Deck 1: Our Place in the Universe

Question 1

Computers are an important technological advance used in astronomy in the 21st century.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

We are located approximately:

A) at the center of the Milky Way
B) near the center of the Milky Way
C) halfway out from the center of the Milky Way
D) at the farthest outskirts of the Milky Way

Answer 2

halfway out from the center of the Milky Way

Question 3

Once a scientific theory is declared to be "true," progress in that area stops.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Human beings are composed almost entirely of the same elements that were created in the Big Bang.

Question 5

A crucial component of a scientific theory is that it is able to be tested by observations and thus proven true or false.

Question 6

Observed patterns are usually due to some underlying scientific explanation.

Question 7

Nuclear fusion is the process through which new elements are created in stellar interiors.

Question 8

The heavy elements that make up most of Earth were formed via nuclear fusion in the center of our Sun.

Question 9

There are nearly 100 times more galaxies in the universe as there are stars in the Milky Way.

Question 10

If a scientific theory cannot be tested,it is assumed to be true.

Question 11

Our Sun is the most massive and luminous star in the Milky Way.

Question 12

The cosmological principle states that there is nothing special about our local region of the universe.

Question 13

Light from the Sun takes about __________ to reach Earth.

A) 8 seconds
B) 8 minutes
C) 8 hours
D) 8 years

Question 14

In 2006,Pluto's status was changed from a classical planet to a dwarf planet primarily because of its:

A) lack of an atmosphere
B) small size
C) large distance
D) ice-covered surface

Question 15

If an event were to take place on the Sun,how long would it take for the light to reach us?

A) 8 minutes
B) 11 hours
C) 1 second
D) 1 day

Question 16

Pluto is the only dwarf planet in our Solar System.

Question 17

The scientific method is a way of proving ideas to be true.

Question 18

The invention of satellites advanced astronomy because telescopes on satellites can explore wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation,such as X-rays,that cannot penetrate the Earth's atmosphere.

Question 19

The Local Group is a member of the Virgo Supercluster.

Question 20

The word astronomy:

A) means "patterns among the stars"
B) means "to study the stars"
C) means "discovering the universe"
D) has nothing to do with stars

Question 21

The distance to the nearest large spiral galaxy,Andromeda,is 2.5 million light-years.How long does it take light to travel from us to Andromeda?

A) 360 years
B) 1.2 thousand years
C) 4.5 billion years
D) 2.5 million years

Question 22

After the Sun,the next nearest star to us is approximately __________ away.

A) 4 light-seconds
B) 4 light-minutes
C) 4 light-hours
D) 4 light-years

Question 23

Our universe is approximately __________ years old.

A) 14 million
B) 14 billion
C) 14 trillion
D) 14 thousand

Question 24

The most massive elements (such as those that make up rocky planets like Earth)were formed:

A) in the early universe
B) inside stars and supernovae
C) through meteor collisions
D) in the core of Earth

Question 25

Albert Einstein is best known for his revolutionary theory of:

A) relativity
B) quantum mechanics
C) cosmology
D) economics

Question 26

The early universe was composed mainly of which two elements?

A) Hydrogen and helium
B) Carbon and oxygen
C) Hydrogen and oxygen
D) Carbon and iron

Question 27

The Local Group is the environment around:

A) the Sun that contains about a dozen stars
B) the Milky Way that contains a few dozen galaxies
C) the Sun that contains over a billion stars
D) the Milky Way that contains a few thousand galaxies

Question 28

Who is this scientist?

A) Thomas Kuhn
B) Galileo Galilei
C) Isaac Newton
D) Albert Einstein

Question 29

If you compared the diameter of the Earth (13,000 km)to 1 second,what unit of time would be equivalent to the size of our Galaxy,whose diameter is 1.5 × 10²¹ m __________,which is the length of time between now and when __________.

A) 3 million years; man's ancestors first began to walk upright
B) 30,000 years; humans first arrived in the Americas
C) 400 years; Galileo used a telescope to demonstrate that Jupiter had moons that revolved around it
D) 4 billion years; the Solar System was born

Question 30

Which of the following is FALSE?

A) The Local Group is a member of the Virgo Supercluster,which contains thousands of galaxies.
B) The Local Group contains two large spiral galaxies and a few dozen dwarf galaxies.
C) Our Solar System has eight classical planets.
D) The Milky Way galaxy contains approximately 100 million stars.

Question 31

The speed of light is about:

A) 20 km/s
B) 30,000 km/s
C) 300,000 km/s
D) 5 million km/s

Question 32

A scientific theory can be proven wrong if:

A) cultural beliefs evolve to contradict it
B) scientists gather new data that disprove its predictions
C) it cannot explain all phenomena
D) it is based only on conjecture

Question 33

If the diameter of our galaxy is approximately 100,000 light-years,our galaxy is __________ times larger than our Solar System.

