Question 1

Suppose the Sun doubled its temperature while its size remained unchanged.The Sun would become

Accepted Answer

If the Sun doubled its temperature while its size remained unchanged, it would become bluer and brighter. This is because an increase in temperature leads to an increase in the amount of radiation emitted by the Sun, specifically blue light. As a result, the Sun would appear bluer. Additionally, an increase in radiation output would increase the overall brightness of the Sun.

Question 2

Which of the following sets of planets has locations in the inner solar system,relatively small diameters,and high densities?

Accepted Answer

Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are all located in the inner solar system, closest to the Sun. They all have relatively small diameters compared to the outer planets and high densities, indicating they are primarily composed of rock and metal rather than gas.

Question 3

Blackbodies A and B have the same size.A is 4 times hotter than  B.What is the ratio of the rate of energy emitted by A to the rate of energy emitted by B?

Accepted Answer

The rate of energy emitted by a blackbody is given by the Stefan-Boltzmann law, which states that the energy emitted per unit area is proportional to the fourth power of the temperature (E ∝ T^4). If blackbody A is 4 times hotter than blackbody B (TA = 4TB), then the ratio of their energy emissions is (4TB)^4 / (TB)^4 = 4^4 = 256.

Question 4

Suppose there are 1000 grams of an isotope that has a half-life of 10 minutes.How much of the isotope will be left after 40 minutes?

Accepted Answer

After 40 minutes, or 4 half-lives (10 minutes each), the amount of isotope would halve 4 times: 1000g -> 500g -> 250g -> 125g -> 62.5g.

Question 5

If the temperature of an object doubles,the amount of radiant energy it produces will increase by

Accepted Answer

The amount of radiant energy an object emits is proportional to the fourth power of its temperature (according to the Stefan-Boltzmann law), so if the temperature doubles, the radiant energy increases by 2^4 = 16 times.

Question 6

The astronomical unit is a unit used to describe

Accepted Answer

The astronomical unit (AU) is a unit of measurement that is primarily used to describe distances within our solar system. It is defined as the average distance between the Earth and the Sun, which is approximately 93 million miles or 150 million kilometers. Therefore, the correct choice is C.

Question 7

If the temperature of the Sun were to decrease while its size remained the same,it would become

Accepted Answer

If the temperature of the Sun were to decrease while its size remained the same, it would emit more of its energy in the longer wavelength, redder portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. This means it would become "redder." Also, as it would emit less energy overall due to its decreased temperature, it would become "fainter." Therefore, the best choice is B: "Redder and fainter."

Question 8

The orbits of the planets are all

Accepted Answer

The orbits of the planets in our solar system are prograde, meaning they move in a counterclockwise direction when viewed from above the North Pole. This is a result of the conservation of angular momentum from the cloud of gas and dust from which the solar system formed.

Question 9

The half-life of a particular isotope of potassium is 1.3 billion years.After 2.6 billion years,how much of the original amount of that isotope remains?

Accepted Answer

The half-life of the isotope is 1.3 billion years which means that after 1.3 billion years, half of the original amount of the isotope will remain. After another 1.3 billion years (total of 2.6 billion years), half of that remaining amount will remain, which means only one-fourth (or 25%) of the original amount will be left. Therefore, the correct answer is C) One-fourth.

Question 10

An X-ray burst source is an explosion on the surface of a neutron star.Temperatures in the explosion are about 100 million K.In what part of the electromagnetic spectrum would you expect the emission to be brightest?

Accepted Answer

X-ray bursts are named so because they emit a large amount of energy in the X-ray part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Therefore, we would expect the emission to be brightest in the X-ray region.

Question 11

Which of the following is not a characteristic of a terrestrial planet?

Accepted Answer

Terrestrial planets are characterized by high densities, with mean densities greater than 3000 kg per cubic meter, and are primarily composed of iron and silicates. They have masses less than or equal to that of the Earth. However, they do not have extensive methane-ammonia atmospheres, which is more typical of jovian (gas giant) planets.

