Question 1

A scientific theory [or scientific principle] could best be described as
A) an idea that explains a large collection of observations of the natural world.
B) any mental picture, or idea, about the way that the natural world operates.
C) a tentative guess about the way the natural world operates.
D) an idea that has been proven by observations of the natural world.
E) an observed fact or collection of facts about the natural world.

Accepted Answer

A scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that is based on a body of evidence and has been repeatedly tested and confirmed through observation and experimentation.

Question 2

Did Tycho's data prove that Kepler' theory was true?
A) No, because some of Tycho's observations were incorrect.
B) No, because Tycho's data disagreed with Kepler's theory.
C) No, because observations can never completely prove the truth of scientific theory.
D) Yes, because Kepler's theory agreed with all of Tycho's data.
E) Yes, because Tycho's data ruled out the competing theories of Ptolemy and Copernicus.

Accepted Answer

Observations can support or refute a scientific theory, but they cannot completely prove it as true. Scientific theories are always subject to revision with new evidence.

Question 3

A primary reason for you to learn science, according to the textbook's opening section, is
A) to pass on Western culture to the next generation.
B) because a broadly educated person can get a better job.
C) to increase your awareness.
D) to increase your intelligence.
E) Actually there is no good reason all this scientific nonsense.

Accepted Answer

The textbook emphasizes that learning science increases your awareness, helping you understand the world better.

Question 4

The very earliest Greek theory of the structure of the universe pictured Earth at the center with the planets revolving around it at an unchanging rate in simple circles. The Greeks later revised this theory because
A) they didn't believe the theory was sufficiently beautiful to represent the eternal gods.
B) certain observations led them to the conclusion that Earth has a spherical shape.
C) they observed that the planetary motions are irregular and include such things as retrograde motion.
D) they came to believe that the sun should be at the center of things.
E) Actually, the Greeks never did abandon this theory--the theory was not altered until the time of Copernicus.

Accepted Answer

The Greeks revised their geocentric model because they observed irregularities in planetary motions, such as retrograde motion, which could not be explained by simple circular orbits around Earth.

Question 5

How did Brahe measure highly accurate planetary positions?
A) With the recently- invented telescope.
B) By careful measurements of the brightness of the planets, as seen from Earth.
C) With a new type of telescope that used mirrors instead of lenses.
D) By his invention of the technique know as triangulation (measuring the distance between 2 points, and measuring 2 angles, to determine the distance to a 3rd point).
E) With larger and more elegant sighting instruments.

Accepted Answer

Brahe used large and precise sighting instruments, such as quadrants and sextants, to measure the positions of celestial bodies with high accuracy, without the aid of telescopes.

Question 6

Which of these is the correct definition for an ellipse?
A) Each point on the ellipse is the same distance from one fixed point.
B) The sum of the distances of a point on the ellipse from two fixed points is the same, for each point on the ellipse.
C) All points on the ellipse are an equal distance apart.
D) Each point on the ellipse lies on a smooth oval curve around one fixed point.
E) Each pair of points on the ellipse is the same distance from one fixed point.

Accepted Answer

An ellipse is defined as the set of all points for which the sum of the distances from two fixed points (foci) is constant.

Question 7

Which of the following is not one of the four general themes or "story lines" that underlie this course?
A) comparisons and contrasts between Newtonian and contemporary physics
B) practical "household" science that you can use around your home, your car, etc.
C) how we know what we know in science
D) energy
E) the social context of physics

Accepted Answer

The course does not focus on practical "household" science but rather on broader themes like Newtonian vs. contemporary physics, scientific knowledge, energy, and the social context of physics.

Question 8

The most significant difference between the astronomical theories of Ptolemy and Copernicus is
A) Ptolemy uses circular planetary orbits while Copernicus uses elliptical orbits.
B) Ptolemy's theory does away with many of the complexities of the Copernican theory.
C) Ptolemy's theory is Earth- centered, whereas Copernicus's is sun- centered.
D) Ptolemy's is not based on scientific evidence, while Copernicus's is.
E) Ptolemy's theory is sun- centered, whereas Copernicus's is Earth- centered.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The most significant difference between the astronomical...

