Question 1

$3.0 × 10^5$ times $1.5 × 10^9$ is equal to
A)$4.5 × 10^{45}$.
B)$4.5 × 10^{14}$
C)$2.0 × 10^4$.
D)$2.0 × 10^{14}$.
E)$2.0 × 10^{45}$.

Accepted Answer

To multiply two numbers in scientific notation, you multiply the coefficients (3.0 and 1.5) and add the exponents (5 and 9). Multiplying the coefficients gives 4.5, and adding the exponents gives 14, resulting in $4.5 × 10^{14}$.

Question 2

64,200,000,000 is equal to
A)$6.42 × 10^7$.
B)$6.42 × 10^−7$.
C)$6.42 × 10^10$.
D)$6.42 × 10^−10$.
E)$1.0 × 10^{64.2}$.

Accepted Answer

To convert 64,200,000,000 to scientific notation, we move the decimal point 10 places to the left and add the exponent 10, giving us 6.42 × 10^10. Therefore, the correct answer is C.

Question 3

Which color best represents space as drawn in this chapters' figures
A)blue
B)white
C)black
D)red

Accepted Answer

The figures in this chapter represent space as black or dark, indicating the absence of light and matter. Therefore, the best color that represents space in these figures is black.

Question 4

The average distance from Earth to the Sun is
A)1 ly.
B)1 million km.
C)1 million miles.
D)1 billion km.
E)150 million km.

Accepted Answer

The average distance from Earth to the Sun is approximately 150 million kilometers, also known as an astronomical unit (AU). Option A is incorrect as one light year is the distance that light travels in one year, which is approximately 9.46 trillion kilometers. Options B and C are incorrect as they are too small to represent the distance between Earth and the Sun. Option D is also incorrect as it is too large, as the distance between Earth and the Sun is only about one-tenth of this distance.

Question 5

Which of the following is the largest
A)the diameter of Earth
B)the diameter of the Moon
C)the diameter of the Sun
D)the diameter of Jupiter
E)the distance from Earth to the Sun

Accepted Answer

The distance from Earth to the Sun, known as 1 Astronomical Unit (AU), is approximately 93 million miles (150 million kilometers), which is significantly larger than the diameters of the Earth, Moon, Sun, or Jupiter.

Question 6

How long does light take to reach us from Proxima Centuri
A)4.2 ly
B)4.2 years
C)8.4 AU
D)8.4 km

Accepted Answer

Light takes 4.2 years to reach us from Proxima Centuri, as it is located 4.2 light years away from Earth. Choice A (4.2 ly) and C (8.4 AU) are incorrect because they only indicate the distance, whereas we are interested in the time taken for light to travel that distance. Choice D (8.4 km) is too small a distance, as light can travel 8.4 km in less than a few milliseconds.

Question 7

Assume the size of the Sun is represented by a baseball with the Earth is about 15 meters (150 million km or 8 light minutes) away. How far away, to scale, would the nearest stars to the Sun be Choose the closest answer.
A)about the distance between New York and Boston (330 km)
B)100 meters away
C)about the distance across the United States from New York to Los Angeles (4300 km)
D)about the distance across 50 football fields (50 × 100 m)

Accepted Answer

The nearest star to the Sun, Proxima Centauri, is approximately 4.25 light years away from us. To scale, this distance would be about 4300 km, which is approximately the distance from New York to Los Angeles.

Question 8

In units of yards, how far from the Big Bang is the Recombination period, when the gas becomes transparent to light
A)much, much less than a yard
B)about a yard
C)about 5 yards
D)about 10 yards

Accepted Answer

The Recombination period occurred about 380,000 years after the Big Bang, when the universe cooled enough for hydrogen atoms to form, making the gas transparent to light. The distance between the Big Bang and Recombination at this time was much less than a yard, since the universe was still very small and dense.

Question 9

A solar system contains
A)primarily planets.
B)large amounts of gas and dust but very few stars.
C)large amounts of gas, dust, and stars.
D)a single star and planets.
E)thousands of superclusters.

