotle
C)Tycho Brahe
D)Kepler
E)Copernicus

Question 12

Earth is farthest from the Sun in July and closest to the Sun in January. During which Northern Hemisphere season is Earth moving fastest in its orbit?

A)winter
B)summer
C)spring
D)fall

Question 13

He discovered that the orbits of planets are ellipses.

A)Tycho Brahe
B)Kepler
C)Copernicus
D)Ptolemy
E)Galileo

Question 14

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

A)the seven most prominent constellations in the summer sky
B)the names of prophets in the Bible
C)the seven naked- eye objects that appear to move among the constellations
D)the names of the seven planets closest to the Sun

Question 15

At the Sun Dagger in New Mexico, a dagger- shaped beam of sunlight pierces a spiral

A)during the totality of a total solar eclipse.
B)at noon on the day of full moon each month.
C)every day at noon.
D)at noon on the summer solstice.
E)at sunset on the spring equinox.

Question 16

Imagine for a moment that despite all the evidence, Earth actually is not rotating and orbiting the Sun. Which of these hypothetical observations (none of them are real)would be inconsistent with our Sun- centered view of the solar system?

A)We discover an Earth- sized planet orbiting the Sun beyond the orbit of Pluto.
B)We discover a small planet beyond Saturn that rises in the west and sets in the east each day.
C)We find that we are unable to measure any parallax for a distant galaxy.
D)We discover that the universe is actually contracting, not expanding.

Question 17

What is meant by a scientific paradigm?

A)a historical theory that has been proved inaccurate
B)a generally well- established scientific theory or set of theories
C)a pseudoscientific idea
D)a conundrum, or unexplained set of facts
E)a radical change in scientific thought

Question 18

Why did Tycho conclude that the Sun revolves around the Earth?

A)He did not conclude that the Sun revolves around the Earth.
B)Long- held tradition prevented him from even considering the idea.
C)He incorrectly measured the distance to the Sun and concluded it was in a low orbit around the Earth.
D)He could not detect the parallax of stars expected if the Earth revolves around the Sun.

Question 19

Which of the following statements expresses what we mean by a scientific theory?

A)a simple model that explains a wide variety of phenomena and that has survived repeated tests
B)an educated guess
C)an explanation for a physical phenomenon, an explanation that hasn't been tested yet

Question 20

Only one of the statements below uses the term theory in its correct, scientific sense. Which one?

A)Evolution is only a theory, so there's no reason to think it really happened.
B)I wrote a theory that is 152 pages long.
C)Einstein's theory of relativity has been tested and verified thousands of times.
D)I have a new theory about the cause of earthquakes, and I plan to start testing it soon.

Question 21

What was the Ptolemaic model?

A)the first scientific model to successfully predict solar and lunar eclipses
B)the Earth- centered model of the cosmos in which the Earth was surrounded by seven perfect spheres, one each for the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn
C)an Earth- centered model of planetary motion published by Ptolemy
D)a Sun- centered model of planetary motion published by Ptolemy

Question 22

Which of the following was not observed by Galileo?

A)four moons orbiting Jupiter
B)phases of Venus
C)mountains and valleys on the Moon
D)stellar parallax

Question 23

Which of the following statements are not falsifiable? Being falsifiable means that, in principle, it can be shown to be false by observations or experiments.

A)The Sun is at the center of the solar system.
B)The chemical content of the universe is mostly hydrogen and helium.
C)The Earth is at the center of the solar system.
D)Human beings were created by God.
E)The observable universe contains about 100 billion galaxies.

Question 24

He discovered that Jupiter has moons.

A)Ptolemy
B)Galileo
C)Aristotle
D)Tycho Brahe
E)Kepler

Question 25

When did Ptolemy live?

A)about 500 years ago
B)about 5000 years ago
C)about 2000 years ago
D)about 100 years ago
E)about 1000 years ago

Question 26

How did Eratosthenes estimate the size of Earth in 240 B.C.?

A)by comparing the maximum altitude of the Sun in two cities at different latitudes
B)by observing the duration of a solar eclipse
C)by measuring the size of Earth's shadow on the Moon in a lunar eclipse
D)by sending fleets of ships around Earth
E)We don't know how he did it since all his writings were destroyed.