Question 9

The very earliest Greek cosmological theory, several centuries before Ptolemy, stated that
A) the entire universe is in reality just the inside of a giant cosmic frog.
B) the planets revolve in loop- the- loops around the sun.
C) the planets go in simple circles around Earth.
D) the planets revolve in loop- the- loops [circles within circles] around Earth.
E) the planets go in simple circles around the sun.

Accepted Answer

The earliest Greek cosmological theory, particularly from philosophers like Anaximander and Pythagoras, proposed that celestial bodies, including planets, move in simple circular paths around the Earth, which was considered the center of the universe.

Question 10

Venus is usually either the "evening star" or the "morning star" because
A) its orbit around the sun is outside Earth's orbit.
B) it is usually on the same side of the sun, relative to Earth.
C) it is usually on the opposite side of the sun, relative to Earth.
D) its orbit around the sun is inside Earth's orbit.
E) Actually, the evening or morning star is usually Mars, not Venus.

Accepted Answer

Venus is called the "evening star" or "morning star" because its orbit is inside Earth's orbit, making it visible shortly after sunset or before sunrise.

Question 11

One of the primary justifications given, in the textbook's opening section, for this course is
A) to transmit our cultural heritage to your generation and to future generations.
B) people with a broad education are happier.
C) so that you can learn useful skills such as the ability to repair things around the house.
D) because more broadly educated people get better- paying jobs upon graduation.
E) the evolutionary trend over billions of years has been toward increased awareness.

Accepted Answer

The answer of One of the primary justifications given, in...

Question 12

Copernicus proposed his theory because
A) Ptolemy's theory was based on discredited religious myths.
B) the predictions of Ptolemy's theory disagreed with the observed data.
C) he sought a more comprehensive theory that would explain not only the solar system but the rest of the known universe as well.
D) Ptolemy's theory was too complicated, messy, and unsatisfying.
E) Ptolemy's theory disagreed with Catholic Church teaching.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Copernicus proposed his theory because
A) Ptolemy's theory...

Question 13

Which of the following scientists made highly accurate measurements that first disproved the theories of Ptolemy and Copernicus?
A) Nonsense-- nobody has disproved Copernicus's theory.
B) Nonsense-- you cannot disprove a general scientific theory.
C) Galileo
D) Brahe
E) Kepler

Accepted Answer

Tycho Brahe made highly accurate astronomical observations that challenged the Ptolemaic system and provided the data that Johannes Kepler used to develop his laws of planetary motion, which refined the Copernican model.

Question 14

Of the many different features of the scientific method, one feature is the most important. Without it, we should not call a field a "science." This feature is
A) the interaction between theory and observation.
B) the use of only those theories that are known, for certain, to be true.
C) the use of mathematics.
D) the use of quantitative measurements.
E) that the results should lead to some useful technological application [for example, a useful medical treatment].

Accepted Answer

The interaction between theory and observation is crucial because it allows for hypotheses to be tested and validated or refuted, which is fundamental to the scientific method.

Question 15

Copernicus proposed his theory because
A) it was obvious to most educated people by that time that Earth orbits the sun.
B) Ptolemy's theory was known to be wrong.
C) it was more in line with Church thinking than was the pre- Christian Greek theory.
D) it fit the data taken by Tycho Brahe.
E) he thought that Ptolemy's theory was too messy and that his was more "fitting."

Accepted Answer

Copernicus proposed his heliocentric theory because he found Ptolemy's geocentric model to be overly complex and believed his own model was simpler and more elegant.

Question 16

One ancient Greek scientist, Aristarchus, had a theory about the layout of the universe that was quite different from the other Greek theories. According to Aristarchus's theory,
A) there is no fixed center anywhere in the universe.
B) the Earth is held up by Hercules, who stands on a turtle, who stands on an elephant, who stands on Zeus, who is beginning to think that the whole thing isn't worth the effort.
C) Earth is at the center and other objects move around Earth in simple circles.
D) Earth is at the center, and the planets move around Earth in orbits that could be described as "circles- within- circles" or "loop- the- loops."
E) the sun is at the center and other objects, including Earth, move around the sun in simple circles.

