Question 1

What does temperature measure?

Accepted Answer

A) the total potential energy of particles in a substance 
B) the average kinetic energy of particles in a substance 
C) the average mass of particles in a substance 
D) the total amount of heat in a substance 
A) the total potential energy of particles in a substance 
B) the average kinetic energy of particles in a substance 
C) the average mass of particles in a substance 
D) the total amount of heat in a substance

Question 2

How does a rocket launch upwards? Choose the statement that best describes why a rocket goes up.

Accepted Answer

A) By expelling gas, the rocket loses mass; because it is lighter, it rises up. 
B) By expelling gas downwards, the rocket is propelled upwards. 
C) By expelling gas downwards, which pushes against the ground, the rocket is propelled upwards. 
A) By expelling gas, the rocket loses mass; because it is lighter, it rises up. 
B) By expelling gas downwards, the rocket is propelled upwards. 
C) By expelling gas downwards, which pushes against the ground, the rocket is propelled upwards.

Question 3

According to the universal law of gravitation, if you triple the distance between two objects, then the gravitational force between them .

Accepted Answer

A) increases by a factor of 3 
B) decreases by a factor of 9 
C) increases by a factor of 9 
D) decreases by a factor of 3 
A) increases by a factor of 3 
B) decreases by a factor of 9 
C) increases by a factor of 9 
D) decreases by a factor of 3

Question 4

Imagine a Star Wars type spaceship in orbit around a planet. Its engine suffers a severe malfunction, and explodes. What is the most physically realistic depiction of this event?

Accepted Answer

A) The spacecraft breaks apart, and the pieces continue to orbit the planet. 
B) The spacecraft burns up in a giant fireball. 
C) The spacecraft breaks in half and begins to sink down into the planet, like a sinking aircraft carrier. 
A) The spacecraft breaks apart, and the pieces continue to orbit the planet. 
B) The spacecraft burns up in a giant fireball. 
C) The spacecraft breaks in half and begins to sink down into the planet, like a sinking aircraft carrier.

Question 5

The allowed shapes for orbits under the force of gravity are

Accepted Answer

A) ellipses and spirals. 
B) ellipses, parabolas, and hyperbolas. 
C) spirals, circles, and squares. 
D) ellipses only. 
E) ellipses, spirals, and parabolas. 
A) ellipses and spirals. 
B) ellipses, parabolas, and hyperbolas. 
C) spirals, circles, and squares. 
D) ellipses only. 
E) ellipses, spirals, and parabolas.

Question 6

The Moon is slowly moving away from Earth.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

The difference between speed and velocity is that _ _.

Accepted Answer

A) velocity is calculated using a physics equation 
B) velocity also includes a direction 
C) velocity is the same as acceleration but speed is different 
D) they are expressed in different units 
A) velocity is calculated using a physics equation 
B) velocity also includes a direction 
C) velocity is the same as acceleration but speed is different 
D) they are expressed in different units

Question 8

Kepler deduced his laws of planetary motion once Newton had published his universal law of gravitation.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Why is Newton's version of Kepler's third law so useful to astronomers?

Accepted Answer

A) It tells us that more- distant planets orbit the Sun more slowly. 
B) It allows us to calculate distances to distant objects. 
C) It explains why objects spin faster when they shrink in size. 
D) It can be used to determine the masses of many distant objects. 
A) It tells us that more- distant planets orbit the Sun more slowly. 
B) It allows us to calculate distances to distant objects. 
C) It explains why objects spin faster when they shrink in size. 
D) It can be used to determine the masses of many distant objects.

Question 10

What do we mean by the orbital energy of an orbiting object (such as a planet, moon, or satellite)?

Accepted Answer

A) Orbital energy is the sum of the object's kinetic energy and its gravitational potential energy as it moves through its orbit. 
B) Orbital energy is the object's kinetic energy as it moves through its orbit. 
C) Orbital energy is the amount of energy required for the object to leave orbit and escape into space. 
D) Orbital energy is a measure of the object's speed as it moves through its orbit. 
A) Orbital energy is the sum of the object's kinetic energy and its gravitational potential energy as it moves through its orbit. 
B) Orbital energy is the object's kinetic energy as it moves through its orbit. 
C) Orbital energy is the amount of energy required for the object to leave orbit and escape into space. 
D) Orbital energy is a measure of the object's speed as it moves through its orbit.