Question 27

The ancient goal of astrology was to

A)understand the origin of Earth.
B)antagonize astronomers.
C)make a more accurate model of the universe.
D)predict the passing of the seasons.
E)predict human events.

Question 28

Scientific models are used to .

A)make specific predictions that can be tested through observations or experiments
B)make miniature representations of the universe
C)present the scale of the solar system to the general public
D)prove that past paradigms no longer hold true

Question 29

Identify the falsifiable statement below.

A)The laws of nature are magnificent and beautiful.
B)The universe was created by God.
C)The Sun is at the center of the solar system.
D)President Kennedy's murder was orchestrated by an undetectable shadow government of the United States.

Question 30

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

A)planets have circular orbits.
B)the period of a planet does not depend on its mass.
C)a planet's period does not depend on the eccentricity of its orbit.
D)a planet travels faster when it is nearer to the Sun and slower when it is farther from the Sun.
E)planets that are farther from the Sun move at slower average speeds than nearer planets.

Question 31

When did Copernicus live?

A)about 1000 years ago
B)about 5000 years ago
C)about 100 years ago
D)about 2000 years ago
E)about 500 years ago

Question 32

Suppose the planet Uranus were much brighter in the sky, so that it was as easily visible to the naked eye as Jupiter or Saturn. Which one of the following statements would most likely be true in that case?

A)A week would have eight days instead of seven.
B)Its slow motion through the sky would have led it to be named after the Goddess of Procrastination.
C)Its brightness would make it possible to read by starlight at night.
D)Its gravity would cause the tides to be much higher than they actually are.
E)The discovery that the Earth is a planet going around the Sun would have come hundreds of years earlier.

Question 33

He developed a system for predicting planetary positions that remained in use for some 1,500 years.

A)Tycho Brahe
B)Kepler
C)Galileo
D)Copernicus
E)Ptolemy

Question 34

Which of the following best describes a set of conditions under which archaeoastronomers would conclude that an ancient structure was used for astronomical purposes?

A)They find that, looking out from the center of the building, there are two windows that align with the rise and set points of two bright stars.
B)The structure has the same dome shape as modern astronomical observatories.
C)The structure has holes in the ceiling that allow viewing the passage of constellations that figure prominently in the culture's folklore, and many other structures built by the same culture have ceiling holes placed in the same way.
D)The structure has 29 straight lines pointing out from a center, just like there are 29 days in the lunar cycle.

Question 35

From Kepler's third law, an asteroid with an orbital period of 8 years lies at an average distance from the Sun equal to

A)2 astronomical units.
B)16 astronomical units.
C)4 astronomical units.
D)8 astronomical units.
E)It depends on the asteroid's mass.

Question 36

Which of the following statements about scientific models is true?

A)A model tries to represent all aspects of nature.
B)All current models are correct.
C)All models that explain nature well are correct.
D)A model tries to represent only one aspect of nature.
E)A model can be used to explain and predict real phenomena.

Question 37

During the Dark Ages in Europe, the scientific work of the ancient Greeks was preserved and further developed primarily by scholars in

A)Baghdad.
B)China.
C)Rome.
D)India.
E)Greece.

Question 38

Galileo challenged the idea that objects in the heavens were perfect by .

A)inventing the telescope
B)proving Kepler's laws were correct
C)showing that heavy objects fall at the same rate as lighter objects
D)observing sunspots on the Sun and mountains on the Moon

Question 39

The Metonic cycle is

A)used to keep lunar calendars approximately synchronized with solar calendars.
B)the 18- year, 11- day period over which the pattern of eclipses repeats.
C)used to predict the future orientation of the Earth's axis in space.
D)the ancient Greek name for the cycle of lunar phases that repeats every 29 1/2 days.

Question 40

From Kepler's third law, a hypothetical planet that is twice as far from the Sun as Earth should have a period of

A)more than 2 Earth years.
B)1/2 Earth year.
C)2 Earth years.
D)1 Earth year.
E)It depends on the planet's mass.

