Question 1

How did the Ptolemaic model explain the apparent retrograde motion of the planets?

Accepted Answer

A) The model showed that apparent retrograde motion occurs as Earth passes by another planet in its orbit of the Sun. 
B) The planets resided on giant spheres that sometimes turned clockwise and sometimes turned counterclockwise. 
C) The planets moved along small circles that moved on larger circles around the Earth. 
D) The planets sometimes stopped moving and then reversed to move backward along their circular orbits. 
A) The model showed that apparent retrograde motion occurs as Earth passes by another planet in its orbit of the Sun. 
B) The planets resided on giant spheres that sometimes turned clockwise and sometimes turned counterclockwise. 
C) The planets moved along small circles that moved on larger circles around the Earth. 
D) The planets sometimes stopped moving and then reversed to move backward along their circular orbits.

Question 2

Which of the following statements about scientific theories is not true?

Accepted Answer

A) A theory must make predictions that can be checked by observation or experiment. 
B) A theory is a model designed to explain a number of observed facts. 
C) A theory can never be proved beyond all doubt; we can only hope to collect more and more evidence that might support it. 
D) If even a single new fact is discovered that contradicts what we expect according to a particular theory, then the theory must be revised or discarded. 
E) A theory cannot be taken seriously by scientists if it contradicts other theories developed by scientists over the past several hundred years. 
A) A theory must make predictions that can be checked by observation or experiment. 
B) A theory is a model designed to explain a number of observed facts. 
C) A theory can never be proved beyond all doubt; we can only hope to collect more and more evidence that might support it. 
D) If even a single new fact is discovered that contradicts what we expect according to a particular theory, then the theory must be revised or discarded. 
E) A theory cannot be taken seriously by scientists if it contradicts other theories developed by scientists over the past several hundred years.

Question 3

When Copernicus first created his Sun- centered model of the universe, it did not lead to substantially better predictions of planetary positions than the Ptolemaic model. Why not?

Accepted Answer

A) Copernicus used perfect circles for the orbits of the planets. 
B) Copernicus misjudged the distances between the planets. 
C) Copernicus placed the Sun at the center, but did not realize that the Moon orbits the Earth. 
D) Copernicus placed the planets in the wrong order going outward from the Sun. 
A) Copernicus used perfect circles for the orbits of the planets. 
B) Copernicus misjudged the distances between the planets. 
C) Copernicus placed the Sun at the center, but did not realize that the Moon orbits the Earth. 
D) Copernicus placed the planets in the wrong order going outward from the Sun.

Question 4

It is possible for science as a whole to be objective despite the fact that all individual scientists have personal biases and beliefs.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Match the accomplishment to the person.

Accepted Answer

A) Tycho collected data, Kepler found elliptical orbits, Newton explained in terms of physics. 
B) Kepler collected data, Tycho found elliptical orbits, Newton explained in terms of physics. 
C) Tycho collected data, Newton found elliptical orbits, Kepler explained in terms of physics. 
A) Tycho collected data, Kepler found elliptical orbits, Newton explained in terms of physics. 
B) Kepler collected data, Tycho found elliptical orbits, Newton explained in terms of physics. 
C) Tycho collected data, Newton found elliptical orbits, Kepler explained in terms of physics.

Question 6

Describe one major accomplishment for each of the following people: Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Kepler, and Galileo.

Accepted Answer

Many possible answers, e.g., C

Question 7

The point along a planet's orbit where it is closest to the Sun is called the orbit's

Accepted Answer

A) period. 
B) perihelion. 
C) eccentricity. 
D) semi- major axis. 
E) aphelion. 
A) period. 
B) perihelion. 
C) eccentricity. 
D) semi- major axis. 
E) aphelion.

Question 8

When did Copernicus live?

Accepted Answer

A) about 1000 years ago 
B) about 5000 years ago 
C) about 100 years ago 
D) about 2000 years ago 
E) about 500 years ago 
A) about 1000 years ago 
B) about 5000 years ago 
C) about 100 years ago 
D) about 2000 years ago 
E) about 500 years ago

Question 9

Which pair of ball- drop experiments will best test whether mass affects the acceleration of gravity? Exp 1. Mass 0.5 kilograms, height 20 meters Exp 2. Mass 5.0 kilograms, height 20 meters
Exp 3. Mass 0.5 kilograms, height 30 meters

Accepted Answer

A) Exp 1 and 2 
B) Exp 1 and 3 
C) Exp 2 and 3 
A) Exp 1 and 2 
B) Exp 1 and 3 
C) Exp 2 and 3

Question 10

Which of the following is the reason for the solar day being longer than a sidereal day?

Accepted Answer

A) precession of Earth's axis 
B) the combined effect of the rotation of Earth and its orbit about the Sun 
C) the tilt of Earth's axis 
D) the non- circular orbit of Earth around the Sun 
E) Earth year being a non- integer number of Earth days 
A) precession of Earth's axis 
B) the combined effect of the rotation of Earth and its orbit about the Sun 
C) the tilt of Earth's axis 
D) the non- circular orbit of Earth around the Sun 
E) Earth year being a non- integer number of Earth days

Question 11

When did humans first learn that Earth is not the center of the universe?

Accepted Answer

A) about 2000 years ago 
B) around the time that early humans acquired language 
C) within the past 500 years 
D) We haven't; there is still considerable scientific debate about whether Earth is the center of the universe. 
A) about 2000 years ago 
B) around the time that early humans acquired language 
C) within the past 500 years 
D) We haven't; there is still considerable scientific debate about whether Earth is the center of the universe.

How did the Ptolemaic model explain the apparent retrograde motion of the planets?

Which of the following statements about scientific theories is not true?

When Copernicus first created his Sun- centered model of the universe, it did not lead to substantially better predictions of planetary positions than the Ptolemaic model. Why not?

It is possible for science as a whole to be objective despite the fact that all individual scientists have personal biases and beliefs.

Match the accomplishment to the person.

Describe one major accomplishment for each of the following people: Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Kepler, and Galileo.

The point along a planet's orbit where it is closest to the Sun is called the orbit's

When did Copernicus live?

Which pair of ball- drop experiments will best test whether mass affects the acceleration of gravity? Exp 1. Mass 0.5 kilograms, height 20 meters Exp 2. Mass 5.0 kilograms, height 20 meters Exp 3. Mass 0.5 kilograms, height 30 meters

Which of the following is the reason for the solar day being longer than a sidereal day?

When did humans first learn that Earth is not the center of the universe?

A Modern View of the Universe

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

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

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

Exam 3: The Science of Astronomy

How did the Ptolemaic model explain the apparent retrograde motion of the planets?

Which of the following statements about scientific theories is not true?

When Copernicus first created his Sun- centered model of the universe, it did not lead to substantially better predictions of planetary positions than the Ptolemaic model. Why not?

It is possible for science as a whole to be objective despite the fact that all individual scientists have personal biases and beliefs.

Match the accomplishment to the person.

Describe one major accomplishment for each of the following people: Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Kepler, and Galileo.

The point along a planet's orbit where it is closest to the Sun is called the orbit's

When did Copernicus live?

Which pair of ball- drop experiments will best test whether mass affects the acceleration of gravity? Exp 1. Mass 0.5 kilograms, height 20 meters Exp 2. Mass 5.0 kilograms, height 20 meters Exp 3. Mass 0.5 kilograms, height 30 meters

Which of the following is the reason for the solar day being longer than a sidereal day?

When did humans first learn that Earth is not the center of the universe?

A Modern View of the Universe

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

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

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