Accepted Answer

Aristarchus proposed a heliocentric model where the sun is at the center and Earth, along with other planets, orbits around it.

Question 17

The glow in the night sky known as the Milky Way is light coming from
A) a large cloud of glowing gas far out in space.
B) a band of glowing gases in Earth's upper atmosphere.
C) stars in our own galaxy.
D) the reflection of sunlight off of a giant dust cloud that is illuminated by the sun.
E) another galaxy, adjacent to our own galaxy.

Accepted Answer

The Milky Way is the light from the stars in our own galaxy, which is also called the Milky Way Galaxy. The light is from billions of stars that are too faint to be seen individually but collectively create a glowing band across the sky.

Question 18

How did Galileo know that the planets go around the sun rather than around Earth?
A) From telescopic measurements of the positions of the stars as Earth moved around the sun during the course of one year.
B) From telescopic observations of the phases of Venus as it moves around the sun.
C) From measurements of the tides raised by the moon as compared with the tides raised by the sun.
D) By noting that Venus always lies near the sun, as seen from Earth, from which he concluded that Venus must be orbiting the sun.
E) From the writings of Aristarchus, the ancient Greek astronomer.

Accepted Answer

Galileo observed that Venus goes through phases, just like the moon. This can only happen if Venus is orbiting the sun, not Earth.

Question 19

According to author Norman Mailer from his book Of a Fire on the Moon, quoted in the textbook's opening section,
A) quantum theory shows that the universe is infinitely deep and subtle.
B) science is leading us toward a greater understanding of the important truths in life.
C) our culture uses science to gain power over nature but doesn't know how that power should be used.
D) science is in the process of solving most of the world's social problems.
E) physics professors are crackpots.

Accepted Answer

Mailer suggests that while science provides power over nature, society lacks the wisdom to use that power responsibly.

Question 20

One of the four main themes or "story lines" that will keep appearing throughout this course is
A) understanding the structure and origin of our planet and of life on Earth.
B) how to solve simple numerical physics problems
C) solving the problem of nuclear war.
D) contrasts and comparisons between Newtonian and contemporary physics.
E) understanding how household appliances and other familiar technological gadgets work.

Accepted Answer

The answer of One of the four main themes or...

Quiz 1: The Way of Science: Experience and Reason

A scientific theory [or scientific principle] could best be described as

Did Tycho's data prove that Kepler' theory was true?

A primary reason for you to learn science, according to the textbook's opening section, is

The very earliest Greek theory of the structure of the universe pictured Earth at the center with the planets revolving around it at an unchanging rate in simple circles. The Greeks later revised this theory because

How did Brahe measure highly accurate planetary positions?

Which of these is the correct definition for an ellipse?

Which of the following is not one of the four general themes or "story lines" that underlie this course?

The most significant difference between the astronomical theories of Ptolemy and Copernicus is

The very earliest Greek cosmological theory, several centuries before Ptolemy, stated that

Venus is usually either the "evening star" or the "morning star" because

One of the primary justifications given, in the textbook's opening section, for this course is

Copernicus proposed his theory because

Which of the following scientists made highly accurate measurements that first disproved the theories of Ptolemy and Copernicus?

Of the many different features of the scientific method, one feature is the most important. Without it, we should not call a field a "science." This feature is

Copernicus proposed his theory because

One ancient Greek scientist, Aristarchus, had a theory about the layout of the universe that was quite different from the other Greek theories. According to Aristarchus's theory,

The glow in the night sky known as the Milky Way is light coming from

How did Galileo know that the planets go around the sun rather than around Earth?

According to author Norman Mailer from his book Of a Fire on the Moon, quoted in the textbook's opening section,

One of the four main themes or "story lines" that will keep appearing throughout this course is