Accepted Answer

A solar system is a collection of objects that orbit around a central star, and typically includes planets, moons, asteroids, and comets. Therefore, the best choice is D, as it states that a solar system contains a single star and planets. Option A is not incorrect, but it is not a complete answer as it does not mention other objects that can be part of a solar system. Options B and E are incorrect as they refer to much larger scales than a solar system, and option C is also incorrect as it implies that there are many stars in a solar system, which is not typically the case.

Question 10

Order the following from most recent to least.
I. Big Bang 
II. Age of quasars
III. First humans
IV. Cambrian explosion
V. Formation of the solar system
VI. First life
VII. Recombination Period
A)I, II, VII, IV, V, VI, III
B)I, VI, VII, II, V, IV, III
C)I, VI, V, VII, III, II, IV
D)I, VII, II, V, VI, IV, III

Accepted Answer

The correct order from most recent to least is: I. Big Bang, VII. Recombination Period, II. Age of quasars, V. Formation of the solar system, VI. First life, IV. Cambrian explosion, III. First humans. This sequence reflects the chronological order of these major events in the history of the universe and Earth.

Question 11

Which unit best represents a field of view
A)seconds
B)square centimeters
C)Celsius
D)km

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which unit best represents a field of...

Question 12

How is a planet different than a star
A)Planets are larger than stars.
B)Planets reflect light while stars produce their own light.
C)Stars move faster in the sky than planets.
D)Planets are brighter than stars.

Accepted Answer

Planets do not produce their own light like stars do. Instead, they reflect light from their host star or from other sources.

Question 13

Which of these is NOT a common misconception
A)A light year is a unit of time.
B)Stars look like disks when seen through a telescope
C)A galaxy is a star plus its planets.
D)All of the other choices are misconceptions.

Accepted Answer

A light year is actually a unit of distance, not time, measuring how far light travels in one year. Stars, when observed through telescopes, do not appear as disks but rather as points of light due to their immense distance from Earth, making it impossible to resolve their shape with most telescopes. A galaxy is not a single star and its planets but rather a massive system composed of billions of stars, their planetary systems, gas, and dust, all bound together by gravity. Therefore, the statement that all of the other choices are misconceptions is correct.

Question 14

If the light takes 8 minutes to reach Earth from the Sun and the nearest star is 4.7 ly from the Sun, what is the distance from the Sun to the nearest star in astronomical units
A)37.6 AU
B)1.7 AU
C)214 AU
D)310,000 AU
E)$1.5 × 10^{11}$ AU

Accepted Answer

The distance from the Sun to the nearest star (Proxima Centauri, 4.7 light-years away) can be converted to astronomical units (AU) by recognizing that 1 light-year is approximately 63,241 AU. Therefore, 4.7 light-years is about 4.7 * 63,241 = 297,032.7 AU, which rounds to approximately 310,000 AU.

Question 15

Which sequence is correct when ordered by increasing size
A)Earth, Solar System, Milky Way Galaxy, clusters of galaxies
B)Solar System, Earth, galaxy clusters, Milky Way Galaxy
C)Earth, Milky Way Galaxy, Solar System, galaxy clusters
D)Galaxy clusters, Solar System, Milky Way Galaxy, Earth

Accepted Answer

The correct sequence from smallest to largest is: Earth (a planet), Solar System (our sun and its orbiting bodies), Milky Way Galaxy (our galaxy), and clusters of galaxies (groups of galaxies).

Question 16

If light travels 63,000 AU in 1 year at $3 × 10^8$ m/s, which of these best represents the unit of a light-year
A)63,000 AU
B)$3 × 10^8$ m/s
C)1 year
D)All of the other choices are correct.

Accepted Answer

A light-year is defined as the distance that light travels in one year in a vacuum. Since the question states that light travels 63,000 AU in 1 year, this directly correlates to the definition of a light-year, making 63,000 AU the correct representation of a light-year.

