Deck 1: Here and Now

Question 1

You are analyzing driveway lengths within your neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods, and your data is to be presented to the city council. Which would be the most appropriate unit of measurement?

A) miles
B) kilometers
C) meters
D) inches
E) feet millimeters

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Our Solar System formed 14 billion years ago with the Big Bang.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Uranus is approximately 3 x 10⁹ km away from the Sun. What is the distance in astronomical units?

A) 1 AU
B) 2 AU
C) 10 AU
D) 15 AU
E) 20 AU

Answer 3

E

Question 4

What is Earth's distance from the Sun?

A) 0.39 AU
B) 0.72 AU
C) 1.0 AU
D) 1.5 AU
E) 2.8 AU

Question 5

Which is the correct order of the planets, moving from closest to the Sun to farthest from the Sun?

A) Mercury, Venus, Earth, Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus
B) Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
C) Venus, Mercury, Mars, Earth, Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus
D) Mars, Venus, Earth, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
E) Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus

Question 6

Scientists try to form hypotheses that explain how nature works.

Question 7

Approximately how long does it take light to reach the Earth from the Sun?

A) 1 min
B) 8 min
C) 1 ly
D) 8 ly
E) 1 AU

Question 8

The Universe consists of the Sun, its family of planets, and some smaller bodies such as moons, asteroids, and comets.

Question 9

Earth is approximately 13,000 km in diameter.

Question 10

What unit of measurement is used to describe extraordinary large distances, such as the distance of other stars from our own?

A) AU
B) min
C) ly
D) km
E) mi

Question 11

You need to drive to a research site to collect some samples. The site is 250 miles away. What is the approximate distance in kilometers?

A) 250 km
B) 106 km
C) 400 km
D) 500 km
E) 156 km

Question 12

The scientific method is a simple, mechanical way of grinding facts into understanding.

Question 13

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are only located at a distance of 1 AU or less from the Sun.

Question 14

Humanity is very new to the Universe.

Question 15

Which best represents 5,362,000,000 kilometers in scientific notation?

A) 5.4 x 10⁹ m
B) 5 x 10¹⁰ km
C) 53.6 x 10⁶ km
D) 5.362 x 10⁹ mi
E) 5.362 x 10⁹ km

Question 16

A convenient method to write very large numbers is to use scientific notation.

Question 17

What did the International Astronomical Union classify Pluto as in 2006?

A) asteroid
B) comet
C) planet
D) dwarf planet
E) meteor

Question 18

The most widely accepted system of measurement is the metric system.

Question 19

Uranus is one of a group of dwarf planets and other small objects that have been discovered circling the Sun beyond Neptune.

Question 20

Jupiter is located approximately 5.2 AU away from the Sun. What is the distance in kilometers?

A) 3.7 x 10⁷ km
B) 5.2 x 10⁸ km
C) 1.4x 10⁹ km
D) 7.8 x 10⁸ km
E) 8.0 x 10⁸ km

Question 21

Figure 1-11 (for the following questions)
In Figure 1, what is the pointer indicating?

A) extrasolar planet
B) Solar System
C) spiral arm
D) dwarf planets
E) galaxy

Question 22

What process do scientists use to determine how nature works?

A) The observational method
B) The scientific method
C) The brainstorming method
D) The laboratory method
E) The naturalistic method

Question 23

Since Mars is 1.5 AU from the Sun, how long would it take for sunlight to reach the surface of Mars?

A) 4 min
B) 8 min
C) 12 min
D) 1 hr
E) 4 hr

Question 24

The Big Bang is a theory describing the ____.

A) birth of our Solar System
B) start of civilization on Earth
C) beginning of planet formation
D) beginning of the Universe
E) massive extinction of dinosaurs

Question 26

The star Wolf 359 is 7.7 light years away. What is that distance in kilometers?

A) 7.7 x 10⁸ km
B) 14 x 10¹³ km
C) 0.78 x 10⁸ km
D) 7.28 x 10¹³ km
E) 7.28 x 10¹² km

Question 27

When did life first appear on Earth?

A) 14 billion years ago
B) 400 million years ago
C) 4.6 billion years ago
D) 65 million years ago
E) 3.4 billion years ago

Question 28

Which of these planets is approximately the same size as Earth?

A) Venus
B) Mars
C) Saturn
D) Mercury
E) Pluto

Question 29

Astronomers use _______________ to express distance from the Sun.

Question 30

What is the Sun made up of?

A) rock
B) metal
C) ice
D) hot gas
E) water

Question 31

Figure 1-11 (for the following questions)
What does the above image represent?

A) Universe
B) galaxy
C) planet
D) Solar System
E) extrasolar planet

Question 32

Which of these planets is just 0.39 AU from the Sun?

A) Jupiter
B) Mars
C) Earth
D) Venus
E) Mercury

Question 33

What are the planets of our Solar System in order from closest to farthest from the Sun?

Question 34

You discover a new star that is 352,800 AU away. What is the distance in light years?

A) 5.6 ly
B) 2.3 ly
C) 63 ly
D) 3.53 ly
E) 2.22 x 10² ly

Question 35

What is the scientific method?

Question 36

What is the very first step of the scientific method?

A) Design an experiment.
B) Form a hypothesis.
C) Analyze results.
D) Generate a conclusion.
E) Perform an experiment.

Question 37

The formation of our _______________ occurred about 4.6 billion years ago.

Question 38

Using the example of a football field, indicate the beginning of the Universe, the beginning of our Solar System and the beginning of civilization as we know it along the field in whatever terminology you are familiar with.

Question 39

The celestial object _______________ is just one of many small objects that orbit the Sun beyond Neptune.

Question 40

Our Solar System resides in the _______________ Galaxy.

Question 41

Explain the difference between a galaxy and a solar system.

Question 42

Astronomers refer to the beginning of the Universe as the _______________.

Question 43

It is a common misconception that a light-year is a unit of _______________.

Question 44

Why do scientists use the scientific method?

Question 45

Why do we study astronomy?

Question 46

The _______________contains all of the galaxies, solar systems, stars, and planets.

Question 47

Explain how the scientific notation of 4.52 x 10 ⁸ is the same as 452 x 10 ⁶ .

Question 48

The Universe is too big to discuss distance without using _______________.

Question 49

As Earth _______________ on its axis, it produces the cycle of day and night.

Question 50

The size of a star's image in a photo tells you how _______________ the star appears.