Question 41

Scientific thinking is .

A)based on everyday ideas of observation and trial- and- error experiments
B)an ancient mode of thinking first invented in Egypt
C)a difficult process that only a handful of people can do well
D)completely different from any other type of thinking

Question 42

Suppose a comet orbits the Sun on a highly eccentric orbit with an average (semimajor axis)distance of 1 AU. How long does it take to complete each orbit, and how do we know?

A)It depends on the eccentricity of the orbit, as described by Kepler's first law.
B)Each orbit takes about 1 year, which we know from Kepler's third law.
C)Each orbit should take about 2 years, because the eccentricity is so large.
D)It depends on the eccentricity of the orbit, as described by Kepler's second law.

Question 43

People of central Africa predicted the weather by

A)recording the seasonal changes in average temperature.
B)observing the length of the lunar cycle.
C)observing the orientation of the crescent moon relative to the horizon.
D)observing the path of the planets across the sky.
E)observing the location of the Moon relative to the Sun in the sky.

Question 44

Which of the following is not part of a good scientific theory?

A)A scientific theory must explain a wide variety of phenomena observed in the natural world.
B)A scientific theory cannot be accepted until it has been proven true beyond all doubt.
C)A scientific theory should be based on natural processes and should not invoke the supernatural or divine.
D)A scientific theory must make testable predictions that, if found to be incorrect, could lead to its own modification or demise.

Question 45

When did humans first learn that Earth is not the center of the universe?

A)about 2000 years ago
B)around the time that early humans acquired language
C)within the past 500 years
D)We haven't; there is still considerable scientific debate about whether Earth is the center of the universe.

Question 46

Which of the following statements about Kepler's laws is false?

A)Kepler's first law states that planetary orbits are shaped as ellipses.
B)Kepler's second law implies that when planets are closer to the sun, they move faster.
C)Kepler's laws provide mathematical descriptions of the motion of the planets.
D)Kepler's laws explain why planets with larger semi- major axes have much longer orbital periods.

Question 47

The path that led to modern science emerged from ancient civilizations in which part of the world?

A)China
B)the Mediterranean and the Middle East
C)Southern Asia
D)North America
E)Central and South America

Question 48

What led Kepler to abandon circular orbits and his discovery that planetary orbits are ellipses?

A)the observation of a comet moving on a highly eccentric orbit
B)a desire to gain prestige by using a more complicated model
C)a deviation between observed and model values that was much larger than the observation uncertainties

Question 49

With which of the following observations could Tycho have demonstrated that a comet must be a celestial phenomenon? (Note: you may want to review Ch. 2)

A)measuring changes in its brightness over time
B)from the comet causing a full solar eclipse across much of Europe
C)parallax measurements from observing it from two locations on Earth

Question 50

Which of the following claims cannot be tested by science?

A)This drug will cure cancer.
B)The Sun goes around the Earth.
C)The Earth was created by God.
D)Smoking shortens people's lifespans.
E)The geometry of the universe is curved.

Question 51

The ancient Greeks get a lot of attention for their contributions to science because .

A)they were the first people to realize that Earth is a planet orbiting the Sun
B)they were the first people known to try to explain nature with models based on reason and mathematics, without resort to the supernatural
C)they were the only ancient culture that kept written records of their astronomical observations
D)the books of every other culture were lost in the destruction of the library of Alexandria

Question 52

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

A)Ptolemy
B)Tycho Brahe
C)Galileo
D)Copernicus
E)Kepler

Question 53

The principle of Occam's Razor states that

A)no scientific theory, no matter how well tested, can ever be proved absolutely true.
B)in explaining natural phenomena, the simplest explanation consistent with the observations is to be preferred.
C)scientific explanations may invoke supernatural causes if no other causes are found.
D)only a model that has survived repeated observational tests deserves to be called a scientific theory.
E)while personal biases may influence individual scientists, the process of science itself can uncover these biases.

Question 54

Which of the following is not consistent with the major hallmarks of science?

A)A scientific model must make testable predictions.
B)Scientific explanations should be based solely on natural causes.
C)Science consists of proven theories that are understood to be true explanations of reality.
D)Science progresses through the creation and testing of models that explain observation as simply as possible.

