Question 1

At the center of the geocentric model of the Solar System is

Accepted Answer

A)  the Sun. 
B)  the Moon. 
C)  Earth. 
D)  Venus. 
E)  Jupiter. 
A)  the Sun. 
B)  the Moon. 
C)  Earth. 
D)  Venus. 
E)  Jupiter. C

Question 2

What does the term conjunction mean in planetary orbits?

Accepted Answer

A planetary conjunction occurs when the planet,Earth,and the Sun are in line with each other.

Question 3

A comet orbits the Sun with a semimajor axis of 90 AU.Using Kepler's third law, the comet's orbital period is approximately

Accepted Answer

A)  850 years. 
B)  630 years. 
C)  410 years. 
D)  180 years. 
E)  90 years. 
A)  850 years. 
B)  630 years. 
C)  410 years. 
D)  180 years. 
E)  90 years. A

Question 4

Nicolaus Copernicus is credited with creating the first detailed mathematical model of

Accepted Answer

A)  the tilt of the Earth's rotational axis. 
B)  a heliocentric solar system. 
C)  lunar eclipses. 
D)  epicycles. 
E)  a geocentric solar system. 
A)  the tilt of the Earth's rotational axis. 
B)  a heliocentric solar system. 
C)  lunar eclipses. 
D)  epicycles. 
E)  a geocentric solar system.

Question 5

Who introduced epicycles into the geocentric system? Why?

Accepted Answer

Ptolemy introduced epicycles t

Question 6

Which of the following are superior planets?

Accepted Answer

A)  Mars 
B)  Earth and Venus 
C)  Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn 
D)  Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn 
E)  Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn 
A)  Mars 
B)  Earth and Venus 
C)  Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn 
D)  Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn 
E)  Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn

Question 7

According to Kepler's laws, a comet with a highly eccentric orbit will

Accepted Answer

A)  spend most of its time near the Sun. 
B)  spend most of its time far from the Sun. 
C)  always be the same distance from the Sun. 
D)  spend the same amount of time everywhere. 
E)  not travel on an ellipse. 
A)  spend most of its time near the Sun. 
B)  spend most of its time far from the Sun. 
C)  always be the same distance from the Sun. 
D)  spend the same amount of time everywhere. 
E)  not travel on an ellipse.

Question 8

If a 100-kg astronaut pushes on a 5,000-kg satellite and the satellite experiences an acceleration of 0.1 m/s2, what is the acceleration experienced by the astronaut in the opposite direction?

Accepted Answer

A)  5 m/s2 
B)  10 m/s2 
C)  50 m/s2 
D)  0.1 m/s2 
E)  1,000 m/s2 
A)  5 m/s2 
B)  10 m/s2 
C)  50 m/s2 
D)  0.1 m/s2 
E)  1,000 m/s2

Question 9

Based on the figure below, explain why an inferior planet would not be able to be seen at all from Earth when it is in conjunction.

Accepted Answer

Conjunction means that the pla

Question 10

The Copernican model of the solar system has planets traveling on

Accepted Answer

A)  noncircular elliptical orbits. 
B)  spiral orbits. 
C)  perfectly circular orbits. 
D)  dozens of epicycles. 
E)  straight lines through curved space. 
A)  noncircular elliptical orbits. 
B)  spiral orbits. 
C)  perfectly circular orbits. 
D)  dozens of epicycles. 
E)  straight lines through curved space.

Question 11

Explain why astrobiologists expect a planet's orbit to have a significant effect on the planet's potential to sustain life.

Accepted Answer

First,the size of an orbit will determin

Question 12

In a period of 3 months, a planet travels 30,000 km with an average speed of 10.5 km/s.Sometime later, the same planet travels 65,000 km in 3 months.How fast is the planet traveling at this later time? During which period is the planet closer to the Sun?

Accepted Answer

At the later time.Because the planet is

Question 13

Name the two ways in which an object's motion (meaning its velocity) can experience a nonzero acceleration.

Accepted Answer

The object can have

Question 14

What is your acceleration if you go from 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds?