Question 17

Which is the shorter time unit - a light-second, a light-minute, or a light-year
A)light-second
B)light-minute
C)light-year
D)None of the other choices are correct.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which is the shorter time unit -...

Question 18

Assume a 100-yard football field represents the 14-billion-year history of the universe with one end as the origin and the other end representing the present. The existence of human beings will extend from ____ to the present "goal line."
A)the 50-yard line
B)the 5-yard line
C)the one-yard line
D)the one-inch line

Accepted Answer

According to the given analogy, the 14-billion-year history of the universe is represented by a 100-yard football field. Therefore, each yard on the field corresponds to 140 million years of the universe's history. The existence of human beings on this timescale is a mere blip in time. Homo sapiens emerged only about 200,000 years ago. Therefore, the distance from the goal line to the one-inch line would likely represent the timeline of human existence. That corresponds to just over 5,000 years on the analogy of the 100-yard football field. Therefore, the best choice is D, the one-inch line.

Question 19

$4.4 × 10^6$ divided by $8.8 × 10^{10}$ is equal to
A)$5.0 × 10^{−5}$.
B)$5.0 × 10^{−4}$.
C)$5.0 × 10^4$.
D)$3.9 × 10^{17}$.
E)$3.9 × 10^{16}$.

Accepted Answer

Dividing $4.4 × 10^6$ by $8.8 × 10^{10}$ gives $0.5 × 10^{-4}$, which simplifies to $5.0 × 10^{-5}$.

Question 20

If the distance from the Sun to the Earth is represented by roughly 15 meters, then the distance from Earth to the Moon on the same scale would be
A)about 30 meters.
B)about 10 meters.
C)about 1 meter.
D)small than your hand.

Accepted Answer

The average distance from the Earth to the Moon is about 1/400th of the distance from the Earth to the Sun. On a scale where the Earth-Sun distance is 15 meters, the Earth-Moon distance would be much smaller than your hand, approximately 3.8 centimeters.

Quiz 1: Here and Now

3.0×1053.0 × 10^53.0×105 times 1.5×1091.5 × 10^91.5×109 is equal to

64,200,000,000 is equal to

Which color best represents space as drawn in this chapters' figures

The average distance from Earth to the Sun is

Which of the following is the largest

How long does light take to reach us from Proxima Centuri

Assume the size of the Sun is represented by a baseball with the Earth is about 15 meters (150 million km or 8 light minutes) away. How far away, to scale, would the nearest stars to the Sun be Choose the closest answer.

In units of yards, how far from the Big Bang is the Recombination period, when the gas becomes transparent to light

A solar system contains

Order the following from most recent to least. I. Big Bang II. Age of quasars III. First humans IV. Cambrian explosion V. Formation of the solar system VI. First life VII. Recombination Period

Which unit best represents a field of view

How is a planet different than a star

Which of these is NOT a common misconception

If the light takes 8 minutes to reach Earth from the Sun and the nearest star is 4.7 ly from the Sun, what is the distance from the Sun to the nearest star in astronomical units

Which sequence is correct when ordered by increasing size

If light travels 63,000 AU in 1 year at 3×1083 × 10^83×108 m/s, which of these best represents the unit of a light-year

Which is the shorter time unit - a light-second, a light-minute, or a light-year

Assume a 100-yard football field represents the 14-billion-year history of the universe with one end as the origin and the other end representing the present. The existence of human beings will extend from ____ to the present "goal line."

4.4×1064.4 × 10^64.4×106 divided by 8.8×10108.8 × 10^{10}8.8×1010 is equal to

If the distance from the Sun to the Earth is represented by roughly 15 meters, then the distance from Earth to the Moon on the same scale would be

$3.0 × 10^5$ times $1.5 × 10^9$ is equal to

If light travels 63,000 AU in 1 year at $3 × 10^8$ m/s, which of these best represents the unit of a light-year

$4.4 × 10^6$ divided by $8.8 × 10^{10}$ is equal to