Question 55

What do we mean by a geocentric model of the universe?

A)a model designed to explain what we see in the sky while having the Earth orbit the Sun
B)a model of the Milky Way Galaxy that has our solar system located at its center
C)a model designed to explain what we see in the sky while having the Earth located in the center of the universe
D)the name given to sphere- shaped models that show all the constellations as they appear in our sky on the celestial sphere

Question 56

Which of the following is the reason for the solar day being longer than a sidereal day?

A)precession of Earth's axis
B)the combined effect of the rotation of Earth and its orbit about the Sun
C)the tilt of Earth's axis
D)the non- circular orbit of Earth around the Sun
E)Earth year being a non- integer number of Earth days

Question 57

What advantage did Tycho have compared to other astronomical observers of his time?

A)He had access to a new and improved type of observatory.
B)Tycho was clearly much smarter.
C)He had access to telescopes.

Question 58

The Metonic cycle is the

A)18- year, 11- day period over which the pattern of eclipses repeats.
B)19- year period over which the lunar phases occur on about the same dates.
C)period between successive Easters.
D)12- month period of a lunar calendar.
E)29 1/2- day period of the lunar cycle.

Question 59

Kepler's third law, p2 = a3, means that

A)all orbits with the same semimajor axis have the same period.
B)a planet's period does not depend on the eccentricity of its orbit.
C)the period of a planet does not depend on its mass.
D)planets that are farther from the Sun move at slower average speeds than nearer planets.
E)All of the above are correct.

Question 60

The controversial book of this famous person, published in 1543 (the year of his death), suggested that Earth and other planets orbit the Sun.

A)Ptolemy
B)Tycho Brahe
C)Galileo
D)Copernicus
E)Kepler

Question 61

When Copernicus first created his Sun- centered model of the universe, it did not lead to substantially better predictions of planetary positions than the Ptolemaic model. Why not?

A)Copernicus used perfect circles for the orbits of the planets.
B)Copernicus misjudged the distances between the planets.
C)Copernicus placed the Sun at the center, but did not realize that the Moon orbits the Earth.
D)Copernicus placed the planets in the wrong order going outward from the Sun.

Question 62

One of the "nails in the coffin" for the Earth- centered universe was

A)the phases of the Moon.
B)Galileo's observations of the moons of Jupiter.
C)the retrograde motion of the planets.
D)Galileo's observation of stars in the Milky Way.
E)eclipses of the Sun.

Question 63

You want to test how the mass of a ball affects its rate of fall. Which of the following ball drop trials (matched mass and drop heights)would best test this question?

A)mass of 0.5 kg, height 20 m/mass of 0.5 kg, height 20 m
B)mass of 0.5 kg, height 20 m/mass of 0.5 kg, height 10 m
C)mass of 0.5 kg, height 20 m/mass of 5.0 kg, height 20 m
D)mass of 0.5 kg, height 20 m/mass of 5.0 kg, height 10 m

Question 64

When we see Venus in its full phase, what phase would Earth be in as seen by a hypothetical Venetian?

A)full
B)third quarter
C)new
D)waning crescent
E)first quarter

Question 65

The Muslim fast of Ramadan occurs

A)at the end of the Metonic cycle.
B)on the spring equinox.
C)on the summer solstice.
D)during the ninth month of a 12- month lunar cycle.
E)during a thirteenth month of the Metonic cycle.

Question 66

The Jewish calendar is kept roughly synchronized with a solar calendar by

A)having a thirteenth month with 5 days each year.
B)having the first lunar month begin on the spring equinox.
C)skipping a month every 7 out of 19 years.
D)adding a thirteenth lunar month to 7 out of every 19 years.
E)having the first lunar month begin on the summer solstice.

Question 67

When and where did the Library of Alexandria exist?

A)from 300 B.C. to A.D. 400 in Greece
B)from A.D. 600 to A.D. 1800 in Egypt
C)from 300 B.C. to A.D. 400 in Rome
D)from A.D. 600 to A.D. 1800 in Greece
E)from 300 B.C. to A.D. 400 in Egypt

Question 68

Galileo observed all of the following. Which observation offered direct proof of a planet orbiting the Sun?