Accepted Answer

A)  60 mph/s 
B)  30 mph/s 
C)  15 mph/s 
D)  8.5 mph/s 
E)  240 mph/s 
A)  60 mph/s 
B)  30 mph/s 
C)  15 mph/s 
D)  8.5 mph/s 
E)  240 mph/s

Question 15

Astronomers argued that the heliocentric model of the Solar System was simpler than the geocentric model, based on

Accepted Answer

A)  the observation that the planets do not move relative to the background stars. 
B)  the fact that the Moon orbits Earth. 
C)  the fact that the Sun is more massive than Earth. 
D)  the observed retrograde motions of the planets. 
E)  the observed timing of lunar and solar eclipses. 
A)  the observation that the planets do not move relative to the background stars. 
B)  the fact that the Moon orbits Earth. 
C)  the fact that the Sun is more massive than Earth. 
D)  the observed retrograde motions of the planets. 
E)  the observed timing of lunar and solar eclipses.

Question 16

Newton's first law states that an object moving in a straight line at constant speed remains in motion.Why, then, do objects on Earth tend to slow to a stop when we stop acting on them? (For example, a moving car will slow down when the accelerator is not pressed)

Accepted Answer

Newton's first law states that an object

Question 17

Explain where and why a planet in an elliptical orbit has the highest and lowest orbital speeds.

Accepted Answer

According to Kepler's second l

Question 18

The distance between the foci when the eccentricity equals zero is

Accepted Answer

A)  equal to the semimajor axis. 
B)  equal to the semiminor axis. 
C)  half the semimajor axis. 
D)  zero. 
E)  infinite. 
A)  equal to the semimajor axis. 
B)  equal to the semiminor axis. 
C)  half the semimajor axis. 
D)  zero. 
E)  infinite.

Question 19

How was retrograde motion explained in the geocentric system?

Accepted Answer

Ptolemy postulated that instea

Question 20

Why does retrograde motion occur for both superior and inferior planets? (It might help you to draw some illustrations to answer this question.)

Accepted Answer

Retrograde motion occurs for both superi

Exam 3: Motion of Astronomical Bodies

At the center of the geocentric model of the Solar System is

What does the term conjunction mean in planetary orbits?

A comet orbits the Sun with a semimajor axis of 90 AU.Using Kepler's third law, the comet's orbital period is approximately

Nicolaus Copernicus is credited with creating the first detailed mathematical model of

Who introduced epicycles into the geocentric system? Why?

Which of the following are superior planets?

According to Kepler's laws, a comet with a highly eccentric orbit will

If a 100-kg astronaut pushes on a 5,000-kg satellite and the satellite experiences an acceleration of 0.1 m/s2, what is the acceleration experienced by the astronaut in the opposite direction?

Based on the figure below, explain why an inferior planet would not be able to be seen at all from Earth when it is in conjunction.

The Copernican model of the solar system has planets traveling on

Explain why astrobiologists expect a planet's orbit to have a significant effect on the planet's potential to sustain life.

In a period of 3 months, a planet travels 30,000 km with an average speed of 10.5 km/s.Sometime later, the same planet travels 65,000 km in 3 months.How fast is the planet traveling at this later time? During which period is the planet closer to the Sun?

Name the two ways in which an object's motion (meaning its velocity) can experience a nonzero acceleration.

What is your acceleration if you go from 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds?

Astronomers argued that the heliocentric model of the Solar System was simpler than the geocentric model, based on

Newton's first law states that an object moving in a straight line at constant speed remains in motion.Why, then, do objects on Earth tend to slow to a stop when we stop acting on them? (For example, a moving car will slow down when the accelerator is not pressed)

Explain where and why a planet in an elliptical orbit has the highest and lowest orbital speeds.

The distance between the foci when the eccentricity equals zero is

How was retrograde motion explained in the geocentric system?

Why does retrograde motion occur for both superior and inferior planets? (It might help you to draw some illustrations to answer this question.)

Thinking Like an Astronomer

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth and the Moon

Gravity and Orbits

Light

The Tools of the Astronomer

The Formation of Planetary Systems

The Terrestrial Planets and Earths Moon

Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Planets

Worlds of Gas and Liquidthe Giant Planets

Planetary Moons and Rings

Dwarf Planets and Small Solar System Bodies

Taking the Measure of Stars

Our Starthe Sun

The Interstellar Medium and Star Formation

Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

Evolution of High-Mass Stars

Relativity and Black Holes

Galaxies

The Milky Waya Normal Spiral Galaxy

The Expanding Universe

Cosmology

Large-Scale Structure in the Universe

Life

Filters

If a 100-kg astronaut pushes on a 5,000-kg satellite and the satellite experiences an acceleration of 0.1 m/s², what is the acceleration experienced by the astronaut in the opposite direction?