Question 12

The half-life for radioactive decay of potassium into argon is 1.3 billion years.A rock is found with 10 atoms of potassium and 90 of argon.What can we say about the age of the rock?

Accepted Answer

Given the half-life of potassium into argon is 1.3 billion years, and the current ratio of potassium to argon is 1:9, this indicates that multiple half-lives have passed, making the rock significantly older than 1.3 billion years. Each half-life would reduce the amount of potassium by half while increasing argon correspondingly.

Question 13

An astronomical unit is the

Accepted Answer

An astronomical unit (AU) is defined as the average distance between the Sun and Earth, which is approximately 150 million kilometers or 93 million miles. It is a useful unit for measuring distances within the solar system.

Question 14

The temperature of the Sun is 6000 K.The temperature of Mercury's sunlit side is about 600 K.The Sun's radiation is brightest at a wavelength of about 5000 Angstroms.At what wavelength is Mercury's radiation brightest?

Accepted Answer

According to Wien's Law, the peak wavelength is inversely proportional to temperature. Since Mercury's temperature is 1/10th of the Sun's, its peak wavelength will be 10 times longer than the Sun's, which is 5000 Angstroms. Thus, Mercury's peak wavelength is about 50,000 Angstroms.

Question 15

The radiation emitted by the sun is brightest at a wavelength of about 5000 Å (1 Å is 10^-10 m).At what wavelength would the Sun be brightest if its temperature were doubled?

Accepted Answer

The wavelength at which a black body (like the sun) emits radiation most strongly is inversely proportional to its temperature, according to Wien's displacement law. If the temperature is doubled, the peak emission wavelength is halved. Therefore, if the sun's temperature were doubled, the wavelength at which it is brightest would be halved from 5000 Å to 2500 Å.

Question 16

If an object emits blackbody radiation there is a unique correspondence between the

Accepted Answer

Blackbody radiation is the electromagnetic radiation emitted by an ideal radiator that absorbs all radiation incident upon it. It is dependent on the temperature of the object. The wavelength at which the object emits the maximum amount of radiation (brightness) is inversely proportional to its temperature according to Wien's law. Therefore, the temperature of the object and the wavelength at which it is brightest have a unique correspondence.

Question 17

The Sun has a temperature of 6000 K and is brightest at a wavelength of about 5000 Å.What is the temperature of a star that is brightest at a wavelength of about 10,000 Å?

Accepted Answer

The peak wavelength of a star's spectrum is related to its temperature through Wien's law, which states that peak wavelength is inversely proportional to temperature. Therefore, if the Sun has a peak wavelength of 5000 Å at 6000 K, a star with a peak wavelength of 10,000 Å would have a temperature of 3000K (since 5000 Å is half of 10,000 Å, the temperature would be half of 6000 K). Therefore, the best choice is A) 3000 K.

Question 18

More than 99% of the mass of the solar system is contained in

Accepted Answer

The Sun contains more than 99% of the total mass of the solar system.

Question 19

Which of the following is not a terrestrial planet?

Accepted Answer

Neptune is not a terrestrial planet, it is a gas giant. The other options (Mercury, Mars, Venus) are terrestrial planets.

Question 20

Suppose a blackbody is brightest at a wavelength of one micron.If the temperature of the blackbody is halved,at what wavelength would it be brightest?

Accepted Answer

According to Wien's displacement law, the wavelength at which a blackbody emits most strongly is inversely proportional to its temperature. If the temperature is halved, the wavelength at which it is brightest doubles, making 2 microns the correct answer.

Quiz 7: Overview of the Solar System

Suppose the Sun doubled its temperature while its size remained unchanged.The Sun would become

Which of the following sets of planets has locations in the inner solar system,relatively small diameters,and high densities?

Blackbodies A and B have the same size.A is 4 times hotter than B.What is the ratio of the rate of energy emitted by A to the rate of energy emitted by B?