A)four moons of Jupiter
B)phases of Venus
C)patterns of shadow and sunlight near the dividing line between the light and dark portions of the Moon's face
D)The Milky Way is composed of many individual stars.

Question 69

The Earth is instantly replaced in its orbit by a speck of dust. Which statement best describes the subsequent orbital motion of that piece of dust?

A)The dust particle will move to a larger orbit and orbit the Sun in more than 1 year.
B)The dust particle will be ejected from the Solar System.
C)The dust particle will continue in the same orbit as the Earth did, orbiting the Sun in 1 year.
D)The dust particle will move to a smaller orbit and orbit the Sun in less than 1 year.
E)The dust particle will spiral into the Sun.

Question 70

Ptolemy was important in the history of astronomy because he .

A)was the first to believe that all orbits are perfect circles
B)developed a model of the solar system that made sufficiently accurate predictions of planetary positions to remain in use for many centuries
C)developed the first scientific model of the universe
D)was the first to create a model of the solar system that placed the Sun rather than the Earth at the center

Question 71

All the following statements are true. Which one follows directly from Kepler's third law (p2 = a3)?

A)Venus orbits the Sun at a slower average speed than Mercury.
B)Venus is more massive than Mercury.
C)Venus has a thicker atmosphere than Mercury.
D)Venus takes longer to rotate than it does to orbit the Sun.

Question 72

What practical value did astronomy offer to ancient civilizations?

A)It allowed them to predict eclipses with great accuracy.
B)It helped them find uses for ancient structures like Stonehenge.
C)It helped them understand our cosmic origins.
D)It helped them keep track of time and seasons, and it was used by some cultures for navigation.

Question 73

Which of the following statements about an ellipse is not true?

A)A circle is considered to be a special type of ellipse.
B)The semimajor axis of an ellipse is half the length of the longest line that you can draw across an ellipse.
C)An ellipse with a large eccentricity looks much more elongated (stretched out)than an ellipse with a small eccentricity.
D)The focus of an ellipse is always located precisely at the center of the ellipse.

Question 74

Match the accomplishment to the person.

A)Tycho collected data, Kepler found elliptical orbits, Newton explained in terms of physics.
B)Kepler collected data, Tycho found elliptical orbits, Newton explained in terms of physics.
C)Tycho collected data, Newton found elliptical orbits, Kepler explained in terms of physics.

Question 75

Galileo observed which of the following phases of Venus?

A)full
B)new
C)crescent
D)gibbous
E)all of the above

Question 76

According to Kepler's third law (p2 = a3), how does a planet's mass affect its orbit around the Sun?

A)More massive planets orbit the Sun at higher average speed.
B)A planet's mass has no effect on its orbit around the Sun.
C)A more massive planet must have a larger semimajor axis.
D)More massive planets must have more circular orbits.

Question 77

The point along a planet's orbit where it is closest to the Sun is called the orbit's

A)period.
B)perihelion.
C)eccentricity.
D)semi- major axis.
E)aphelion.

Question 78

Which pair of ball- drop experiments will best test whether mass affects the acceleration of gravity? Exp 1. Mass 0.5 kilograms, height 20 meters Exp 2. Mass 5.0 kilograms, height 20 meters
Exp 3. Mass 0.5 kilograms, height 30 meters

A)Exp 1 and 2
B)Exp 1 and 3
C)Exp 2 and 3

Question 79

The great contribution of Tycho Brahe was to _.

A)discover four moons orbiting Jupiter, thereby lending strong support to the idea that the Earth is not the center of the universe
B)observe planetary positions with sufficient accuracy so that Kepler could later use the data to discover the laws of planetary motion
C)offer the first detailed model of a Sun- centered solar system, thereby beginning the process of overturning the Earth- centered model of the Greeks
D)discover that planets orbit the Sun in elliptical orbits with varying speed

Question 80

In the Ptolemaic model of the solar system, Venus should exhibit which of the following phases?

A)crescent
B)new
C)full
D)A and B
E)B and C