A) 100
B) 10⁴
C) 10⁶
D) 10⁸

Question 34

A light-year is measured in units of:

A) time
B) speed
C) mass
D) distance

Question 35

One of the nearest stars is Alpha Centauri,whose distance is 4.4 light-years.The time it takes light to travel from Alpha Centauri to us is:

A) 1.25 seconds
B) 8.3 minutes
C) 4.4 years
D) 600 years

Question 36

Measuring distances in the amount of time it takes light to travel,if the circumference of Earth is a snap of your fingers,the diameter of the Solar System is approximately equal to:

A) the length of a quick lunch
B) the time to turn a page in a book
C) the time between sunrise and sunset
D) the time you spent in high school

Question 37

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

A) Earth,Local Group,Solar System,Andromeda,the universe
B) Earth,Solar System,Local Group,Milky Way,the universe
C) Earth,Solar System,Milky Way,Local Group,Virgo Supercluster,the universe
D) Earth,Solar System,Milky Way,Fornax Supercluster,the universe

Question 38

Which of the following most closely approximates the number of stars in the Milky Way?

A) 10 million
B) 100 million
C) 10 billion
D) 100 billion

Question 39

What are the advantage(s)of placing telescopes in space?

A) Better access to high energy radiation such as ultraviolet light and X-rays
B) Better access to low energy radiation such as infrared and microwave radiation
C) Avoids the blurring of images caused by the Earth's atmosphere
D) All of the above

Question 40

The number of classical planets in the Solar System is:

A) eight
B) nine
C) twelve
D) six

Question 41

If the elements that make up Earth and our bodies were not present in the early universe,where did they come from?

Question 42

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

A) change when objects move at high speed
B) stay the same throughout the age of the universe
C) depend on the mass of the objects involved
D) are the same everywhere in the universe

Question 43

The language of science is:

A) Greek
B) mathematics
C) calculus
D) Java

Question 44

Scientific notation allows us to:

A) write very large and very small numbers in a convenient way
B) talk about science in an easy way
C) change easy calculations into hard calculations
D) explain science to engineers

Question 45

When you see a pattern in nature,it is usually evidence of:

A) a theory being displayed
B) quantum mechanics in action
C) a breakdown of random clustering
D) an underlying physical law

Question 46

Write 3,800,000,000 in scientific notation.

A) 3.8 × 10⁸
B) 3.8 × 10⁹
C) 3.8 × 10^-8
D) 3.8 × 10^-9

Question 47

How many nanometers are in a millimeter?

A) 100
B) 1,000
C) 1,000,000
D) 1,000,000,000

Question 48

Describe two important technological developments that have greatly increased our ability to study the universe.

Question 49

__________ is the idea that the simplest explanation for a phenomenon is usually the correct one.

A) Newton's hypothesis
B) Occam's razor
C) Aristotle's test
D) Einstein's excuse

Question 50

A __________ becomes a __________ when repeated testing of its predictions does not disprove it.

A) hypothesis; scientific method
B) theory; scientific revolution
C) phenomenon; theory
D) hypothesis; theory

Question 51

Approximately how many meters are in 12 ft?

A) 3
B) 4
C) 12
D) 36

Question 52

Describe how talking about time can give us a feeling for distance.

Question 53

Describe two important reasons why the ability to put telescopes in space dramatically affected the science of astronomy.

Question 54

The scientific method is a process by which scientists:

A) prove theories to be known facts
B) gain confidence in theories by failing to prove them wrong
C) show all theories to be wrong
D) test the ideas of Aristotle

Question 55

The cosmological principle states that:

A) the universe is expanding in all directions at the same rate
B) a unique center of the universe exists
C) the universe looks the same everywhere as long as you look on large enough spatial scales
D) physical laws may change from place to place in the universe

Question 56

Approximately how many feet are in 4 m?

A) 1.3
B) 4
C) 8
D) 12

Question 57

Write 0.00000037 in scientific notation.

A) 3.7 × 10^-7
B) 37 × 10^-6
C) 37 × 10⁶
D) 3.7 × 10⁷

Question 58

Which of the following is FALSE?

A) A scientific theory is an undisputed fact.
B) If continual testing of a hypothesis shows it to be valid,it may become an accepted theory.
C) A hypothesis must always have one or more testable predictions.
D) A scientific theory may eventually be proven wrong when scientists acquire new data.

Question 59

The kind of mathematics that deals with change is called:

A) algebra
B) calculus
C) arithmetic
D) geometry

Question 60

What is the ONLY thing that makes the Sun an exceptional star?

Question 61

It is often said that "mathematics is the language of science." Explain why this is true.

Question 62

Describe the main steps involved in the scientific method.

Question 63

There are many different areas of science,but a common factor in each is the evaluation and analysis of patterns.What patterns does astronomy deal with? (Describe in general and give at least one concrete example.)

Question 64

Describe briefly why the phrase "we are stardust" is literally true.

Question 65

Describe the two main aspects of the cosmological principle.

Question 66

Suppose you were writing to a pen pal in another universe.What address would you put on the envelope that included all the major structures in which we reside? (Hint: Your cosmic address should begin with "Earth" and end with "the universe.")

Question 67

Name three dwarf planets.

Question 68

Describe two ways in which Einstein's new theories changed commonly accepted scientific views of that time.

Question 69

The figure below shows images representing our place in the universe.Label each box with its appropriate location.

Question 70

In pre-Renaissance times,it was believed that celestial objects were made of a different substance than Earth and obeyed different rules.Which scientific principle proved this to be "false"?

Question 71

An observed pattern in nature is usually a sign of some underlying scientific reason.Give an example of this in astronomy,citing the pattern and the reason behind it.