Suppose there are 1000 grams of an isotope that has a half-life of 10 minutes.How much of the isotope will be left after 40 minutes?

If the temperature of an object doubles,the amount of radiant energy it produces will increase by

The astronomical unit is a unit used to describe

If the temperature of the Sun were to decrease while its size remained the same,it would become

The orbits of the planets are all

The half-life of a particular isotope of potassium is 1.3 billion years.After 2.6 billion years,how much of the original amount of that isotope remains?

An X-ray burst source is an explosion on the surface of a neutron star.Temperatures in the explosion are about 100 million K.In what part of the electromagnetic spectrum would you expect the emission to be brightest?

Which of the following is not a characteristic of a terrestrial planet?

The half-life for radioactive decay of potassium into argon is 1.3 billion years.A rock is found with 10 atoms of potassium and 90 of argon.What can we say about the age of the rock?

An astronomical unit is the

The temperature of the Sun is 6000 K.The temperature of Mercury's sunlit side is about 600 K.The Sun's radiation is brightest at a wavelength of about 5000 Angstroms.At what wavelength is Mercury's radiation brightest?

The radiation emitted by the sun is brightest at a wavelength of about 5000 Å (1 Å is 10^-10 m) .At what wavelength would the Sun be brightest if its temperature were doubled?

If an object emits blackbody radiation there is a unique correspondence between the

The Sun has a temperature of 6000 K and is brightest at a wavelength of about 5000 Å.What is the temperature of a star that is brightest at a wavelength of about 10,000 Å?

More than 99% of the mass of the solar system is contained in

Which of the following is not a terrestrial planet?

Suppose a blackbody is brightest at a wavelength of one micron.If the temperature of the blackbody is halved,at what wavelength would it be brightest?

Quiz 7: Overview of the Solar System

Suppose the Sun doubled its temperature while its size remained unchanged.The Sun would become

Which of the following sets of planets has locations in the inner solar system,relatively small diameters,and high densities?

Blackbodies A and B have the same size.A is 4 times hotter than B.What is the ratio of the rate of energy emitted by A to the rate of energy emitted by B?

Suppose there are 1000 grams of an isotope that has a half-life of 10 minutes.How much of the isotope will be left after 40 minutes?

If the temperature of an object doubles,the amount of radiant energy it produces will increase by

The astronomical unit is a unit used to describe

If the temperature of the Sun were to decrease while its size remained the same,it would become

The orbits of the planets are all

The half-life of a particular isotope of potassium is 1.3 billion years.After 2.6 billion years,how much of the original amount of that isotope remains?

An X-ray burst source is an explosion on the surface of a neutron star.Temperatures in the explosion are about 100 million K.In what part of the electromagnetic spectrum would you expect the emission to be brightest?

Which of the following is not a characteristic of a terrestrial planet?

The half-life for radioactive decay of potassium into argon is 1.3 billion years.A rock is found with 10 atoms of potassium and 90 of argon.What can we say about the age of the rock?

An astronomical unit is the

The temperature of the Sun is 6000 K.The temperature of Mercury's sunlit side is about 600 K.The Sun's radiation is brightest at a wavelength of about 5000 Angstroms.At what wavelength is Mercury's radiation brightest?

The radiation emitted by the sun is brightest at a wavelength of about 5000 Å (1 Å is 10-10 m) .At what wavelength would the Sun be brightest if its temperature were doubled?

If an object emits blackbody radiation there is a unique correspondence between the

The Sun has a temperature of 6000 K and is brightest at a wavelength of about 5000 Å.What is the temperature of a star that is brightest at a wavelength of about 10,000 Å?

More than 99% of the mass of the solar system is contained in

Which of the following is not a terrestrial planet?

Suppose a blackbody is brightest at a wavelength of one micron.If the temperature of the blackbody is halved,at what wavelength would it be brightest?

The radiation emitted by the sun is brightest at a wavelength of about 5000 Å (1 Å is 10^-10 m) .At what wavelength would the Sun be brightest if its temperature were doubled?