Question 11

As an interstellar cloud of hydrogen gas shrinks in size, its rate of rotation

Accepted Answer

A) increases, because the force of gravity strengthens as the cloud shrinks. 
B) decreases, because its angular momentum is conserved. 
C) increases, because its angular momentum is conserved. 
D) decreases, because the force of gravity strengthens as the cloud shrinks. 
E) increases, because its total energy is conserved. 
A) increases, because the force of gravity strengthens as the cloud shrinks. 
B) decreases, because its angular momentum is conserved. 
C) increases, because its angular momentum is conserved. 
D) decreases, because the force of gravity strengthens as the cloud shrinks. 
E) increases, because its total energy is conserved.

Question 12

Which of the following statements correctly describes the law of conservation of energy?

Accepted Answer

A) An object always has the same amount of energy. 
B) The total quantity of energy in the universe never changes. 
C) Energy can change between many different forms, such as potential, kinetic, and thermal, but it is ultimately destroyed. 
D) It is not really possible for an object to gain or lose potential energy because energy cannot be destroyed. 
E) The fact that you can fuse hydrogen into helium to produce energy means that helium can be turned into hydrogen to produce energy. 
A) An object always has the same amount of energy. 
B) The total quantity of energy in the universe never changes. 
C) Energy can change between many different forms, such as potential, kinetic, and thermal, but it is ultimately destroyed. 
D) It is not really possible for an object to gain or lose potential energy because energy cannot be destroyed. 
E) The fact that you can fuse hydrogen into helium to produce energy means that helium can be turned into hydrogen to produce energy.

Question 13

Suppose the Sun were suddenly to shrink in size but that its mass remained the same. According to the law of conservation of angular momentum, what would happen?

Accepted Answer

A) The Sun's rate of rotation would slow. 
B) The Sun's angular size in our sky would stay the same. 
C) The Sun would rotate faster than it does now. 
D) This could never happen, because it is impossible for an object to shrink in size without an outside torque. 
A) The Sun's rate of rotation would slow. 
B) The Sun's angular size in our sky would stay the same. 
C) The Sun would rotate faster than it does now. 
D) This could never happen, because it is impossible for an object to shrink in size without an outside torque.

Question 14

The force due to gravity between two objects can be described using the equation Fg = G M1 M2 / d2. According to this equation, if the distance between two objects increases, what happens to the gravitational force between them?

Accepted Answer

A) The force increases. 
B) The force decreases. 
C) The force drops instantly to zero. 
D) The gravitational force is not affected by distance. 
A) The force increases. 
B) The force decreases. 
C) The force drops instantly to zero. 
D) The gravitational force is not affected by distance.

Question 15

If I drop a golf ball and a bowling ball simultaneously from same height above the ground, what will happen? Neglect the effects of wind or air resistance.

Accepted Answer

A) The golf ball will hit the ground before the bowling ball. 
B) The golf ball and the bowling ball will hit the ground at the same time. 
C) The bowling ball will hit the ground before the golf ball. 
A) The golf ball will hit the ground before the bowling ball. 
B) The golf ball and the bowling ball will hit the ground at the same time. 
C) The bowling ball will hit the ground before the golf ball.

Question 16

Newton's version of Kepler's third law states :   Solve this equation to find the combined mass of a planet and its satellite, given the orbital period and average separation.

Accepted Answer

A) M1 + M2 = 4n2 × a3 
B) M1 + M2 = G × p2
G p2
4n2 a3 
C) M1 + M2 = G × a3 
D) M1 + M2 = 4Gu2 × a3
4n2 p2 p2 
A) M1 + M2 = 4n2 × a3 
B) M1 + M2 = G × p2
G p2
4n2 a3 
C) M1 + M2 = G × a3 
D) M1 + M2 = 4Gu2 × a3
4n2 p2 p2

Question 17

If a gas cloud shrinks, its gravitational potential energy is converted into

Accepted Answer

A) chemical energy. 
B) thermal energy and radiative energy. 
C) kinetic energy and sound waves. 
D) only radiative energy. 
A) chemical energy. 
B) thermal energy and radiative energy. 
C) kinetic energy and sound waves. 
D) only radiative energy.

Question 18

As an interstellar cloud of hydrogen gas shrinks in size, its temperature increases

Accepted Answer

A) because gravitational potential energy is converted to thermal energy. 
B) because thermal energy is converted to radiative energy. 
C) because kinetic energy is converted to radiative energy. 
A) because gravitational potential energy is converted to thermal energy. 
B) because thermal energy is converted to radiative energy. 
C) because kinetic energy is converted to radiative energy.

Question 19

Radiative energy is .

Accepted Answer

A) energy of motion 
B) energy from nuclear power plants 
C) energy carried by light 
D) heat energy 
A) energy of motion 
B) energy from nuclear power plants 
C) energy carried by light 
D) heat energy

Question 20

Unbound orbits have more orbital energy than bound orbits.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

What does temperature measure?

How does a rocket launch upwards? Choose the statement that best describes why a rocket goes up.

According to the universal law of gravitation, if you triple the distance between two objects, then the gravitational force between them .

Imagine a Star Wars type spaceship in orbit around a planet. Its engine suffers a severe malfunction, and explodes. What is the most physically realistic depiction of this event?

The allowed shapes for orbits under the force of gravity are

The Moon is slowly moving away from Earth.

The difference between speed and velocity is that _ _.

Kepler deduced his laws of planetary motion once Newton had published his universal law of gravitation.

Why is Newton's version of Kepler's third law so useful to astronomers?

What do we mean by the orbital energy of an orbiting object (such as a planet, moon, or satellite)?

As an interstellar cloud of hydrogen gas shrinks in size, its rate of rotation

Which of the following statements correctly describes the law of conservation of energy?

Suppose the Sun were suddenly to shrink in size but that its mass remained the same. According to the law of conservation of angular momentum, what would happen?

The force due to gravity between two objects can be described using the equation Fg = G M1 M2 / d2. According to this equation, if the distance between two objects increases, what happens to the gravitational force between them?

If I drop a golf ball and a bowling ball simultaneously from same height above the ground, what will happen? Neglect the effects of wind or air resistance.

Newton's version of Kepler's third law states : Solve this equation to find the combined mass of a planet and its satellite, given the orbital period and average separation.

If a gas cloud shrinks, its gravitational potential energy is converted into

As an interstellar cloud of hydrogen gas shrinks in size, its temperature increases

Radiative energy is .

Unbound orbits have more orbital energy than bound orbits.

A Modern View of the Universe

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

The Science of Astronomy

Light: the Cosmic Messenger

Formation of the Solar System

Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet System

Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts

Other Planetary Systems: the New Science of Distant Worlds

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Stuff

The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

A Universe of Galaxies

The Birth of the Universe

Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe

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Exam 4: Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity

What does temperature measure?

How does a rocket launch upwards? Choose the statement that best describes why a rocket goes up.

According to the universal law of gravitation, if you triple the distance between two objects, then the gravitational force between them .

Imagine a Star Wars type spaceship in orbit around a planet. Its engine suffers a severe malfunction, and explodes. What is the most physically realistic depiction of this event?

The allowed shapes for orbits under the force of gravity are

The Moon is slowly moving away from Earth.

The difference between speed and velocity is that _ _.

Kepler deduced his laws of planetary motion once Newton had published his universal law of gravitation.

Why is Newton's version of Kepler's third law so useful to astronomers?

What do we mean by the orbital energy of an orbiting object (such as a planet, moon, or satellite)?

As an interstellar cloud of hydrogen gas shrinks in size, its rate of rotation

Which of the following statements correctly describes the law of conservation of energy?

Suppose the Sun were suddenly to shrink in size but that its mass remained the same. According to the law of conservation of angular momentum, what would happen?

The force due to gravity between two objects can be described using the equation Fg = G M1 M2 / d2. According to this equation, if the distance between two objects increases, what happens to the gravitational force between them?

If I drop a golf ball and a bowling ball simultaneously from same height above the ground, what will happen? Neglect the effects of wind or air resistance.

Newton's version of Kepler's third law states : Solve this equation to find the combined mass of a planet and its satellite, given the orbital period and average separation.

If a gas cloud shrinks, its gravitational potential energy is converted into

As an interstellar cloud of hydrogen gas shrinks in size, its temperature increases

Radiative energy is .

Unbound orbits have more orbital energy than bound orbits.

A Modern View of the Universe

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

The Science of Astronomy

Light: the Cosmic Messenger

Formation of the Solar System

Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet System

Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts

Other Planetary Systems: the New Science of Distant Worlds

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Stuff

The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

A Universe of Galaxies

The Birth of the Universe

Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe

Filters